BYNNEMAN (HENRY), printer in London, 1566-83; (1) The Black Boy, Paternoster Row, 1566; (2) The Mermaid, Paternoster Row, 1567; (3) The Mermaid, Knightrider Street, 1567-80; (4) The Three Wells, North West Door of St. Paul's Cathedral, 1572; (5) Thames Street, Near Baynard's Castle, 1580-3. Henry Bynneman is first heard of in 1559, when, on June 24th, he apprenticed himself for eight years to Richard Harrison { HARRYSON, Richard ( - 1653) ‹ LBT 07675 › }, stationer of London, and printer, who carried on business in White Cross Street, Cripplegate. Richard Harrison died in 1563, and Bynneman's movements between that date and August 15th, 1566, when he took up his freedom as a stationer, are unknown. The first book bearing his name was Robert Crowley's Apologie, Or Defence of Predestination, 4to., October, 1566; some copies of the work have Henry Denham's { DENHAM, Henry ‹ LBT 08578 › } name as printer. So largely did his business increase that in 1572 he had a bookseller's shop or shed in St. Paul's Churchyard, known as The Three Wells, in addition to his printing house. At the death of Reginald Wolfe { WOLF, Reginolde ( - 1574) ‹ LBT 08802 › }, in 1573, Henry Bynneman secured a large part of the stock of letters and devices in his office and struck out a new line for himself. In 1574 he issued four books in folio, two being different editions of Calvin's Sermons on Job, and the others Walsingham's Historia Brevis and Whitgift's Defence of the aunswer to the Admonition,, and all of them were excellently printed. He had a special woodcut border cut for his folio titlepages, modelled on that used hy Reginald Wolfe in the Historia Major in 1571, and embodying his device of the mermaid. From this time until his death in 1583 he turned out some very artistic hooks. In these he substituted one or other of Wolfe's devices for that of the mermaid, and frequently placed on the titlepages of his books the coats of arms of his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, or one or other of the Court nobility. His greatest work during the latter part of his life was the printing of Holinshed's Chronicle for Reginald Wolfe's executors. About 1579 or 1580 Henry Bynneman moved into premises in Thames Street, and served as constable to the parish of St. Bennet, Paul's Wharf. In 1580 he was involved in serious trouble for printing a libellous letter sent from one member of Parliament to another, but this was the only occasion in which he offended the authorities. About this time he was working in partnership with Henry Denham, whom, with Ralph Newbery { NEWBERRY, Ralph ( - 1603) ‹ LBT 08123 › }, he appointed his deputy. In the year of his death, 1583, he was returned as possessing three presses, but he died before the end of the year, and on January 8th, 1583/4, Ralph Newbery and Henry Denham delivered to the Company certain copies that had belonged to "Henry Bynneman deceased." He left a widow {Bridgid BYNNEMAN, Bridgid (mar. SLEDD) ‹ LBT 03155 › } who afterwards married a Mr. Sled { SLED, (Unknown) ‹ LBT 06427 › } [Herbert, p. 1288], and several children, one of whom, Christopher Bynneman { BYNNEMAN, Christopher ( - 1623) ‹ LBT 07294 › }, was in 1600 apprenticed for seven years to Thomas Dawson { DAWSON, Thomas ( - 1620) ‹ LBT 07918 › }. The business was taken over by a syndicate composed of Ninian Newton { NEWTON, Nynion ( - 1591) ‹ LBT 08408 › }, Arnold Hatfield { HATFIELD, Arnold ( - 1613) ‹ LBT 07348 › } and Edmond Bollifant { BOLLIPHANT, Edmond ( - 1602) ‹ LBT 07342 › }, three of Henry Denham's apprentices, with whom was joined John Jackson { }, a draper. [Library, July, 1908.]
