working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

164 CRAFTS AND TRADESAmong thirty-nine printing patents issued byJames I. and Charles 11. is one to " Hester Ogden,als ffulke Henr. Sibbald et Tho. Kenithorpe forprinting a book called The Sincire and True Translationof the Holy Scripture into the Englishe tounge."It appears as though Hester Ogden was no merefigure head, for His Majesty's Printers appealedagainst this licence on the grounds that it infringedtheir rights, protesting that " Mistris Ogden a mariedwoman one of Dr. Fulkes daughters did lately [sue]his Majesie to haue ye printing of her fathers workes,which his[Majestie] not knowing ye premisesgranted, and ye same being first referred [to the]Archbishop of Canterbury . . . their lordships. . . . deliuered their opinion against her,since which she hath gotten a new reference tothe Lord Chancellor and Master Secretary Nanton,who not examining ye title vpon oath and the Stationersbeing not then able to produce those material1 proofeswhich now they can their honors certified for her,wherevpon her friends hath his Majestie's grantfor ye printing and selling of the sayed book for. . . . Mistris Ogdenxxi. years to her vsehath gotten by begging from ye clergy and othersdiuers great somes of money towards ye printingof her fathers workes. Master Norton and myselfhaue for many E~ooo bought ye office of hisMajesties printer to which ye printing of ye translaconsof the Bible or any parts thereof sett furth by theState belongs. Now the greatest parte of Dr.Fulkes worke is the new testament in English settforth by authoritie."'Another patent was granted to Helen Masonfor " printing and selling the abridgment ofthe book of martyres,"l while Jane, wifeof Sir Thomas Bludder, petitions ArchbishopArber, Tranrcript, Vol. III., p. 39.CRAFTS AND TRADESLaud, showing that " She with John Bill an infanthave by grant from the King the moiety of the oficeof King's Printer and amongst other things the printingof Bibles. This is infringed by a printer in Scotland,who printed many Bibles there and imported theminto England . . . . she prays the Archbishopto hear the case him~elf."~Many of the books printed at this time bear thenames of women printer^,^ but though women mightown and direct the printing houses, there is no indicationthat they were ever engaged in the manualprocesses OF printing. The printers' trade does infact furnish rather a good example of the effect uponwomen's economic position of the transition fromfamily industry to capitalistic organisation. It is truethat many links in the evolution must be suppliedby the imagination. We can imagine the masterprinter with his press, working at home with thehelp of his apprentice, his wife and children; thenas his trade prospered he employed journeymenprinters who were the real ctaftsmen, and it becamepossible for the owner of the business to be a man orwoman who had never been bred up to thetrade.Apprenticeship was still exacted for the journeymen.A Star Chamber decree in 1637 providesthat no " master printer shall imploy either to workeat the Case, or the Presse, or otherwise about hisprinting, any other person or persons, then suchonly as are Free-men, or Apprentices to the Tradeor mystery of Printing."' While in I 676 the Stationers'Company ordained that " no master-printer, or' Arber, Transcript, Vol. V., Ivili.S.P.D., cccxxxix., p. 89.e.g. An Essay L$ Drapery . . . by Wlliiam Scott, printed by Eliz. Aldefor S. Pennell, London, 1635 Calvin, Initrtutron of Cbrrstaan Rrltgron. Pr~ntedby the iv~dowe of R Wolfe, London, 1574. The fourtile ed~tron of Porta Lznbuarum1s printed by E. Grlffln for .M. Sparke. London, 1639.