Badges
14501940
15001600170018001900
Floruit: 1617–1680
floruit 1617 (A)—1680 (A); Male
Livery Companies
| Company |
Source
|
| Stationers' Company |
McKenzie, D.F. (1961), #0947
|
Occupations (2)
| Occupation |
Comment
|
| Bookseller |
McKerrow, R.B. &c. (1910)
|
| Librarian of Sion College |
McKerrow, R.B. &c. (1910)
|
Was Apprentice to Master(s): (1)
Addresses (2)
| Date |
Address |
Trade at Addr |
Source |
Comment
|
| 1617, (1617-) |
London Bridge |
|
McKerrow, R.B. &c. (1910) |
|
| 1617, (- 1680) |
|
|
McKerrow, R.B. &c. (1910) |
|
Events (3)
Sources and References
| Original Sources |
Comments
|
| Stationers' Company - Binding and Freedom Records - McKenzie, D.F. (1961), # 0947 |
|
SOURCES & TRANSCRIPTIONS
Transcriptions
S.T.C., (1991), vol.3, p.159
McKerrow, R.B. &c. (1910), pp.252-3
SPENCER (JOHN), bookseller in London and Librarian of Sion College, 1617-80; London Bridge and Sion College. The son of Robert Spencer of Uttoxeter, co. Stafford, yeoman. Apprentice to Walter Burre { BURRE, Walter ( - 1622) ‹ LBT 08697 › } for nine years from Cand1emas day, 1617. Took up his freedom in the Company on March 1st, 1624/5, [Arber, iii. 685]. In the same year in partnership with John Bartlett { BARTLETT, John ( - 1657) ‹ LBT 10410 › }, he issued a sermon preached before the House of Commons by the Rev. Isaac Bargrave, which was to be sold at Bartlett's shop, the Gilded Cup, in Cheapside. Later in the same year Spencer issued a chap book called Love's Garland, or Posies for Rings, which was to be sold at his shop "on London Bridge" [Library, February, 1903]. On July 3rd, 1630, Mistress Burre { BURRE, (Unknown) ‹ LBT 03286 › }, the widow of Walter Burre, assigned over to John Spencer her rights in nine books formerly her husband's copies. These included the following notable works, Thomas Middleton's A Mad World mv Masters, Ben Jonson's Alchemist and Silent Woman, John Taylor's Odcombe's Complaint, and G. Ruggles' Ignoramus [Arber, iv. 238]. On the foundation of Sion College, John Spencer, on the recommendation of the Rev. John Simpson, the founder of the library, was appointed Clerk to the College and sub-Librarian. Shortly afterwards he published a sermon preached by the Rev. Robert Willan on the death of Lord Bayning, Viscount Sudbury, and on the title-page he spoke of himself as "Hypo-Bibliothecary of Syon College." This sermon was printed about Midsummer, 1630. In 1635 he published an edition of Middleton's Mad World and in the same year the Oxford play entituled Bellum Grammaticale, to which he prefixed a Latin preface in the course of which he said that it was on sale next to the Gateway of Sion College. The last entry under his name in the Registers is on December 6th, 1638 [Arber, iv. 446]. He remained Library Keeper of Sion College until his death in 1680.