An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
pieces, which consist of arms and other martial devices, is a label, bearing the initials I. D. P.,
which, as they occur on the smaller volume printed by John Day, probably stand for the words,
John Day, printer.
In the absence of any evidence, as to what stationers furnished the Royal Library with bindings,
during the reign of Elizabeth; it may, not without some reason, be surmised, that the queen's
Printer continued to purvey them, as Thomas Berthelet had done in the previous reigns. At the
accession of Mary, Richard Grafton having printed a proclamation declaring Lady Jane Grey,
queen, hardly escaped with his life; and the office of queen's Printer was granted by patent to
John Cawood, on the 29th December, 1553, who continued to hold the office under Elizabeth,
conjointly with :Richard Jugge. Cawood, however, dying in 1572, Jugge enjoyed the privileges of
that office, alone, until his death in 1577; when the monopolies of the place were sold to
Christopher Barker, ' for a great some of money,' by Master Wilkes. Christopher Barker was, in
turn, succeeded by his son Robert.
There are but few gold-tooled bindings, executed for Elizabeth, which remain among the books
of the Old Royal Collection. A copy of Edward Grant's Graecae Lt"nguae Spt"et'/egt"um, London,
1575, is covered in brown leather, and tooled in gold with the queen's arms in the centre, and
azured corner-stamps at the angles, of the boards; while their field is powdered with small
roses [C. 24. a. 22.]. Among the manuscripts in the British Museum, is a volume of Latin pieces
presented to Elizabeth in 1563, upon the occasion of a visit ,to Eton College, Aitone1lsu Scholae
Ovatio de adventu R. ENzabetae ad arces Vt"ndesorenses. It is bound in vellum, and elaborately
decorated in gold, with the royal arms, the initials of the queen, and heavy corner-stamps,
surrounded by an enriched border-fillet, which is imitated from a common Venetian pattern, but
azured. The gilding upon this book, which is very roughly executed, is the work in all probability
of some local binder [Royal MS., 12, A, xxx.]. Of a more English character, are the bindings of two
books in the same collection, which, in so far as their difference in size would allow, are tooled in
a similar manner. The smaller volume is the copy, presented to the queen by John Fox, who
edited the edition, of the Gospels in Anglo-Saxon and English, printed by John Day at London, in
1571, at the instance of Archbishop Parker [675. £]. The larger volume is a copy of Matthew of
Westminster, presented to the queen by the same prelate; Flores Hzstort'arum per Matthaeum
Westmonasterlensem collectt', London, 1570, printed by Thomas Marsh [CO 18. b. I I.]. These
volumes are covered in brown leather, and tooled in gold, on either cover, with the arms, and
initials of the queen, in the centre, and with azured corner-pieces, at the angles, of the panel;
the field being powdered with triple dots: while the further addition of a centre piece, with
angle, and on the larger volume, side, pieces, stamped in gold,