EIOHTEfiNTH CENTURY.
716
tf r. Caslon's fint foundiy was in a small house n Helmet-row, in Old-street; he afterwards -emored into Ironmonger-row, and ahout 1736 nto Cbiswell-street,* where the foundry was Tarried on at first by himself, and afterwards in
- onj unction with William,-]- his eldest son; whose
aame first appeared in the specimen of 1742. M[r. Caslon's reputation induced his majesty, in IT about the year 1750, to place him in the com- mission of the peace for Middlesex, which office tie sustained with honour to himself and adran- tage to the community; and he now retired from the active part of the business, to what was then called a country house, at Bethnal Green, where lie died, at the age of serenty-four; and was buried in the church-yard of St Luke, Middle- sex; in which parish all his different foundries were situated. A monument, erected to his memory, is thus briefly inscribed :
W. Casloh, esq. Ob. 13 Jan. 17M, aet 74.
Alao, W. CjULON, esq. (son of the above)
Ob. 17 Aug. 1778, Bt. IS years.
Mr. Caslon was three times married. The name of his second wife was Longman; of the third, Waters; and with each of these two ladies he had a good fortune. He left two sons and a daughter; William, the elder, succeeded him in Cliiswell-street; Thomas, the younger, was an eminent bookseller in Stationers' -court; and Mary, who was twice married, first to Mr. She- well, a brewer, and afterwards to Mr. Hanbey, an ironmonger of large fortune. There is a goodmeizobnto print of Mr. Caslon by J. Faber, from a painting by F. Kyte, inscribed Guliel- mus Caslon. It appears by the Dissertation uf Ruwe Mores, page 86, that Mr. Caslon had a brother named Samuel, who was his mould- maker, and afterwards lived with Mr. George Anderton,of Birmingham, in the same capacity.
1766, Jan. ft. Abstract of the account of his majesty's civil government of one year : item, To Mr. Basket lor printing JC5,846 Il(. 6d.
1766. The Media/. This periodical, consisting of only thirty-one essays, on various subjects, was
- In the Vnioenal Magaxhu tta 17S0< tbere la a view of
Mi. Caslon's type foundry, with portraits of six of his workmen. The one marked 3 is that of Mr. Jackson, and 4thatofMr. OottereU.
Sir John Hawkins, in his nutorp of Muiie, relates the foUowin; anecdote of this dlstini^Bned and excellent character; — "Mr. Caslon,*' says su* John, "settled In Ironmonger-row, Old-street, and being a great lover of mnsic had f^eqnent concerts at his house, which were resorted to by many eminent masters; to these he used to invite bis friends, and those of his old acquaintance, the companions of his youth. He afterwards removed to a large lunise in Chiswell-street, and had an organ In his concert room. Afterthst he had stated monthly concerts, which, for the convenience of his friends, that they might walk home in safety, when the performance was over, were on that Thursday of the month which was nearest the foil moon; from which drcomstance Ills guests were wont humorously to call themselves Lnna-tlcs. In the intervals of the performance the guests rett-eshed them- selves at a sidebMurd, which was amply furnished; and when it was over, sitting down to a bottle of wlue and a decanter of excellent ale of Mr. Caslon's own brewing, they concluded the evening's entertainment with a song or two of Purcell's, sung to the harpsichord, ur a few catches, and about twelve retired."
t The abilities of this artist appeared to great advantage inaspedmenof types of the learned languages, in ijta.
published at Newcastle upon Tyne, and pre- sented by the author to one of the governesses of the lying-in hospital, in Newcastle, to be printed for the &nefit of that charity. The number of subscribers was very considerable.
1766, Nov. The Waterford Journal, estab- lished by Esther Crawley and Son, and published twice a-week, price a halfpenny.
Bamsay's Waterford Chronicle was also com- menced at this time, and published twice a-week, at a halfpenny.
1766. Morning Herald, newspaper.
1766. The Spendthrift,^o.\.
1767. In this year the house of lords deter- mined upon printing their JovmaU and Parlia- mentary Reeorde; and it was also strongly urged upon their consideration to print the Doonudaif Book, the most important of the Anglo-Saxon records, that in the event of any accident occur- ring to the original, so important a national register might not be entirely lost. In con- seauence of this petition, the treasury board referred the board to the society of antiquaries, as to the means through which it should be pub- lished; whether by printing types, or by having a copy of the manuscript engraven in fac-simile. By Uie examination of several eminent printers, it was learned that according to the first plan, very many unavoidable errors would occur; and a tracing of the record was then proposed to be transferred to copper-plates. An estimate of the expense of this was next ordered by the treasury board, which amounted to £20,000 for the printing and engraving of 1260 copies, each containing 1664 plates; but this sum, how- ever proportioiuilly moderate, was considered too large, and the first plan was again reverted to. It was then proposed by the learned Dr. Morton, that a fount or fac-simile tjrpes should be cut under his superintendence, out this scheme was also abandoned, on account of the letters in the manuscripts continually varying in their forms. Notwithstanding this objection, however, there is in the History of the Origin and Progress of Printing, by Phiiip Luckombe, Lond. 1770. 8vo. a 174, a specimen of domesday type cut by Mr. Thomas Cotterell, the letter-founder; but the fac-simile is unfaithful, and the extract very corrupt. When Dr. Morton's plan was resigrned, the publication of domesday was entrusted to Abraham Farley, esq. F.R.S. a gentleman of great record learning, and who had access to tbe ancient manuscripts for upwards of forty Tears. His knowledge, however, did not induce him to differ from his original in a single instance, even when he found an apparent error; he pre- served in bis transcript every interlineation and contraction, and his copy was then placed in the hands of John Nichols, esq. F.A.S. &c. and was finished in 1783, in two volumes, folio, with the types devised by himself, and cut by Mr. Jackson.
1767, March 31. Died, Jacob Tonson, the third bookseller of the name, who is called by Dr. Johnson, " the late amiable Mfc Tonson.'* He carried on trade, with great liberality, and credit to himself, for above thirty years, in the
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