History of Early Printing in Ireland 11 



We now come to the third known printer in Ireland, John 

 Franke, or as he called himself later on "Franckton." We first 

 meet his imprint in the year 1600, to two Proclamations, but it 

 is very likely that he was here before that date as his imprint 

 appears to the Irish Edition of the New Testament in 1602. 

 He may have been working at it under Kearney, or in succession 

 to Kearney, before that date. Franckton, to use his later and 

 best known name, appears to have lived in Dublin for many 

 years. He marries a '' free " woman of that city of the name of 

 McLachlan and through her he obtained the freedom of the 

 City, as appears from the Municipal Eolls. They had three or 

 four children (whose names are known), some of whom also 

 obtained the freedom. Jones, the then Archbishop of Dublin 

 of the Established Church, patronised Franckton and he was 

 appointed State Printer in 1604. In 1610 Franckton went over 

 to London, for what purpose is not stated, but it is incidentally 

 mentioned that he brought back with him a dozen buckets which 

 he disposed of to the Corporation for use in case of an outbreak of 

 fire, and they were hung in the Tholsel. He is described in the 

 following year (1611) as an Officer of State. In the year 1612 

 he became Sheriff of Dublin. In 1613 his daughter Eleanor 

 was admitted to the franchise and others of his children at a 

 later period. 



Section II.— 1614— 1700. 



We know really more about Franckton than we do of 

 almost any other of the earliest Dublin printers, and we now 

 know the time of his death and that he had the privilege of 

 having a coat of arms. Franckton must undoubtedly have 

 occupied a leading and important position in Dublin. 



Mr. Henry R Plomer, already referred to, who is con- 

 stantly working and making research in reference to the 

 various objects in which he is interested and connected, has 

 come across, in such research, some particulars of the latter part 

 of Franckton's life and has contributed same to the "Irish Book 



