 | |  |
Notes
There are, of course, examples with ballads printed on both sides. These are not pieces of double value for the purchaser but exercises in economy on the part of the booksellers, who, from time to time, and particularly towards the end of the century, used up old stock for printing more popular ballads.
The official attitude of the Stationers' Company seems throughout to be somewhat half-hearted. The Court, at its meeting on 23 January 1620/1, solemnly rescinded an order of 19 May 1612 by which "5 printers onely should haue the printing of all ballads", and decreed "that the sellers of ballads may print their owne copies where they thinke good".
This is the story given by R. B. McKerrow in A Dictionary of Printers and Booksellers. . . . 1557-1640 (1910). But it appears from the State Papers (Domestic) that as late as 1 October 1618 Marin de Boislorée, the King's agent in France, was hoping to be rewarded for his services by the grant of this Patent and that he did not get it because he was a foreigner.
On 4 August 1626 Pavier's widow assigned to Brewster and Bird "His parte in any sorts of Ballads" along with other copyrights and "His Interest and title to any pictures and . . . . tables." Many of these, including the pictures but excluding the ballads, were reassigned to John Wright junior on 13 June 1642. I suspect that the ballads were reassigned without registration—as, of course, often happened, particularly where partnership adjustment was involved—before 1 June 1629 when Coles' name first appeared in the Registers as a partner. At the end of the same month the Symcocke invasion was finally cleared up. June seems to have been the regular stocktaking time.
It is understandable that assignees were unwilling to go to the expence of recording in the Registers small shares in large numbers of ballads; and I think that an open assignment of books may sometimes point to a private assignment of ballads.
There are two ballads quoted on pp. l and lviii of Vol. VIII (2) of the Ballad Society publications (Hertford, 1897) which carry the four names of this imprint but with M. Wright after T. Vere; both are topical and can be dated, for first publication, to the Autumn of 1660 and the Spring of 1661. They never found their way into the ballad stock and do not contradict what I have said above. See footnotes to imprints D and H below.
Oddly enough, a few ballads have survived with the initial R instead of W for Gilbertson. Rachel was William's widow but her name, so far as I have found it, only appears on topical ballads not listed in the 1675 entry. One example, which cannot have been printed before June 1665, is The loyal Victory, obtained . . . . June the 2d and 3d 1665 (Bod. Wood 402, f. 96). The bringing in of the widows on ballads of current interest and outside the general run of the stock, is an interesting feature. See footnote to imprints B above and H below.
Printed off before Coles' death but with intention to publish with Vol. II late in 1680 or early in 1681.
There is a topical ballad in the Pepys Collection, Rebellion Given over Housekeeping, with the odd imprint, "Printed for J.W., J.C., W.T., T.P. & M.C.", where M.C. is presumably Mary Coles. But it is not in the regular ballad stock and need not disturb the pattern. Cf. the similar Mary Wright and Rachel Gilbertson imprints referred to in footnotes to imprints B and D above.
How he acquired it is not known; that so few ballads listed by Thackeray, are in the Pepys Collection suggests that the acquisition was much later than the date in the document.
I have already recorded my inability to find a record of John Clarke as a freeman of the Stationers' Company. This and the omission of his name from the partnership list in this document suggest that he was free of another Company; but his connection with Killigrew would make him a useful partner.
I interpret this to mean that, while unused paper carried as stock was to be valued at cost, i.e. at 5/- a ream of ?510 sheets, printed ballads, etc., which were often sold by the quire, were to be valued at twice this amount, a ream of paper making two "reams" of ballads as reckoned by the partners. This would fit in with the agreement by which Thackeray supplied the paper and Millet and Milbourn did the printing—a roughly 50-50 arrangement.
| | |