G I L B E RT — Irish BihUorjvaphy . 



123 



Under patent from tlie Crown a government official, designated " the 

 King's Printer for Ireland," possessed a monopoly of printing, book- 

 binding and bookselling in Ireland, Tvith authority to exact heavy 

 penalties from any persons who infringed his rights. 



The first King's Printer for Ireland was John Prankton, who, in 

 1604, obtained from James L an appointment of that office for life.^ 



Prankton's most important publications were versions of the Kew 

 Testament and Book of Common Prayer in the Irish language, and 

 the Keports of Sir John Davis in law Prench.- 



In succession to Prankton as King's Printer for Ireland, and on 

 the recommendation of the Society of Stationers of London, a patent 

 for the office of printer general for Ireland was in 1618 granted to 

 Pelix Kingston, Matthew Lownes, and Bartholomew Downes, styled 

 in the patent " citizens and stationers of London." Acting on behalf 

 of the London Society of Stationers, these patentees erected suitable 

 buildings at Dublin, with printing presses ; and Kingston, with others 

 from London, commenced their labours with the publication in 

 1620 of a folio volume of the Statutes of Ireland, with the following 

 imprint : — 



''Dublin, Printed by the Companie of Stationers of the Citie of 

 London, Printers to the King's most excellent Majestie. 

 Anno 1620. Cum privilegio regiae majestatis."^ 



In the following year " The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia," 

 written by Sir Philip Sydney, was issued with the imprint : " Dublin : 

 Printed by the Societie of Stationers, 1621." 



With the same imprint there were were subsequently published at 

 Dublin works by Sir James Ware, James XJssher, Sir Richard Bolton, 

 and Thomas Pandolph.^ The post of King's Printer in Ireland was 

 held in 1642 by William Bladen, who, in 1644, issued at Dublin an 

 edition of the Psalter in English, now difficult to find. In 1643 the 



^ For a sketch of Prankton's life and work, see The New Ireland Review, 

 Vol. IX., p. 36 (March, 1898). 



2 These Reports (1615) forra the earliest Law Book printed in Ireland, as at 

 present known. He also printed another Law Book in 1617. 



^ The date on the title-page is 1621. They printed two Sermons in 1620, one 

 by Hampton, then Archbishop of Armagh, and the other by the Eev. John 

 Steere. It is probable that these works issued from their press prior to Bolton's 

 " Statutes." 



^ To these may be added works by Richard Beling, Edmund Spenser, Edmund 

 Campion, M. Hanmer, Sir James Bairy, Christopher Sym, and Gerald and Arnold 

 Boate, besides Avorks of numerous divines. 



