GODFRAY, Thomas ‹ LBT 28403 ›
floruit 1532 (B)—1532 (B); Male
Occupations (1)
| Occupation | Comment |
|---|---|
| Printer | Duff, E.G. (1905) |
Addresses (2)
| Date | Address | Trade at Addr | Source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple Bar | Duff, E.G. (1905); STC. vol.3, (1991) | - at | ||
| Old Bailey | Duff, E.G. (1905); STC. vol.3, (1991) | - in the |
SOURCES & TRANSCRIPTIONS
Transcriptions
Bib.Soc., Hand-lists (1913), contrib. H.R.Plomer.
Duff, E.G. (1905), p.56
GODFRAY (THOMAS), printer in London, issued only one dated book, the first complete edition of Chaucer's Works published in 1532. Of undated books he printed a large number and from internal evidence one book at least can be proved later than 1535, a date referred to in Christopher St. Germain's Answer to a letter. [Queen's CoIl., Oxon.] In two books only does Godfray mention any address, the grammar of Stanbridge, Sum Es Fui was printed "in the Old Bailey," the Exoneratorium Curatorum "at Temple Bar." His press seems in some mysterious way to have been connected with that of Berthelet { BERTHELET, Thomas ( - 1555) ‹ LBT 06915 › } and some have gone so far as to assert that Godfray was not a printer at all and that the books with his name were printed by Berthelet. With our present knowledge this seems more than doubtful, though Berthelet certainly came into possession of Godfray's material and many undated and unsigned books are dubiously assigned to one or the other printer. Almost all Godfray's books were of a religious or controversial nature, but amongst the exceptions may be named Skelton's Colin Clout and Giles Dewes' Introductorie for to lerne Frenche. [Bodl.] In the latter book is found the woodcut border used so frequently at a later date by Berthelet and it was while this book was being printed that the block split down the centre, for it occurs in both states. In 1534 Godfray printed for WiIliam Marshall { MARSHALL, William ‹ LBT 30057 › } the Gift of Constantine, and writing about it to Cromwell Marshall states "On the book of Constantine I have laid out all the money I can make, and for lack of it cannot fetch the books from the printer's." [Letters and papers of Henry VIII, vol. vii, p. 178, etc.] Unfortunately Marshall does not mention the name of the printer. Over thirty works are ascribed to Godfray's press and perhaps others are his which are at present given to Berthelet. He used no device, that ascribed to him by Herbert and others is apparently a monogram on a: shield composed of the letters T or F and G which is found on a panel binding in renaissance style with heads in medallions.