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John Heigham of S. Omer (c. 1568–c. 1632)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2017

A. F. Allison
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Extract

To anyone who has studied English Catholic books of the early seventeenth century, the imprints, “Doway, for John Heigham” and “S. Omers, for John Heigham” have a familiar—not to say monotonous—ring. There are over sixty books in existence today, printed between 1609 and 1631, which bear one or other of these imprints. Yet very little is generally known about the man himself. The biographies of him which appear in works of reference tell us next to nothing about him and what they do tell us is for the most part incorrect. In this note I shall try to unravel some of the muddles which have arisen and set out briefly the main outline of his career in so far as it can be established from the evidence.

Type
Articles
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 4 , Issue 6 , December 1958 , pp. 226 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1957

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References

Notes

1. Allison & Rogers: A Catalogue of Catholic Books in English printed abroad or secretly in England 1558–1640. 1956. p. 182. I shall refer to this work as ‘A & R.’.

2. p.40

3. tom.3. col.487.

4. Archives du Royaume, Conseil Privé Espagnol, cartons 1276-1279.

5. Biographical Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 1954. pp. 210–11.Google Scholar

6. John Gerard. The autobiography. Translated and edited Caraman. 1951. pp. 82-3. Also CRS vol. 30, pp. xx, xxii.

7. Vol. 3, p. 256.

8. Bijdragen tot de geschiedénis. 1937.

9. Edited R. B. McKerrow. p. 134.

10. A & R 392, p. 8.

11. STC 24926, p. 27.

12. CRS vol. 34.

13. Greg & Boswell: Records of the Court of the Stationers Company, p. 58.

14. A & R 147. cf. Plomer: “Bishop Bancroft and a Catholic Press” (The Library, 1905, pp. 164-176. esp. pp. 174-5), and Acts of English Martyrs, 1891, pp. 238-48.

15. Gatehouse certificates. CRS vol. 4, p. 234.

16. SPD Eliz. vol. 271, no. 33.

17. For the text, see Appendix B.

18. Hatfield Calendar, vol. 16. p. 32.

19. A & R 766-9.

20. Udall was the subject of a paper by the present writer read before the Catholic Record Society on 21 May 1958. It is hoped to publish it in a future number of Recusant History.

21. SPD James I, vol. 35, f. 31.

22. In the Westminster Cathedral Archives (A. 16. p. 125), there is a draft letter from Anthony Champney, dated 30 June 1620, to “Monsieur Heigham marchand libraire a S. Omers.” (Unfortunately the letter gives no biographical information apart from the address.)

23. For Auroi, Bellet, Boscard, cf. Lepreux: Gallia Typographica, sèr. départementale, tom. 1, passim.

24. BM. Lansdowne MSS. vol. 153, f. 16.

25. Ibid. i. 17.

25a. A & R. 319.

26. Text in Appendix B.

26a. A & R. 113.

27. Text in Belvederi, R.: Guido Bentivoglio Diplomatico, 1947, 48. pp. 367–9.Google Scholar

28. In the Bibliothèque municipale. S. Omer. There are no extant registers of marriages and deaths for this period. The original register of births for Ste. Marguerite before 1653 appears to be lost, but there is a late seventeenth century tabular analysis oí the early registers which gives all the important facts from 1605 onwards. For S. Jean Baptiste the baptismal registers are extant from 1587 onwards.

29. A more thorough search than I have been able to make among the parish registers of Douai, which are preserved in the municipal archives, might throw light on this.

30. Xearology of the English Provincé öf Friars Minor, CRS. vol. 24, p. 264.

31. “Proprium mihi nomen est Joannes Heigham, Parentis Joannes, Matris Maria. Natus octodecim annorum circiter, Audomari, illique educatus. Parentes sunt Nobiles, de eorum statu ignoro, fratres habeo duos, sorores tres, omnes tamen Catholici. Humaniores litteras Audomari, mediocri progressu profectuque percurri.” (PRO.39. 9/10. Roman Transcripts. Originals in the Archives of the English College, Rome.)

32. Vol. 3, p. 256.

33. “Higham a booke seller, who liued in the Town, and used often to the Colledge” (English Spanish Pilgrim, 1629, p. 27.)

34. A & R 711, 779, 866.

34a. These are the books which have survived. Some others may have perished. But the overall drop in publication is very marked.

35. Lepreux. op.cit. pp. 26, 101.

35a. Lepreux gives her Christian name as Jeanne.

36. Gillow (vol. 3, p. 256) says that Heigham was apparently still living at S. Omer in 1639. He seems to have found an edition—or a reference to one—of Via Vere Tvta printed at S. Omer in 1639, and to have concluded from this that Heigham was still alive at the time. But the conclusion does not follow. His statement is copied by Thompson Cooper in DNB and by McKerrow in the Bibliographical Society's Dictionary of Printers. No copy of a 1639 edition of Via Vere Tuta is recorded in A & R.

37. A & R 392.

38. A & R 422-5.

39. STC 18038.

40. Wing P.745.

40a. A MS. note, probably of the late 17th century, on the titlepage of the 1634 edition in the Gillow Library (Catholic Record Society) identifies the author as “Dr. Matt. Kellison, President of ye College at Doway.”

41. A. & R 424, p. 123.

42. P. 232.

43. In spite of this statement, the fact remains that every book bearing Heigham's imprint can be allocated, on typographical grounds, to the press of an established printer. He probably assisted at the press with Auroi and Boscard, but there is no evidence that he had a press of his own.

44. The right-hand edge of the original is worn away. Omissions are indicated in the transcription by square brackets.