A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667/Smethwick (Francis)

by Henry Robert Plomer

SMETHWICK (FRANCIS), bookseller (?) in London; Saint Dunstans Churchyard in Fleet Street, under the Dyall, 1642. Son of John Smethwick, one of the publishers of Shakespeare's plays, who died before July 15th, 1641. His father bequeathed him his shop and all the books in it, and the copyrights, including Hamblett, a play, The tameing of a shrew, Romeo & Juliett, and Love's Labour Lost, were assigned over to him on August 24th, 1642. In the same year he published an edition of T. Lodge's Euphues golden legacy, but a few days after receiving the copyrights he re-assigned them to Miles Fletcher or Flesher. [Stationers' Registers, Liber D.]