Richard Baldwin (c. 1653 – 1698) was an English printer accused of seditious work. He worked closely with

Abigail Baldwin Abigail Baldwin or Abigail Mulford ( – 1713) was an early English publisher. She worked with her husband Richard Baldwin who was summoned frequently to answers charges relating to their publishing business. After her husband died she continued ...

who was his wife.

Life

Richard was possibly born in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He worked as a bookbinder and married Abigail Mulford in 1676 at St Botolph, Aldersgate. He became one of the many book sellers but he became one of the first

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

s. He published short lived newspapers for members of the Whig party.Beth Lynch, ‘Baldwin, Richard (c.1653–1698)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 5 May 2017
/ref> The Privy Council summoned him in 1681 to answer a charge of publishing seditious pamphlets. The next year he was accused of publishing libels and his premises near the Old Bailey were searched. The search was by 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 ...

and they later fined him for not co-operating with them. He was summoned to answer a case that he had published libels against the prosecution in a case involving the earl of Shaftesbury. He was found guilty by the

Lord Chief Justice The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...

but he was released within a week after promising to behave better. He did not and the Baldwins were frequently in trouble. In 1690 he found himself in

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the pr ...

for High Treason. Unusually he obtained bail.

Death and legacy

When he died the business was still operating with Abigail Baldwin as the "A.Baldwin" that appeared on their publications. Their work had never been wholly political and Baldwin published works until she died in 1713. She was the publisher of the

Tatler ''Tatler'' (stylised in all caps) is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. It focuses on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper and upper-middle c ...

that featured work under the pseudonym of Bickerstaff by Jonathon Swift and

Joseph Addison Joseph Addison (1 May 1672 – 17 May 1719) was an English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with w ...

. Her son-in-law, Roberts, continued to operate the business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Richard 1650s births 1698 deaths 17th-century English publishers (people)