An Essay in the History of Gold-Tooled
Bindings by Herbert P. Horne
London 1894
16
figured in Plate x. This book is covered in red morocco of the very finest kind, the joints being still
fresh and unbroken: and on the boards and back are to be found all the principal tools
A number of embroidered bindings have been ascribed to the members of Nicholas Ferrar's family
at Little Gidding: but there does not appear to be any ground for attributing such work to them.
[Po Peckard, 'Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar,' Cambridge, 1790. J. E. B. Mayor,
'Cambridge in the Seventeenth Century;' Part I. 'Nicholas Ferrar;' two lives by his brother John,
and by Dr. Jebb, Cambridge, 1855. J. E. Acland- Troyte, 'An Account of the Harmonies contrived
by Nicholas Ferrar,' in two papers, contributed to Vol. LI. of the Archaeologia, London, 1888.].
During the Civil Wars, the progress of Bookbinding, as of every other fine art, was interrupted;
and at the close of the Interregnum, its character had become changed. I read in the Record
Office, that Charles I. being at Oxford in 1644. Francis Bowman, 'was sworne his Mats seruant to
attend his Royall sonnes the Prince and Duke of Yorke in the quallity of Stationer Bookeseller and
Bookebinder.' In the month of May, 1660, on the eve of the Restoration, this stationer 'deliverd
to his Maties owne hand when he was in Holland at ye Hague, 2 of his owne pictures richly done
in sattin & fringe,' and' 3 more ordinaryly done'; embroideries, apparently, executed by the
persons, who worked the covers of books. After Charles n.'s return to England, he petitioned the
king to have his place of stationer, which, he states, 'one Henry Seile hath lately by surprize
Cvpon some vntrue pretences) got himself sworne into,' restored to him: and he appears to
have succeeded in his request, for a bill of his exists for bound books and stationery, supplied to
the king's use, between the years 1660 and 1663 [So P., Dom. Car. iI., vol. ii., 75, 751; and vol.
lxxxiv. 106.]. I have not, as yet, been able to trace any of the books described in Francis
Bowman's bill.
At the Restoration, the office of Bookbinder to the king was granted, in June 1660, to Samuel
Mearne, 'dureing his life, with Y' yearely ffee of 6li' [Car. II., Docquet Book, 1660-1, p. 4-]: at this
time, Mearne was living in Little Britain. Among the accounts of the Great Wardrobe, I find an
almost unbroken series of entries relating to him, between the years 1663 and 1683; after
which the name of Charles Mearne occurs, who was probably his son. These entries are chiefly
of Bibles and Prayer-Books, bound by him for the use of the royal chapels: though they contain,
also, references to books which he bound for the Royal Library at St. James, and which are thus
collectively described: 'pro colligendis IVe libris rubro corrio Turci pro Bibliotheca apud domum
Sancti Jacobi.' A considerable number of books, bound in this manner for Charles II., remains in
the Old Royal Collection;