In the upper corners are shields with the cross of St George and the arms of the City of London, while below the rose are the binder’s mark and initials. The other panel contains an escutcheon bearing the arms of England and France quartered, ensigned with a royal crown and supported by a dragon and greyhound; the arms of St George and the City of London are in the upper corners.
Of these two panels there are two varieties differing in minor details. They may readily be distinguished by the N in the device, which in the rarer variety has the cross stroke the wrong way.
Robert Copland was for many years an assistant to Wynkyn de Worde, and some have suggested even to Caxton himself from the ambiguous use of the word “master” in the prologue to King Apolyn of Tyre, where he speaks of himself as “gladly followynge the trace of my mayster Caxton.” As Copland did not die before 1548 it is very improbable, though not impossible, that he could have worked under Caxton at Westminster. As an assistant to De Worde he translated a considerable number of popular books from the French and edited others, often adding quaint introductions or prefatory verses. About 1514 he appears to have started in business on his own account, for some copies of the Dying Creature printed by W. de Worde in that year have his device on the last leaf. This consists of his mark and initials on a shield hanging from a tree and surrounded by a garland of roses and supported by a stag and hind. Round it is the text from Proverbs xxii., “Melius est nomen bonum quam divitie multe.” Like many English devices of the time it is copied from a French one. The garland round the shield refers to the sign of his shop the Rose Garland in Fleet Street, though the first book from this address was not issued until later. A small law-book issued about this time, though it contains his name and device was issued from De Worde’s house, the Sun. In 1515 he began to work at the Rose Garland and issued a book called the Justice of Peace, of which a copy is in the Cambridge University Library. His next dated book was Barclay’s Introductory to French, and after this there is a gap of seven years. Altogether before 1535 he printed only some twelve books. The explanation of this is, I believe, that his press was largely subsidised by De Worde. Many books issued by De Worde have prefatory or ending verses written by “Robert Copland the book-printer,” and most bibliographers have therefore rashly asserted that they must be reprints of editions which he had previously issued. Copland printed entire editions for De Worde and therefore they contain De Worde’s name and address, but Copland as their printer added his introduction.
Another point which seems to prove his dependence on De Worde is that after the latter’s death in 1535 up to about 1547 we have no trace of Copland printing at all. He continued to translate and revise for others but the only reference to him as a practical printer is to be found in Andrew Borde’s Pryncyples of Astronomye printed about 1548, in which the author speaks of his Introduction to Knowledge as “now a pryntyng at old Robert Copland’s the eldest printer of England.” As this book was finished and issued by William Copland, it may be presumed that Robert died about 1548.
Henry Pepwell, who worked at the sign of the Trinity in St Paul’s Churchyard, was a native of Birmingham. Of his life we know nothing before the year 1518, when he issued an edition of the Castle of Pleasure. In 1520 he printed an edition of the Christiani Hominis Institutum, a translation into Latin verse by Erasmus of a little tract by Colet. In this he made use of a device which had belonged to his predecessor at the sign of the Trinity, a stationer named Henry Jacobi, but with the name Jacobi erased from the block. Between 1518 and 1523 Pepwell printed eight books, and their rarity may be gauged from the fact that two are only known from fragments, four from single copies, and of the remaining two there are in one case two copies, in the other four.
Pepwell must have been a leading member of the trade, for in 1525 he was appointed, together with Lewis Sutton, a warden of the Company of Stationers. He was a friend of Stokeslay, the Bishop of London, and of his agent Thomas Dockwray, who was afterwards the first warden of the new Stationers’ Company. In 1531 he issued an edition of Eckius’ Enchiridion locorum communium adversus Lutheranos, printed for him at Antwerp by Michael Hillenius. Bale in one of his works mentions this book as follows “No lesse myght harrye pepwell in Paules church yearde have out of Michael Hillenius howse at Antwerp at one tyme than a whole complete prynte at the holye request of Stokyslaye. In a short space were they dyspached and a newe prynte in hande, soche tyme as he also commaunded Barlowes dyaloges to be preached of the curates through out all hys dyocese.” The existence of this book was for long doubtful until I finally found the title-page in one of the volumes of Bagford’s collections and shortly afterwards I found a perfect copy which had belonged to Latimer in the library of Westminster Abbey.
Pepwell as an important bookseller and good Catholic was probably of great assistance to the authorities in their crusade against heretical books. In 1533 Vaughan writes to Cromwell, “The Bishop of London, Stokeslay, has had a servant [Dockwray] in Antwerp this fortnight. If you send for Henry Pepwell, a stationer in Paul’s Churchyard, who was often with him, he will tell you his business.”
In 1535 he received by the will of W. de Worde a legacy of four pounds in printed books. In 1539 he issued two grammars of Lily for the use of St Paul’s School, but though he is clearly stated in the imprint to have been the printer, there is very little doubt that they were printed at Antwerp. The only copies known of these grammars are bound up with some others by Colet in a small volume now in the Pepysian Library bought by Pepys at Richard Smith’s sale in 1682.
In October, 1539, Pepwell, accompanied by William Bonham and Henry Tab, was sent by Cromwell to St Albans to inquire about a heretical book which had been issued from the press there. This I believe to have been a hitherto unknown and unique book “A very declaration of the bond and free will of man” issued at St Albans without date or name of printer. The printer was however John Herford, who came to London, in custody of the three stationers to be dealt with by Cromwell.
Pepwell died at the beginning of 1541 and his will was proved on the 8th February, William Bonham the printer being one of the supervisors. Two-thirds of his property was left to Ursula his wife and the remaining third to his children, who were all under age and are not mentioned by name, though no doubt the Arthur Pepwell who was afterwards a member of the Stationers’ Company was one.