BARKER or BARKAR (CHRISTOPHER), draper, bookseller and printer in London, 1569-99; (1) The Grasshopper in St. Paul's Curchyard; (2) The Tiger's Head in St. Paul's Churchyard; (3) The Tiger's Head in Paternoster Row; (4) Bacon House, near Foster Lane, Cheapside; (5) Northumberland House, Aldersgate Street. Christopher Barker is believed, on somewhat doubtful authority, to have been related to Christopher Barker, Garter king of arms, and to have been the son of Edward Barker. He was born about the year 1529, and was originally a member of the Drapers' Company, but in middle age turned his attention to the printing and publishing of books. Unfortunately practically all the records of the Company of Stationers for the years 1571-6, the period when he first makes his appearance, are missing, and we have no knowledge as to which of the stationers he was apprenticed to. The first heard of him is in 1569, when he entered in the Registers of the Company, serten prayers of my Lady Tyrwhett [Arber, i. 398]. At this time he is believed to have been a bookseller only, living at the sign of the Grasshopper in St. Paul's Churchyard, but so few and so rare are books bearing his imprint at this date that it is unsafe to speak definitely on this point. A singular entry occurs in the Company's accounts for the year 1571-2: "To Christopher Barker for 111 loades and 6 foot of timber. xliis." [Arber, i. 455]. Now, one of Christopher Barker's earliest devices was that of a woodman splitting the bark off a tree, a punning device on his name, but in the light of this entry it might also mean something more. On December 23rd, 1573, in company with Garret Dewes { DEWES, Garrad ( - 1591) ‹ LBT 07706 › }, John Harrison the Eldest { HARRISON, John ( - 1616) ‹ LBT 07614 › }, William Norton { NORTON, William (1527 - 1593) ‹ LBT 08157 › }, John Wight { WIGHT, John ( - 1589) ‹ LBT 00149 › }, and Richard Watkins { WATKYNS, Richard ( - 1599) ‹ LBT 08278 › }, he became one of the assigns of Francis Flower { }, who a few days previously had secured the patent of Queen's Printer in Latin, Greek and Hebrew in succession to Reginald Wolfe { WOLF, Reginolde ( - 1574) ‹ LBT 08802 › }. It is generally asserted that Christopher Barker began to print in the year 1576; but there is some reason for believing that he was at work as a printer at the time he took over Francis Flower's patent, even if not earlier. One of the first books which undoubtedly came from his press was an octavo edition of the Genevan New Testament which bears the date 1575 on the titlepage, and has the imprint "Imprinted at London, by Christopher Barkar dwelling in Powles Churchyard at the signe of the Tyger's head 1576." The titlepage of this was in a border familiar to all students of Barker's work, that having the royal arms at the top, the "tiger's" head and the coat of arms on either side and two shields at the bottom. These shields are generally found blank, but in this book one is occupied by the arms of the Stationers' Company and the other has what appear to be three triple crowns, with the letters C. B. At this time Barker was evidently very closely associated with the family of Sir Francis Walsingham. Time will perhaps reveal what that association was, but proof of it is abundant. In the first place the Tiger's Head which he adopted as his device was tbe crest of the Walsingham family. The Walsingham coat of arms is found in many of his books and in his initial letters and border pieces. Again many of the early productions of his press were dedicated either by him or at his instance to members of the Walsingham family. In 1577 Barker obtained from Sir Thomas Wilkes the residue of his patent as Queen's Printer and from that time became one of the most powerful and important members of the Company of Stationers, into the Livery of which he was taken on June 25th, 1578 [Arber, ii. 865]. By this patent he obtained the sole printing of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, the Statutes of the Realm and all Proclamations. As showing how recklessly these monopolies were granted, it may be said that the Queen had in the first year of her reign granted to Richard Tottell { TOTTELL, Richard ( - 1593) ‹ LBT 08571 › } a license to "imprint all manners of books concerning the common laws of this realme" for his lifetime, under which patent he had been printing the statutes of the realm, until Christopher Barker claimed the right under his new patent as Queen's Printer. In 1578 he issued a printed circular to the Companies of London offering them copies of his large Bible on advantageous terms [Arber, ii. 748). In 1582 there was much unrest amongst the printers owing to the growth of the printing monopolies, and Christopher Barker drew up a long and valuable report on the whole subject, which is printed at length by Mr. Arber in the first volume of his Transcript, pp. 111, 114-16, 144, 246. He was Warden of the Company at that time and again in the year 1585-6. In 1583 he was returned as having five presses [Arber, i. 248]. Christopher Barker died at his house at Datchet, near Windsor, on November 29th, 1599, aged 70. In 1588 he had nominated as his deputies George Bishop { BISHOP, George ( - 1610) ‹ LBT 08608 › } and Ralph Newbery { NEWBERRY, Ralph ( - 1603) ‹ LBT 08123 › }. He left a son Robert Barker { BARKER, Robert ( - 1646) ‹ LBT 06872 › } who succeeded him in the Royal printing house.</blockqquote>
MLT Note: O.D.N.B. - Memorial - 'he found English printing like brickwork and left it like marble'. ---
