COPLAND, Robert ‹ LBT 28247 ›
Badges
Floruit 1508 (B) — 1548 (B); Male, married
Life Events
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Death | possibly- 1548 STC = 1548?; Musgrave, vol.2 (1900), p.66 - typograh. - 1530 - (MS) |
Family Relationships
| LBTNumber | Name | Relationship | Occupation | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6382 | COPLAND, (Unknown) ‹ LBT 06382 › | spouse | ||
| 7238 | COPLAND, William ‹ LBT 07238 › | child | Printer | Duff, E.G. (1905) - probable |
Livery Companies
| Company | Source |
|---|---|
| Stationers' Company |
Occupations (2)
| Occupation | Comment |
|---|---|
| Printer | Duff, E.G. (1905) |
| Translator | Duff, E.G. (1905) |
Addresses (2)
| Date | Address | Trade at Addr | Source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1514, (1514) | Fleet Street | Duff, E.G. (1905); STC. vol.3, (1991) | - Sign of the Sun | |
| 1515 | Fleet Street | Duff, E.G. (1905); STC. vol.3, (1991) | - Sign of the Rose Garland |
Events (1)
| Date | Event type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Jan 1535 | Beneficiary | Will of Wynkyn de Worde (LBT/02699) |
SOURCES & TRANSCRIPTIONS
Transcriptions
Bib.Soc., Hand-lists (1913), contrib. H.R.Plomer.
DUFF, E.G. (1905), pp.31-2
COPLAND (ROBERT), printer in London, was for long an assistant to W. de Worde { WORDE, Wynkyn de ( - 1534) ‹ LBT 02699 › },and it has been suggested,from his reference in the prologue of King Apolyn of Tyre to his "mayster" Caxton { CAXTON, William (1421 - ) ‹ LBT 02731 › }, that he may have been with him also, but as he lived until about 1548 this seems improbable. He was apparently a good French scholar, and from 1508 onwards made many translations for De Worde and also composed verses for introductions and endings of books. About 1514 he printed an edition of the Modus tenendi curiam Baronum [U.L.C.], in which his address is given as the sign of the Sun in Fleet Street, W. de Worde's house. In this he used his earliest device, copied from a French model. Two animals, crowned round the neck, one being a stag, support a shield hanging from a tree. On the shield is Copland's mark and round it a garland of roses. Round all, on a black back-ground, runs a ribbon inscribed "Melius est nomen bonum quam divitie multe. Prov. XXII." The presence of the garland round the shield has reference to the sign of his shop in Fleet Street, where he began to print in 1515 at the Rose Garland. In that year he issued the Boke of Justices of Peace, which also contains his first device. His next book, Barclay's Introductory to French, did not appear till 1521, and after that there is another gap of seven years. Up to 1535 he had only printed twelve books. The real fact seems to be that his press was largely employed by W. de Worde, and just as is the case with John Skot { SKOT, John ‹ LBT 30095 › }, he printed many books which appeared with De Worde's imprint and mark. Several books issued by De Worde, and reissued by others, contain introductory verses by Robert Copland, "the boke-prynter," and there is nothing in that opposed to the fact that they were issued by others, though printed by him. The theory that all such books are merely reprints of editions issued by Copland and now lost is hardly probable. Though they were issued by others, he was the printer and as such wrote the "envoy," or prologue. It is certain that Copland's press almost ceased in 1535, the date of De Worde's death, though he did a little work some twelve years later. By De Worde's will Copland received in 1535 "as manny printed bookes as shall amounte to the value of tenne markes sterling," and was appointed one of the three executors. [Plomer, Wills, p. 4.] About 1540 he made a new translation of the Questionary of Cyrurgyens at the request of Henry Tab, for whom Wyer { WYER, Robert ‹ LBT 02899 › } printed it. The last book which Copland appears to have printed is Andrew Boorde's Pryncyples of Astronomye in maner a pronosticacyon. In this book the author mentions his "Breviary of Health which is printed at William Mydyltons { MIDDLETON, William ( - 1547) ‹ LBT 28273 › } in Flet stret" [1547], and also his Introduction to Knowledge, "now a pryntyng at old Robert Copland's the eldest printer of England, which do print this year my prognostications." The Principles of Astronomy may therefore be dated about 1548, and it is probable that Robert Copland died about this time and that the Introduction to Knowledge was finished by William Copland { COPLAND, William ‹ LBT 07238 › }. Besides the French-looking device, only used in his earliest books, Robert Copland made use of two others. One is a garland of roses surrounding his mark, with his name below on a ribbon, the other is a narrow device containing his mark, with a long ribbon running behind it, on which is his name.
MLT Note: Duff, E.G. (1905) - long an assistant to W. de Worde (LBT/02699)