Page:Plomer Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers 1907.djvu/43

This page has been validated.
BARBER—BARKER.
13

BARBER (JOSEPH), bookseller in London; The Lamb, in the New Buildings, St. Paul's Churchyard, 1653–58. Was associated with Samuel Speed in the publication of Sir P. Temple's Man's Master Piece, 1658.

BARKER (CHRISTOPHER), the Third, printer, 1640-80, son of Christopher Barker the second, and grandson of Robert Barker, the King's Printer. In 1643 he was sequestered for carrying the printing presses to the City of York, and the inference is that he was also the printer of the documents that were printed subsequently at Nottingham, Shrewsbury, and Bristol. At the Restoration, Christopher Barker the third, and John Bill the second, were restored to their moiety of the King's Printing Office, but Barker immediately assigned his moiety over to Sawbridge, Hills, Kirton, Roycroft, and Meame, for an annuity of £ioo a year, and appears to have given up printing, although his name continued to appear in the imprints of books down to the expiration of the patent in 1680. [Library, October, 1901. The King's Printing House under the Stuarts.]

BARKER (ROBERT), King's printer, Northumberland House, Aldersgate Street, 1570–1645. The eldest son of Christopher Barker the first, printer to Queen Elizabeth. He was probably born at Sudely, near Datchet, co. Bucks, was made free of the Company of Stationers on June 25th, 1589, and held a partnership in the Royal Printing House until his father's death in 1599. He is said to have married Rachel, a daughter of William Day (afterwards Bishop of Winchester), by whom he had a large family. On the accession of James I, Robert Barker held the office of King's Printer by virtue of the reversionary patent granted to his father, and afterwards obtained the reversion for his eldest son Christopher the second, and a further reversion of thirty years to his second son, Robert, on the death of Christopher and himself. In 1605 and 1606 he was Master of the Company of Stationers. Robert Barker was the printer of what is known as the "Authorised" version of the Bible in 1611. It has been generally supposed that he bore the whole cost, but there is little doubt that he was financed throughout by Bonham Norton, John Norton, and John Bill, in return for a share in the profits of the office. The value of the office at that time is said to have been £30,000. In 1615 his son Christopher the second married Sarah, the eldest daughter of Bonham Norton. Soon afterwards they were in financial difficulties, and assigned their interest in the King's