John Hatchard (1769–1849) was an English publisher and bookseller, in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

, London. The

Hatchards Hatchards is an English bookshop claiming to be the oldest in London, founded on Piccadilly in 1797 by John Hatchard. After one move, it has been at the same location on Piccadilly next to Fortnum & Mason since 1801, and the two stores are als ...

bookshop there is still in business.

Early life

Hatchard had a trial at the works of the printer Thomas Bensley. He then served on apprenticeship, with John Ginger of College Street, Westminster. He later became an assistant to

Thomas Payne Thomas Payne (c. 1718 – 1799) was an important bookseller and publisher in 18th-century London. Life Payne was born in Brackley, Northamptonshire. From 1750 he ran a shop at Mews Gate in Castle Street near Leicester Fields (the site is now ...

of Mews Gate, and went into business on his own account taking over the bookshop at 173 Piccadilly, London formerly run by Richard White. where he also became a distributor for the

Cheap Repository Tracts The ''Cheap Repository Tracts'' consisted of more than two hundred moral, religious and occasionally political tract (literature), tracts issued in a number of series between March 1795 and 1817, and subsequently re-issued in various collected edit ...

. Starting there in 1797, he had the largest business in the retail book trade in London after four years. In 1801 Hatchard moved from 173 Piccadilly to No. 189–190; in 1820 that number was changed to 187. The original shop at 173 was demolished in 1810, replaced by the

Egyptian Hall The Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly, London, was an exhibition hall built in the ancient Egyptian style in 1812, to the designs of Peter Frederick Robinson. The Hall was a considerable success, with exhibitions of artwork and of Napoleonic era re ...

Bookseller and publisher

The publication of a pamphlet ''Reform or Ruin: Take your Choice'' (1797), by John Bowdler in 1797 was the start of a long publishing career. Hatchard's views were conservative and

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

, and he became the main publisher for works associated with the

Clapham Sect The Clapham Sect, or Clapham Saints, were a group of social reformers associated with Holy Trinity Clapham in the period from the 1780s to the 1840s. Despite the label "sect", most members remained in the Established Church, established (and do ...

. Rivington's, London publishers with a hold on

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, ...

-related trade, had set their face against the rise of Methodist and evangelical views; Hatchard gained both in terms of publishing work, and also with his shop becoming a social centre. William Connor Sydney wrote:

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...
, Samuel Rogers, Clayton Mordaunt Cracherode,
Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
, Sir John Hawkins, Porson, Steevens, Lord Spencer, Malone, Windham,
Hannah More Hannah More (2 February 1745 – 7 September 1833) was an English religious writer, philanthropist, poet, and playwright in the circle of Johnson, Reynolds and Garrick, who wrote on moral and religious subjects. Born in Bristol, she taught at ...
,
George Crabbe George Crabbe ( ; 24 December 1754 – 3 February 1832) was an English poet, surgeon and clergyman. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. In the 177 ...
, were among those who frequented Hatchard's back parlour.
Sydney Smith Sydney Smith (3 June 1771 – 22 February 1845) was an English wit, writer, and Anglican cleric. Besides his energetic parochial work, he was known for his writing and philosophy, founding the ''Edinburgh Review'', lecturing at the Royal Inst ...
writing in the ''
Edinburgh Review The ''Edinburgh Review'' is the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. ''Edinburgh Review'', ...
'' in 1810, described Hatchard's visitors as "a set of well-dressed, prosperous gentlemen, assembling daily at the shop well in with the people in power, delighted with every existing institution and with every existing circumstance."

Hatchard was appointed bookseller to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

and other members of the royal family. He published the '' Christian Observer'' from the first number in 1802 to 1845, when he retired from business. He also issued the publications of the Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor, a venture of William Wilberforce, Sir Thomas Bernard, 3rd Baronet and Edward James Eliot. He was one of the specialist publishers of the "evangelical novel".

Later life

In 1817 Hatchard was taken to court in a

libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

case, and fined £100. He was publisher of a Report of the African Institution, which contained a story of a whipping of a pregnant slave on

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

, which was found to be a fabrication. It reflected on the aides of Sir James Leith, the Governor of the Leeward Islands. Hatchard was defended by James Scarlett. Hatchard died at

Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of gr ...

, 21 June 1849, aged 80. A memorial to Hatchard is located inside St Paul's Church, Clapham

Family

Hatchard married Elizabeth Lambert in 1790. They had two sons and three daughters. The elder son, John Hatchard, was vicar of St. Andrew's, Plymouth, and the second son, Thomas succeeded as head of the house of Hatchard & Son, booksellers and publishers, 187 Piccadilly. Their daughter Charlotte married the printer George Josiah Palmer, and was mother of George Josiah Palmer (1828–1892) of the ''

Church Times The ''Church Times'' is an independent Anglican weekly newspaper based in London and published in the United Kingdom on Fridays. History The ''Church Times'' was founded on 7 February 1863 by George Josiah Palmer, a printer. It fought for the ...

''. Of the two other daughters, Sophia married J. R. P. Bright, and Frances died unmarried aged 19, in 1831.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Hatchard, John 1769 births 1849 deaths English booksellers Publishers (people) from London English evangelicals People from the City of Westminster