BARKER, Robert ( - 1646) ‹ LBT 06872 ›
Printing
floruit 1589 (A)—1646 (B); Male, married
Life Events
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Death | - on 12 Jan 1646 STC. | Plomer, H.R. (1907) |
| Burial | Smyth |
Family Relationships
| Relationship | Name | Occupation | Comments | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| spouse: | DAY, Rachel (mar. BARKER) ‹ LBT 03063 › | 95 | ||
| parent: | BARKER, Christopher (1529 - 1599) ‹ LBT 06871 › | Bookseller, Queen's Printer | O.D.N.B. - born c.1568 | 100 |
| parent: | READ, Katherine (mar. BARKER) ‹ LBT 03062 › | O.D.N.B. - born c.1568 | 90 | |
| sibling: | BARKER, Margery ‹ LBT 34950 › | Comment for child Margery BARKER: O.D.N.B. - married Robert Constable - she doed before 1596, buried at Datchet- had two sons baptized at Datchet - Robert (b.1590) and Francis (b.1592) | 78 | |
| child: | BARKER, Agatha (mar. LEGATE) ‹ LBT 03339 › | O.D.N.B. - married John Legate (LBT/09083) | 100 | |
| child: | BARKER, Christopher ‹ LBT 08874 › | Printer | 100 | |
| child: | BARKER, Francis ‹ LBT 08875 › | 100 | ||
| child: | BARKER, George ‹ LBT 08876 › | 100 | ||
| child: | BARKER, Robert ‹ LBT 30414 › | 100 | ||
| child: | BARKER, Robert ‹ LBT 34951 › | 60 |
Livery Companies
| Company | Source |
|---|---|
| Stationers' Company |
Stationers' Company Titles (4)
| Title | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assistant | 1594-04-09 | 1615-03-22 | Chosen; Last attendance |
| Upper Warden | 1601-07-01 | 1602-07-01 | Served 1601/1602 |
| Master | 1605-06-29 | 1606-06-29 | Served 1605/1606 |
| Master | 1606-07-01 | 1607-07-01 | Served 1606/1607 |
Occupations (1)
| Occupation | Comment |
|---|---|
| Printer | McKenzie, D.F. (1961) - Master; - King's printer |
Had Apprentice(s): (26)
Events (50)
| Date | Event type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1589 | Freed - Patrimony | - father = Christopher Barker (LBT/06871) |
| 1 Jul 1592 | Cloathed | |
| 25 Mar 1593 | Appr - Binding | John Walton (LBT/06889) |
| 9 Apr 1594 | Court | Chosen as an Assistant |
| 3 Jun 1594 | Court | Attended - see Arber - II – p.193. |
| 30 Sep 1594 | Appr - Binding | Robert Woodnet (LBT/06890) |
| 26 Mar 1595 | Renter Warden | fined - |
| 7 May 1599 | Appr - Binding | Edward Morrant (LBT/06887) |
| 29 Jun 1599 | Under Warden | fined twice |
| 3 Nov 1600 | Appr - Binding | Samuel Reade (LBT/06888) |
| Jul 1601 | Upper Warden | Served 1601/1602 |
| 5 Oct 1601 | Appr - Binding | Leonard Mascall (LBT/06886) |
| 5 Oct 1601 | Appr - Binding | William Barker (LBT/06884) |
| 19 Apr 1602 | Appr - Binding | Edwyne Busshe (LBT/06885) |
| 23 Apr 1604 | Upper Warden | fined - |
| 29 Jun 1605 | Master | Served 1605/1606 |
| 2 Dec 1605 | Appr - Turn-over/In | Marmaduke Parsons (LBT/08493) from Simon Stafford (LBT/08492) |
| 25 Dec 1605 | Appr - Binding | William Arundell (LBT/08870) |
| 31 Mar 1606 | Appr - Binding | Richard Jackson (LBT/08882) |
| Jul 1606 | Master | Served 1606/1607 |
| 13 Apr 1607 | Appr - Binding | Robert Standishe (LBT/08888) |
| 7 Dec 1607 | Appr - Binding | Robert Constable (LBT/08880) |
| 18 Jan 1608 | Appr - Freedom | Marmaduke Parsons (LBT/08493) |
| 28 Jan 1608 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Ravenscrofte (LBT/08886) |
| 27 Jun 1608 | Appr - Freedom | Edward Morrant (LBT/06887) |
| 7 Nov 1608 | Appr - Freedom | Leonard Mascall (LBT/06886) |
| 16 Jan 1609 | Appr - Freedom | Samuel Reade (LBT/06888) |
| 16 Oct 1610 | Appr - Binding | Edward Dollyn (LBT/08881) |
| 29 Oct 1610 | Appr - Binding | James Turneley (LBT/08891) |
| 1 Mar 1611 | Appr - Freedom | Edwyne Busshe (LBT/06885) |
| 29 Sep 1611 | Appr - Binding | John Pytt (LBT/08885) |
| 2 Dec 1611 | Appr - Binding | William Bate (LBT/08877) |
| 3 Feb 1612 | Appr - Freedom | Symon Marberowe (LBT/08784) - originally bound to John Windet (LBT/06795) as Marboro |
| 10 Feb 1612 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Baker (LBT/08871) |
| 14 Oct 1614 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Tillier (LBT/08890) |
| 14 Oct 1614 | Appr - Freedom | Frances Bott (LBT/09223) - originally bound to John Windet (LBT/06795) |
| 19 Oct 1614 | Appr - Binding | John Streett (LBT/08889) |
| 25 Dec 1614 | Appr - Binding | Edward Medlicott (LBT/08884) |
| 15 Feb 1615 | Son - patrimony | Christofer Barker (LBT/08874) |
| 22 Mar 1615 | Court | Attended – last |
| 20 Jul 1621 | Son - patrimony | George Barker (LBT/08876) |
| 1 Mar 1622 | Appr - Freedom | John Medcalfe (LBT/08883), apparently never formally bound |
| 6 Jul 1629 | Son - patrimony | Francis Barker (LBT/08875) |
| 1630 | Appr - Binding | Triamore Smith (LBT/08887) |
| 7 Jun 1630 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Bankes (LBT/08873) |
| 7 Jun 1630 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Bellamy (LBT/08878) |
| 7 Jun 1630 | Appr - Binding | Thomas Buckley (LBT/08879) |
| 14 Jan 1633 | Appr - Binding | Richard Banks (LBT/08872) |
| 12 Jan 1646 | Court | Died |
| 12 Jan 1646 | Died | CHECK - re-burial date |
Attendance prior to 5 Aug 1695 remains to be listed.
Sources and References
| Original Sources | Comments |
|---|---|
| St.Co. Archive - Binding and Freedom records - extracted by Prof. J.A. Lavin |
SOURCES & TRANSCRIPTIONS
Transcriptions
ODNB - under Christopher Barker, article by David Kathman
S.T.C., (1991), vol.3, pp.11-13
Trascripts
Plomer, H.R. (1907) pp.13-14
BARKER (ROBERT), King's printer, Northumberland House, Aldersgate Street, 1570-1645. The eldest son of Christopher Barker the first { BARKER, Christopher (1529 - 1599) ‹ LBT 06871 › }, 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 { DAY, Rachel (mar. BARKER) ‹ LBT 03063 › }, 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 { SNOWDEN, Anne ( - 1719) ‹ LBT 03874 ›, and a further reversion of thirty years to his second son, Robert { BARKER, Robert ‹ LBT 30414 › }, 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 { NORTON, Bonham ( - 1635) ‹ LBT 08173 › }, John Norton {Cf. NORTON, John ( - 1612) ‹ LBT 08174 › }, and John Bill { BILL, John ( - 1630) ‹ LBT 08152 › }, 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 { NORTON, Sarah (mar. BARKER) ‹ LBT 03309 › }, the eldest daughter of Bonham Norton. Soon afterwards they were in financial difficulties, and assigned their interest in the King's Printing House to Bonham Norton and John Bill. In 1618 Robert Barker brought an action in the Court of Chancery to recover possession, stating that according to the agreements the assignments were only for one year. This Norton denied, and a series of law suits extending over many years followed. Down to the year 1616 the imprints bore Robert Barker's name only. In 1616 they bore the names of Robert Barker and John Bill, and after July, 1617, until May, 1619, they ran "Bonham Norton and John Bill." Barker was successful in his first suit, and a decree was pronounced in his favour, but John Bill was held to have been a bonâ fide purchaser, and accordingly the imprints were altered again to Robert Barker and John Bill. But in 1620 Norton ejected Barker from the office, and the imprints were again changed to Bonham Norton and John Bill, and they continued thus until October 20th, 1629, when a final decree was pronounced in favour of Robert Barker, and they became for the third time Robert Barker and John Bill. In the course of this dispute the statement was made that the King's Printing House was situated at Northumberland House, Aldersgate Street, and subsequently at Hunsdon House, Blackfriars. The death of John Bill in 1630 necessitated a further change in the imprints, which then became Robert Barker and the assigns of John Bill. In 1634 Robert Barker mortgaged his moiety of the office to Miles Fletcher { FLESHER, Miles ( - 1664) ‹ LBT 07401 › } and his partners, and in 1635 he was committed as a debtor to the King's Bench Prison, where he died in 1645. His will, if he made one, has not been found. Of the five sons borne him by his wife Rachel, Christopher the second and Robert the second were already dead. Of the rest, Mathew { BARKER, Mathew ‹ LBT 11347 › } only is subsequently heard of. The King's Printing House, when it was in the hands of Christopher Barker, was rich in all forms of type, ornaments, initial letters, including the handsome pictorial initial letters once used by John Day { STANLEY, Humfrey ‹ LBT 07136 › }, and many others previously in the office of H. Bynneman { BYNNEMAN, Henry (1542 - 1583) ‹ LBT 07678 › }. As various editions of the Bible, Prayer Book and Statutes show, it turned out some very fine books. To this stock Robert Barker succeeded, but the beauty of his black letter printing was marred by careless workmanship. The Bible of 1611 is, of course, the chief glory of his press. It was printed, like all previous folio editions, in great primer black letter, and had an elaborate engraved title-page, the work of Cornelis Boel, and also an engraved map of Canaan, partly the work of John Speed. [Library, N.S., October, 1901. King's Printing House under the Stuarts ...].