WORDE, Wynkyn de ( - 1534) ‹ LBT 02699 ›
Badges
Floruit 1480 (B) — 1534 (B); Male, married
Life Events
| Event | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Death | - after 5 Jun 1534 <Will> - before 19 Jan 1535 <Probate> | |
| Burial | Will - Testator to be buried in the church of St.Bride, Fleet Street before the altar of St.Katherine. |
Will
| Will (Ref., Piece, Image) | Will Dates | Intestate | Probate Dates | Administration Dates | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
PROB 11/25, Hogen:, 278/196 |
1534-06-05 | 1535-01-19 | PRO - Wynkyn de Wourde, Stationer of London. --- Plomer, H.R. (1903), pp.3-5 - Overseers - Henry Pepwell [Holy Trinity in St Pauls Churchyard], John Gowgh [Mermaid next Paul's Gate] and Robert Copland [Rose Garland in Fleet Street] Stacioners. - Witnesses - Humpmry Town curat; John Studd, Thomas Cooke, john Tourner |
Executors
| Executor | Relation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| James GAVER | ||
| John BEDILL |
Family Relationships
| LBTNumber | Name | Relationship | Occupation | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3004 | WORDE, (Unknown) ‹ LBT 03004 › | spouse |
Livery Companies
| Company | Source |
|---|---|
| Leathersellers' Company |
Occupations (2)
| Occupation | Comment |
|---|---|
| Printer | Duff, E.G. (1905) |
| Stationer | Will |
Had Apprentice(s): (1)
| Name | Premium | Paid By | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| WATSON, Henry ‹ LBT 30112 › | Chester, L.M. (1887), vol.1 |
Addresses (1)
| Date | Address | Trade at Addr | Source | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1535-01-19 | London | Will | - late of |
SOURCES & TRANSCRIPTIONS
Transcriptions
- native of Worth in Alsace
ODNB - article by N.F. Blake
Bib.Soc., Hand-lists (1913), contrib. E.G.Duff.
S.T.C., (1991), vol.3, pp.187-9
DUFF, E.G. (1905), pp.173-4
WORDE (WYNKYN DE), printer in London, was a native of Worth in Alsace and thus by birth a German and not, as usually stated, a native of the Low Countries. He was settled in Westminster as early as 1480, in which year his wife is mentioned in a deed, so that he probably came to England with Caxton { CAXTON, William (1421 - ) ‹ LBT 02731 › } as an assistant in 1476 or joined him immediately on his arrival.
Nothing is heard of him until 1491 the year of Caxton's death, when he took over his late master's house and was duly entered in the rent roll of Abbot Esteney as the tenant. In this he was entered by some unexplained error as Jan Wynkyn and it has been hastily assumed that his name must have been John, which must obviously be a mistake. Wynkyn is itself a Christian name and like many other printers De Worde used his Christian name in conjunction with the name of his native town or country. Jan Wynkyn could only mean John the son of Wynkyn, and as neither in his many hundred colophons, his patent of denization, or his will does De Worde give any hint of such a name as John, it may safely be assumed that it was not his name.
Caxton apparently left no son and all his printing materials passed to De Worde, who at first made little use of them, issuing but five books in two years. In 1493 he started a type of his own and in 1494 his name is first found in a printed book. On April 20th, 1496, he took out letters of denization granted "Winando de Worde de ducatu Lothoringie oriundo, impressori librorum." In this same year also he began to make use of paper made in England by John Tate, though its use was soon given up. Up to the end of the year 1500 De Worde continued to live in Caxton's house at Westminster and in the nine years of his tenancy printed at least one hundred and ten different books. There can be little doubt that could Caxton's will be found, De Worde would prove to be one of the executors. In the registers of St. Margaret's Westminster is an entry in 1506 "Item four printed books, ii of them the Lyfe of St Kateryn and other ii of the Birth of our Lady of the gift of the executors of Caxton." [Nichols, Illustrations, p. 5.] Now the Life of St. Katherine is one of the books printed at Westminster by W. de Worde after Caxton's death.
At the end of 1500 De Worde moved into Fleet Street, where he rented two houses, a dwelling-house and a printing office, at the rental of three pounds six shillings and eight pence. His printing office with the sign of the Sun was situated on the south side of the street, close to the Conduit, opposite the entrance to Shoe, Lane, the abode of many bookbinders. In 1502 De Worde issued an edition of the Manpulus Curatorum, one single copy of which [Bodl.] differs from other known copies in containing a device of the printer used nowhere else. It most resembles No. 7 [Bibl. Soc. Handlist] but the C has been engraved backwards. In 1504 De Worde began to use his most ordinary device No. 5 which was replaced in 1519 by an almost exact copy, No. 10, which itself gave way in 1529 to a third variety No. 14.
Towards the end of 1508 when Pynson was appointed printer to the King, De Worde seems to have received some sort of official appointment as printer to the Countess of Richmond, which he notified in all his colophons up to her death in 1509: calling himself printer to the King's mother, and after the death of Henry VII, to the King's grandmother. About this time De Worde had another shop in St. Paul's Churchyard with the sign of Our Lady of Pity and made use sometimes of a woodcut of Our Lady of Pity in place of his ordinary device. About 1522 we find that De Worde was employing other presses, and it is clear that several books were printed for him by John Skot.
In 1533 and 1534 De Worde in his turn printed several books for John Byddell { BYDDELL, John ‹ LBT 28368 ›}. The last book which De Worde issued was The Complaint of the too soon maryed of 1535.
He died at the beginning of that year for his will dated June 5th, 1534, was proved January 19th. followmg. [Plomer, Wills, pp. 3, 4.] To his servants Robert Darby { DARBY, Robert ‹ LBT 28380 › }, Robert Maas { MAAS, Robert ‹ LBT 30053 › }, John Barbanson { BARBANSON, John ‹ LBT 28427 › }, Hector, Simon [Simon Martynson ? { MARTYNSON, Simon ‹ LBT 28276 › }], John Wislyn { WISLYN, John John ‹ LBT 30119 › } and Alard { ALARD, (Unknown) ‹ LBT 28423 › }, a bookbinder he left bequests; also to John Butler [ BUTLER, John ‹ LBT 28367 › }, James Gaver { GAVER, James ( - 1545) ‹ LBT 28399 ›} and John Byddell { BYDDELL, John ‹ LBT 28368 › }, described as late servants. Besides these legacies were left to Henry Pepwell { PEPWELL, Henry ( - 1541) ‹ LBT 28281 › }, John Gowghe { GOUGH, John ‹ LBT 07541 › }, Robert Copland { COPLAND, Robert ‹ LBT 28247 › }, and Nowell [Noel Havy { HAVY, Nowell ‹ LBT 28416 › }].
Byddell and Gaver were made executors and continued to carry on business in the same house. The trustees were ordered to purchase land in or near London which should produce at least twenty shillings a year, to be given to St. Bride's Church to keep an obit for his soul, and we learn from the survey of chantries made in February, 1547, that the sum thus expended was thirty-six pounds.
De Worde printed altogether nearly eight hundred books, and made use of at least seventeen varieties of devices, in all of which Caxton's initials and device are prominent. [D.N.B. Bib1. Soc. Handlists. Duff, Early Printed Books, pp. 137-143.]
MLT Note: Succeeded Caxton. --- Herbert suggested he was a Leatherseller. --- Plomer, H.R. (1903) - Jan van Wynkyn must have been of great age at the time of his death. This may account for the absence of any mention of wife, sons, or any relatives, though it is known that William Wynkyn applied to the Court of Common Council in the very year of De Worde's death, for admission as a freeman into the Company of Stationers. The following are mentioned in the will as 'my servant' - Robert Darby; Robert Maas; John Barbanson; Hectour; Simon; John Wislyn. - 'late my servant' - John Butler; James Gaver; John Bedill - also Nowell the bokebinder in shoo lane; Hercules Diricke pouchmaker's sonne. - apprentices as a group. Succeeded by John Byddell and James Gaver. ---