A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who Were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667/Bostock (Robert)
BOSTOCK (ROBERT), bookseller in London, (i) King's Head, St. Paul's Churchyard; (2) St. Faith's, Southwark, 1650. 1629-58. Took up his freedom December 5th, 1625 [Arber, iii. 686], and appears to have dealt chiefly in theological literature. During the Civil War he took an active part on behalf of the Parliament, and was appointed by the Committee of Sequestrations one of its Treasurers. At this time he was busily engaged in the publication of political pamphlets, one of the most noted of which is undoubtedly The Kings Cabinet Opened, consisting of the Royalist papers that were captured at the battle of Naseby. In 1645, and again in 1646, he was in trouble for publishing pamphlets relating to the disputes between England and Scotland.[Domestic State Papers, Charles I, vol. 510, 125; vol 513, 30, 39; Hist. MS. Comm., 6th Report, App., pp. 111], and on June 5th, 1650, he was bound over in £500 not to print seditious pamphlets. [Domestic State Papers, 1650.] He died suddenly in the street at Banbury on December 11th, 1656 [Smyth, Obituary, p. 43], and his copyrights, fifty-four in number, were transferred to George Thomason. [Stationers' Company Registers, Liber F, p. 23.]