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

by Henry Robert Plomer

ATKYNS (RICHARD), patentee of law books, 1639-77. The printing of books of common law was created a monopoly by letters patent, granted by King Edward VI to Richard Tottel, and renewed to him by Queen Elizabeth (January 12th, 1 Eliz.). After his death, i.e., on March 20th, 1593/4 it was granted to C. Yetsweirt for thirty years. He only enjoyed it for a short time, and at his death, in 1598, the reversion was granted to Thomas Wight and Bonham Norton, for the remainder of the term. They, however, surrendered it in consideration of a new grant which was made on March 10th, 1598/9, for thirty years [Patent Rolls, 41 Eliz., 4th part]. That patent expired on March 10th, 1628. It was no doubt put up to the highest bidder, and was next granted by James I (January 19th, 15 James I) to John More, Esquire, for forty years. A few months afterwards More assigned his printing rights to Miles Fletcher, q.v., and his partners, John Haviland and Robert Young, for an annuity of £60 and a third of the profits. John More died August 17th, 1638, leaving this annuity, etc., to his daughter Martha, then the wife of Richard Atkyns, who thus became patentee by right of his wife. Miles Fletcher attempted to evade paying this legacy, and in 1639 purchased the stock and premises of Charles More, son of John More, for a sum of £930, and subsequently sold his rights to the Company of Stationers. But Atkyns and his wife brought an action against Fletcher and the Company in the Court of Chancery. The outbreak of the Civil War stopped the case, but at the Restoration they re-commenced proceedings, and were successful. Miles Fletcher being held to have bought of Charles More wrongfully, and being compelled to pay up all arrears up to 1643, and since the Restoration, to Richard Atkyns and his wife. [P.R.O. Chan. Proc Before 1715. Reynardson, Bund. 31, 126.] At one time Henry Twyford and John Streator, q.v., were two of the assigns of R. Atkyns, whose name does not appear in any law book before 1677. Richard Atkyns is chiefly remembered as the author of a work entitled The Origin and Growth of Printing, 1664, in which he put forward the theory that the art of printing was introduced into England and begun at Oxford by a certain Frederick Corsellis in 1468, and that the Exposicio sancti Jeronimi was printed by him. This story has long since been proved to be unfounded, and the date in the Exposicio has been proved to the satisfaction of all bibliographers to be a misprint for 1478. Atkyns subsequently fell into distress, partly, it is believed, by the vagaries and extravagances of his wife, and was committed to the Marshalsea for debt. He died without issue on September 14th, 1677, and was buried in the church of St. George the Martyr, Southwark. [D.N.B.]