The King'S Printer: The Royal Privilege
THE KING'S PRINTER: THE ROYAL PRIVILEGE
The English book trade was regulated by the Stationers' Company. As printing was permitted only at four centers—London, York, Oxford, and Cambridge—until 1695, regulation of the trade was not especially difficult. The printing of Bibles, however, was seen as a matter of particular importance, and was subject to additional regulations. Since the time of Henry VIII, Bibles printed within England by official sanction—such as Matthew's Bible, the Great Bible, and the Bishops' Bible—were subject to a trade monopoly. The monarch granted a “privilege” to favored subjects allowing them a monopoly on the production of certain types of Bible—an honor or favor usually indicated with the words cum privilegio on the title page of the Bible in question. The crown, in turn, received a proportion of the “royalty” paid to the holder of the privilege.
Richard Jugge had secured a “privilege” for the production of theological books in general under Elizabeth I. While Jugge held the office of “Queen's Printer,” this was not seen as automatically conferring any special privileges in relation to the printing of Bibles. However, this association was not long in developing. The office of Queen's Printer passed, in part, to Christopher Barker in 1577, the year of Jugge's death. Through the influence of friends at court, Barker was able to secure a complete monopoly in England for the printing of “all and singular books, pamphlets, acts of Parliament, injunctions, and Bible and New Testaments in the English tongue of whatever translation with notes or without notes.” While Barker was at liberty to assign these privileges to other printers, he retained absolute control of the printing of English translations of the Bible throughout his lifetime.
These monopolies did not, of course, extend to English translations produced outside England, perhaps the most important of which were various editions of the Geneva Bible. However, printings of the Geneva Bible within England fell within the scope of the patent, and Barker had no hesitation in exploiting this privilege. Interestingly, Barker appears to have done relatively little to encourage the printing of the various “official” translations, such as the Bishops' Bible, but was enthusiastic in his support for the popular and profitable Geneva Bible. Barker's support for biblical translations appears to have been directly proportional to their profitability.
In 1589, Barker managed to achieved something of a business coup de force. He persuaded Elizabeth to extend his patent as Queen's Printer for the remainder of his own life, and that of his son, Robert. Barker had originally had to share the privilege with Sir Thomas Wilkes under the deal negotiated in 1577. Wilkes fell out of favor in 1589, opening the way to a renegotiation of the royal printing privilege in Barker's favor. Barker Senior died in 1599, and his son assumed the role of Queen's Printer immediately. With the accession of James I, Robert Barker became the King's Printer. Under the 1589 privilege, it was inevitable that the responsibility of printing the new Bible would fall to him.
It will thus be clear that the use of the King's Printer for this important new translation did not rest upon any perception that this would ensure a more accurate or reliable printing, but upon the belief that this was potentially a profitable project that would bring financial advantage to Barker and his partners. If any printings showed scrupulosity in ensuring textual accuracy, these were the editions that subsequently came from the university printing houses at Oxford and Cambridge.
It was a responsibility that Barker viewed with some hesitation, not least on account of the very substantial financial investment it demanded. Barker is estimated to have had to set aside £3,500 to cover the production costs of the massive work. He yielded to the inevitable, and sought partners in the venture. John Bill, Bonham Norton, and John Norton duly signed up, and the capital required was made available. The partnership fell into disarray within five years, with a furious dispute between the partners threatening to disrupt the later printing of the work. Barker was obliged to hand over the copyright to Bonham Norton in 1617 as financial security. Norton promptly took over the printing process, and moved the entire operation to Hunsdon House in Blackfriars. It was not until 1629 that Barker managed to regain control of the patent. Norton went on to be imprisoned for bribery, and Barker for debt. Barker spent the last ten years of his life in the King's Bench Prison in Borough High Street, Southwark. Under the terms of the patent granted to his father, he remained the King's Printer until his dying day. All this, however, lay in the future.