An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
or resiante within this realme, after the saide feaste of Christmas, shall bye within this realme,
of any stranger, borne oute of the kynges obedience other then of denizens, any maner of
printed books, brought from any the parties beyond the see, except onely by engrose & not by
retayle: upon peine of forfaiture of vis. viii. d. for every book so bought by retayle, contrarie to
the fourme & effect of this estatute, the said forfaytures, to be always leuied of the byers of any
suche bookes, contrarie to this act:' etc. Provided alwaye,' etc.
[Anno xxv. Henrici VIII. Actis made in the session of this present parliament, cap. xv. London,
printed by Thomas Berthelet '505;...1. ']. This act appears to have afforded greater protection to
the printers, than to the bookbinders; for although it restricted the importation of bound books
into this country, it does not appear to have affected the settlement of foreign bookbinders in
London, who, probably on account of their superior skill, succeeded to a considerable extent, in
drawing to themselves the trade of the English workmen. Among the minutes of the Stationers'
Company, printed by Mr. Arber in his transcript of their Register, are several orders directed
against this abuse, which continued throughout the century. At a court held on 21st October,
1577, it was resolved, among other things, 'that the bookbinders that be Englishmen and
freemen of this cities shall have work before strangers and foyers,' so that they do their work in
a workmanlike manner, and at a reasonable rate [Vol. ii. p. 880.]. In 1586, this grievance of the
English binders was represented to the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen, when an 'Acte of
Common Councell made for restraynte of setting forreyners on work the firste daie of Auguste in
the third and fourth yeres of kinge Philipp and Queen Mary,' was again put in force: and in a
second petition 'againste ye nombers of fforreyners and Sttaungers, then intrudded into the
trade and workes' of the bookbinders, presented to the same authorities, on 6th October,
1597, we read that' the nomber of forreyners are more en creased ' since the time of the former
address, 'through their dailie repaire from all partes of the realme to London'; and that the
number of bookbinders, 'freemen, taxable to their Companies and to the Cittie,' was no greater
than forty-six. They, therefore, pray to 'haue the Statute in force for forreyners As other
Companyes haue and do execute Or ellse your poore Suppliantes shal be in case to be vtterly
ruynat and vndone' [Vol. ii. p. 800, etc., and vol. iii. p. 40.]. This second petition would seem to
have gained for them some substantial relief, as their grievance does not again appear to have
been brought before the court of the Stationers' Company. It is to this settlement of foreign
binders in London, that the occurrence of such distinguished designs as those executed on the
books of Thomas Wotton, is to be attributed; if not, indeed, those general characteristics of
Elizabethan bindings, which show the undoubted influence of Lyonese art upon English
workmanship.