George Grierson (c. 1679 – 1753) was a Scottish-born printer and publisher in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland, whose descendants continued in the book trade in Dublin for several generations. He was married to the editor and poet Constantia Grierson.

Life

Grierson arrived in Dublin about 1703 and shortly afterwards set up a printing establishment, "The Sign of the Two Bibles" in Essex Street. He set about printing large impressions of Bibles and Books of Common Prayer of different sorts and sizes. In addition to Bibles and Prayer Books, he produced the volumes known as ''Grierson's Classics'', works of classical writers of antiquity. Among his productions were the first edition published in Ireland, in 1724, of Paradise Lost; Sir William Petty's Maps of Ireland; and other valuable works. He also spent over £700 on printing equipment. In 1709, he was admitted a Freeman of the City of Dublin by Special Grace. In 1720 he was one of the churchwardens of the Church of St. John, Drumcondra, in the Registers of which the baptisms and burials of his children are entered. After he became acquainted with Constantia Crawley she started editing many works Grierson was publishing. They married around 1727, shortly after the death of his first wife. By 1727 she had carefully edited titles in the pocket "Classics" edition, including

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a playwright during the Roman Republic. He was the author of six Roman comedy, comedies based on Greek comedy, Greek originals by Menander or Apollodorus of Carystus. A ...

's ''Comediae'', to which she prefixed a Greek epigram from her own pen, inscribing it to Robert, son of Lord Carteret; in 1730 she edited the work of

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

, inscribing it to Lord Carteret himself.

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish writer, essayist, satirist, and Anglican cleric. In 1713, he became the Dean (Christianity), dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, and was given the sobriquet "Dean Swi ...

was so impressed with her editing that he wrote to

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early ...

on 6 February 1730: 'She is a very good Latin and Greek scholar, and hath lately published a fine edition of Tacitus, and she writes ''carmina Anglicana non contemnenda''.' Constantia played an important role in her husband's business and household, which included apprentices and journeymen as well as domestic servants. Her husband emphasized her contributions in his successful petition to the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

in 1729 to be granted the patent for King's Printer: "the Editions corrected by her have been approved of, not only in this Kingdom, but in Great Britain, Holland and elsewhere, and the Art of Printing, through her care and assistance, has been brought to greater perfection than has been hitherto in this Kingdom."Grierson, 1773, p. 240 After Constantia's death in 1732 Grierson married Jane Blow, daughter of James Blow, a Belfast printer. One of his grandchildren was the linguist

George Abraham Grierson Sir George Abraham Grierson (7 January 1851 – 9 March 1941) was an Irish administrator and linguist in British India. He worked in the Indian Civil Service but an interest in philology and linguistics led him to pursue studies in the languag ...

(1851–1941).

Notes

Sources

* . * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Grierson, George printer 1670s births 1753 deaths Scottish emigrants Immigrants to Ireland 18th-century Irish publishers (people) Burials at Drumcondra Church Graveyard Irish printers