Francis Constable
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Francis Constable (1592 – 1 August 1647) was a London bookseller and publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras, noted for publishing a number of stage plays of English Renaissance drama. (Francis Constable the publisher is distinct from his contemporary, Francis Constable, esquire, of Burstwick in Yorkshire. Many members of the northern family, earlier and later, shared the name Francis Constable.)


Life and work

Francis Constable was baptised on 12 May 1592, in
Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the vi ...
, Buckinghamshire (now co. Berkshire). He was the son of Robert Constable and Margery Barker, the daughter of Christopher Barker, printer to
Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
. Francis had an elder brother Robert Constable baptised at Datchet on 9 September 1590. His brother Robert was apprenticed on 7 December 1607 at the age of 17 to their maternal uncle Robert Barker, printer to
James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...
. It is also believed that Francis may have been apprenticed to his maternal uncle Robert Barker, who, holding the Bible patent that he had inherited from his father, in 1611 printed the first edition of the King James Bible while Robert & Francis were still apprentices. Francis became a "freedman" (a full member) of the
Stationers Company The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company ...
on 2 July 1614. His elder brother Robert became a "freedman" on 12 December 1614. Francis established his independent business at a series of locations in London and
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
: first at the sign of the White Lion in St. Paul's Churchyard, from 1616–1624; then under the sign of the Crane, also in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1631; then "under St. Martin's Church" in
Ludgate Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. Of Roman origin, it was rebuilt several times and finally demolished on 30th July 1760. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus and Ludgate S ...
, 1637; then at King Street in Westminster, at the sign of the Goat, 1640, and at
Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...
, 1640. It is probable that he rented a stall in Westminster Hall very much earlier than 1640 but that is the first appearance of the Hall in the imprint of any book. In his career, Constable sometimes partnered with
Humphrey Moseley Humphrey Moseley (died 31 January 1661) was a prominent London publisher and bookseller in the middle seventeenth century. Life Possibly a son of publisher Samuel Moseley, Humphrey Moseley became a "freeman" (a full member) of the Stationers C ...
, one of the most prominent publishers of drama and literature in Constable's generation; he also partnered with other stationers on specific projects. Richard Constable, believed to be a relation of Francis Constable (possibly the son of his brother Robert Constable), was active as a bookseller in the late 1640s. Francis Constable died 1 August 1647 and was buried the following day at St Margaret, Westminster His wife Alice was buried 2 days later on 4 August 1647, and his only surviving son Robert, at the age of 16 or close to it, was buried on 28 August 1647. It was after Robert's death that the will of Alice Constable was filed for probate on 22 September 1647. It is believed that they died of the plague that was killing many in London that summer.


Drama

* Constable's first registered publication was a drama, the first edition of
Samuel Daniel Samuel Daniel (1562–1619) was an English poet, playwright and historian in the late-Elizabethan and early- Jacobean eras. He was an innovator in a wide range of literary genres. His best-known works are the sonnet cycle ''Delia'', the epic ...
's "pastoral tragicomedy" ''Hymen's Triumph'' (January 1615). He published large numbers of plays, in which he was associated for some years with Humphrey Moseley. Among Constable's other publications in drama were: * the
first quarto First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
of
Beaumont and Fletcher Beaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather t ...
's ''
The Maid's Tragedy ''The Maid's Tragedy'' is a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was first published in 1619. The play has provoked divided responses from critics. Date The play's date of origin is not known with certainty. In 1611, Sir George B ...
'', in partnership with stationer Richard Higgenbotham (1619); ** the second quarto of the same play (1622); *
Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...
's '' A Chaste Maid in Cheapside'' (1630); * '' Pathomachia'' (1630); *
James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb (writer), Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of ...
's '' Love Tricks'', as ''The School of Compliment'' (1631); ** a second edition of the same play (1637); *
Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His plays, including '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', '' The City Madam'', and '' The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and soci ...
and
Nathan Field Nathan Field (also spelled Feild occasionally; 17 October 1587 – 1620) was an English dramatist and actor. Life His father was the Puritan preacher John Field, and his brother Theophilus Field became the Bishop of Llandaff. One of his bro ...
's '' The Fatal Dowry'' (1632); * William Rowley's ''
A New Wonder, a Woman Never Vexed A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...
'' (1632); *
Richard Brome Richard Brome ; (c. 1590? – 24 September 1652) was an English dramatist of the Caroline era. Life Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's '' Bartholomew Fair'', in ...
's '' The Antipodes'' (1640); * Brome's ''
The Sparagus Garden ''The Sparagus Garden'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy by Richard Brome. It was the greatest success of Brome's career, and one of the major theatrical hits of its period. Performance and publication ''The Sparagus Garden'' was acted b ...
'' (1640); * Henry Glapthorne's ''The Lady's Privilege'' (1640); * Glapthorne's ''Wit in a Constable'' (1640). Constable worked with many London printers on these and other projects, including Richard and Thomas Cotes,
Nicholas Okes Nicholas Okes (died 1645) was an English printer in London of the Jacobean and Caroline eras, remembered for printing works of English Renaissance drama. He was responsible for early editions of works by many of the playwrights of the period ...
and his son John Okes, and Elizabeth Allde, among others.


Other works

Inevitably, Constable also published a wide variety of other literature beyond the drama. He published the second edition of William Vaughan's ''The Spirit of Detraction'' in 1630. He issued multiple editions of Thomas Scott's satire ''Philomythie, or Philomythologie, Wherein Outlandish Birds Beasts and Fishes are Taught to Speak True English Plainly'', in 1616 and after; and multiple editions of Henry Peacham the younger's ''The Complete Gentleman'', from 1622 on. He published items of the religious literature that was so common in the era, like Alexander Ross's ''Three Decades of Divine Meditations'' (1630). And religious poetry: Richard Braithwaite's ''The Psalms of David'' (1638). He published Peacham's ''Thalia's Banquet'' in 1620, and his elegy ''Thestylis Astrata'' in 1634; and Glapthorne's poem ''Whitehall'' in 1643. Constable also was responsible for texts in medicine and anatomy. And Constable also issued works of social criticism and contemporary controversies, like ''Machiavel's Ghost, as He Lately Appeared to His Dear Sons, the Modern Projectors'' (1641; attributed to John Taylor the Water Poet). He issued one notable volume in the
utopian literature Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of speculative fiction that explore extreme forms of social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality ...
,
Samuel Hartlib Samuel Hartlib or Hartlieb (c. 1600 – 10 March 1662)
M. Greengrass, "Hartlib, Samuel (c. 1600–1662)", ''Oxford D ...
's '' A Description of the Famous Kingdom of Macaria'' (1641) – plus a supply of political and legal materials involving the start of the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
and the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
era.


Family

Francis Constable and his wife Alice had fifteen children: # Alice, baptised 24 September 1615, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. # Sarah, baptised 16 March 1616/7, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. (Married Anthony Savage aft. 6 October 1646 at London.) ''She and her husband were among those who presented the will of her mother for probate.'' # Joan, baptised 11 September 1618, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. # Mary, baptised 21 October 1619, St. Andrew, Enfield, Middlesex. ''She was among those who presented her mother's will for probate.'' # Elizabeth, baptised 24 October 1620, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. # Anne, baptised 21 February 1621/2, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. # Margaret, baptised 26 June 1623, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. (Married Robert Hunny 1 July 1642 at St. Margaret, Westminster.) # Rachel, baptised 24 September 1624, St. Gregory by St. Paul, London. # Simon, baptised 14 August 1625, Datchet, Buckinghamshire; buried 29 November 1627, St. Andrew Undershaft, London. # Robert (twin), baptised 24 August 1626, St. Andrew Undershaft, London; buried 10 September 1626. # Roger (twin), baptised 24 August 1626, St. Andrew Undershaft, London; buried 10 September 1626. # Alice, baptised 16 March 1627/8, St. Andrew Undershaft, London. # Frances, baptised 5 July 1629, St. Andrew Undershaft, London. ''She was among those who presented her mother's will for probate.'' # Rachel, baptised 18 July 1630, St. Andrew Undershaft, London. ''She was among those who presented her mother's will for probate.'' # Robert, baptised 2 October 1631, St. Andrew Undershaft, London; buried 28 August 1647, St. Margaret, Westminster. An interesting claim is made in many genealogies that one of Francis's daughters, Anne Constable, married Richard I Lee, an important figure in the colony of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, who was the ancestor of Confederate General,
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...
.


Francis Constable's father

When Francis's elder brother Robert was apprenticed in 1607 to their maternal uncle Robert Barker, their father was described as "Robert Constable, late of North Pickenham in co. Norfolk, gentleman, deceased".Notes for Francis Constable
/ref> The ''Biographical History of Gonville and Caius College, 1349–1897'' provides some more information. Francis's father Robert Constable was admitted to the College at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
at the age of 18 in March 1574. His father's younger brother Thomas was admitted at the age of 15 in February 1577. Francis Constable's grandfather was Robert Constable, and he was a
yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of Serfdom, servants in an Peerage of England, English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in Kingdom of England, mid-1 ...
, a minor land owner and small prosperous farmer. This is further substantiated by records held in The National Archives that show that in 1575 Robert Constable sold a
messuage In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of real property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien. A typical conveyancing transaction has two major phases: the exchange of contracts ...
called Frostes in North Pickenham to George Constable (assumed to be a relative), and that he paid for both of his son's tuition and board at Cambridge. Both Robert Constable and his younger brother Thomas went to school for 4 years before going to University: Robert at Saxthorpe, Norfolkshire, and Thomas at both Norwich and Saxthorpe. Robert Constable spent a year at Pembroke College at Cambridge before joining Gonville and Caius College. His tutor at Gonville and Caius College was his 23-year-old cousin, Simon Canham, the son of Simon Canham (−1584) of Ashill, Norfolkshire (1½ miles from North Pickenham) and his wife Alice (−1603), who had been admitted to Gonville and Caius College a year before Robert Constable after first spending four years at
St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
. Francis's father Robert Constable received his Bachelor of Arts in 1577. The ''Biographical History of Gonville and Caius College, 1349–1897'' further tells us that Francis's father Robert Constable was a lawyer and a barrister as he was admitted to
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
in February 1582. It further tells us that the family would have suffered persecution as they were a " popish recusant family in 1588", refusing to attend services or take communion in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. There was a statute passed in 1593 that determined penalties against "Popish Recusants" including fines, property confiscation, and imprisonment. Further the
Popish Recusants Act 1605 The Popish Recusants Act 1605 ( 3 Jas. 1. c. 4) was an act of the Parliament of England which quickly followed the Gunpowder Plot of the same year, an attempt by English Roman Catholics to assassinate King James I and many of the Parliament. ...
forbade
Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
from practising the professions of law and medicine. This would explain why Francis and his brother Robert Constable went into the printing trade of their maternal uncle rather than follow their father into law. There is a record at the Norfolk Record Office for the will of a Thomas Constable of Ashill from the period 1536–1545.Norfolk Record Office
/ref> It is possible that this Thomas Constable is Francis's great or greatx2-grandfather, and the father or grandfather of Robert Constable of North Pickenham. Many genealogies claim that Francis Constable is the great-grandson of Thomas Constable M.P. (c.1506-aft.1558) of Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire and his 1st wife Barbara Catherall of Great Grimsby, and the great-grandson of Sir Robert Constable (c.1478–1537) of Flamburgh (Flamborough), Yorkshire and his wife Jane Ingleby of Ripley, Yorkshire. This, however, cannot be substantiated. Even though it is highly likely that Thomas Constable M.P. of Great Grimsby had a son named Robert after his father, there is no evidence and no reason to believe that this son was Robert Constable of North Pickenham, Francis's grandfather. There are many Constable families in England, and many Robert Constables in that period.


Ancestry


See also

* Robert Allot * William Aspley * Edward Blount * Walter Burre * Cuthbert Burby * Philip Chetwinde * Crooke and Cooke *
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*
Henry Herringman Henry Herringman (1628–1704) was a prominent London bookseller and publisher in the second half of the 17th century. He is especially noted for his publications in English Renaissance drama and English Restoration drama; he was the first publis ...
*
William Jaggard William Jaggard ( – November 1623) was an Elizabethan era, Elizabethan and Jacobean era, Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's pl ...
* William Leake * John and Richard Marriot *
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Augustine Matthews Augustine Matthews ( fl. 1615 – 1637) was a printer in London in the Jacobean and Caroline eras. Among a wide variety of other work, Matthews printed notable texts in English Renaissance drama. Matthews became a freedman (a full member) ...
* William Ponsonby * Humphrey Robinson * John Smethwick *
Thomas Thorpe Thomas Thorpe ( 1569 – 1625) was an English publisher, most famous for publishing Shakespeare's sonnets and several works by Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. His publication of the sonnets has long been controversial. Nineteenth-century ...
* Thomas Walkley


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constable, Francis Publishers (people) from London English booksellers 1592 births 1647 deaths People from Datchet