Frontispiece to Tommy Playlove and Joseph Lovebook.
Whitfield’s Tabernacle, Moorfields, or Spa Fields Chapel. (?)
In Blade’s Life of Caxton, the reader will find interesting examples of the earliest woodcut blocks illustrating the quaint and rare tomes issued by the Almonry, Westminster, also at Oxford. The Robin Hood Garland blocks (circa 1680 or earlier), is one of the earliest provincial blocks with a distinct history. We can trace them in varied collections used by early London and Provincial printers, and in the London Bridge printed Chap Book Literature.
Sutton, printer of Nottingham, issued a curious quarto volume of old woodcuts. He was descended from the celebrated T. Sutton, who founded the Charterhouse. Some twenty-five years ago I went over the very quaint collection with the proprietor, and suggested a volume being issued, but the idea had already been matured by him.
Robert White, the poet and local historian of Newcastle upon Tyne—by whose favour I reprinted Tommy Trip in 1867—has one of the choicest, most comprehensive, and rarest libraries of local stories, garlands, ballads, and chap books, and North country folk-lore children’s books, almanacks, primers, “A. B. C.,” horn books, battledores, etc., that were ever gathered together. I am glad to place on record, that by his will, his collection will remain intact. The special opportunities afforded him at the time for collecting them have entirely passed away.
I believe he was descended from John White, printer for the five northern counties of England to King William. This is referred to by Mr. Dodd in his preface to a quarto volume of woodcut impressions. William Dodd fully appreciated the local interest, by producing a limited impression of the quaint blocks in his possession.
The Rev. Mr. Hugo had a very large and important collection of blocks and books, and at his death I arranged and catalogued them for Messrs. Sotheby, according to the wish of his widow. The Rev. gentleman had wished his collection to be purchased by the trustees of the British Museum, but some little hitch occurred and this was not accomplished. In his collection the Robin Hood block, perforated with worm holes, realized quite a fancy price.
Among the relics of ancient woodcutting, are some so early and crude in their execution—quaint as the period they illustrate—as to really entitle them to the literal name and meaning of woodcuts, rather than wood-engravings, which they really became in the hands of the two Bewicks and their numerous school of pupils. Other provincial publishers were not so favoured as those at Newcastle-on-Tyne, as to have a Bewick trying his prentice hand on similar series, as used by J. Bell and others.