Thomas Cotes
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cotes was a London
printer of the Jacobean
and Caroline
eras, best remembered for printing the Second Folio
edition of Shakespeare's
plays in 1632
.
on January 6, 1606; he was a former apprentice of William Jaggard
, who would print the First Folio
with his son Isaac. Cotes ran his own printing shop from 1620 to 1641; from 1635 on, he was in partnership with his brother Richard Cotes (died 1653). Their shop was in the Barbican in Aldersgate Street. (Their sister Jane was married to another printer, Robert Ibbitson.) On June 19, 1627, Thomas Cotes acquired the business and copyrights of Isaac Jaggard, son and heir of William Jaggard, from Jaggard's widow Dorothy.
A royal decree of 1637 named Thomas Cotes one of the twenty Master Printers of the Stationers Company.
. He printed the first quarto of The Two Noble Kinsmen
(1634
) for publisher John Waterson
, and the second edition of Fletcher's
The Faithful Shepherdess
(1629
) for Richard Meighen
, who was one of the partners in the Second Folio syndicate. He printed more than a dozen plays for Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
, including many by James Shirley
; he printed Pathomachia
for Francis Constable
. His quartos
of Pericles, Prince of Tyre
(1635
) and The Bloody Banquet
(1639
) were rare instances in which Cotes functioned as both publisher and printer. In an age when the two functions were often separate, Cotes largely confined himself to printing, and left publishing to booksellers like Meighen, Crooke and Cooke, and others.
the Water Poet's Wit and Mirth (1629) for James Boler, and James Day's A New Spring of Divine Poetry and Thomas Jordan's Poetical Varieties (both 1637
), both for Humphrey Blunden. Most notably in this area, Cotes printed John Benson's important 1640
edition of Shakespeare's Poems. Cotes produced books on heraldry
; religious and polemical works, by William Prynne
, Hugh Latimer
, and others; and a large share of ephemera and now-forgotten items — like The Book of Merry Riddles (1629), Wine, Beer, Ale and Tobacco (1630), and Robin Goodfellow, His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests (1640).
; as such, he was a member of their guild, the Parish Clerks' Company. That guild maintained its own printing press, for issuing bills of mortality. (The Stuart regime
was serious about security and censorship: the parish clerks' printing press was kept in a triple-locked room.) Thomas Cotes served as the clerks' printer from 1636 until his death in 1641. Thereafter the clerks' printing was done by brother Richard Cotes, who in turn was followed by Ellen or Ellinor Cotes, Richard's widow.
Thomas Cotes was survived by two sons, James and Thomas. The exact date of his death is not recorded; he was buried on July 15, 1641. His last will and testament was signed on June 22, 1641, and probated on July 19 of the same year. His will assigned full rights to their business to brother Richard, the surviving partner, in return for a payment of £100.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
printer of the Jacobean
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
and Caroline
Caroline era
The Caroline era refers to the era in English and Scottish history during the Stuart period that coincided with the reign of Charles I , Carolus being Latin for Charles...
eras, best remembered for printing the Second Folio
Second Folio
Second Folio is the term applied to the 1632 edition of the works of William Shakespeare, following upon the First Folio of 1623.Much language was updated; there are almost 1,700 changes from the First Folio....
edition of Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
plays in 1632
1632 in literature
The year 1632 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*On February 14, Tempe Restored, a masque written by Aurelian Townshend and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace....
.
Life and work
Thomas Cotes became a "freeman" (a full member) of the Stationers CompanyWorshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was founded in 1403; it received a Royal Charter in 1557...
on January 6, 1606; he was a former apprentice of William Jaggard
William Jaggard
William Jaggard was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays...
, who would print the First Folio
First Folio
Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. is the 1623 published collection of William Shakespeare's plays. Modern scholars commonly refer to it as the First Folio....
with his son Isaac. Cotes ran his own printing shop from 1620 to 1641; from 1635 on, he was in partnership with his brother Richard Cotes (died 1653). Their shop was in the Barbican in Aldersgate Street. (Their sister Jane was married to another printer, Robert Ibbitson.) On June 19, 1627, Thomas Cotes acquired the business and copyrights of Isaac Jaggard, son and heir of William Jaggard, from Jaggard's widow Dorothy.
A royal decree of 1637 named Thomas Cotes one of the twenty Master Printers of the Stationers Company.
Drama
In his substantial career, Cotes was a major producer of play texts of English Renaissance dramaEnglish Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
. He printed the first quarto of The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales....
(1634
1634 in literature
The year 1634 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The King's Men perform Cymbeline at the court of King Charles I of England.*January 22 - The King's Men perform Davenant's The Wits at the Blackfriars Theatre....
) for publisher John Waterson
John Waterson
John Waterson was a London publisher and bookseller of the Jacobean and Caroline eras; he published significant works in English Renaissance drama, including plays by William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, John Webster, and Philip Massinger.-Beginning:Waterson was the scion of a family of publishers:...
, and the second edition of Fletcher's
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
The Faithful Shepherdess
The Faithful Shepherdess
The Faithful Shepherdess is a Jacobean era stage play, the work that inaugurated the playwriting career of John Fletcher. Though the initial production was a failure with its audience, the printed text that followed proved significant, in that it contained Fletcher's influential definition of...
(1629
1629 in literature
The year 1629 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*April 6 - Tommaso Campanella is released from custody in Rome, and gains the confidence of Pope Urban IV....
) for Richard Meighen
Richard Meighen
Richard Meighen was a London publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras. He is noted for his publications of plays of English Renaissance drama; he published the second Ben Jonson folio of 1640/1, and was a member of the syndicate that issued the Second Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in...
, who was one of the partners in the Second Folio syndicate. He printed more than a dozen plays for Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
Andrew Crooke and William Cooke
Andrew Crooke and William Cooke were London publishers of the mid-17th-century. In partnership and individually, they issued significant texts of English Renaissance drama, most notably of the plays of James Shirley....
, including many by James Shirley
James Shirley
James Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
; he printed Pathomachia
Pathomachia
Pathomachia, or the Battle of Affections, also known as Love's Lodestone, is an early 17th-century play, first printed in 1630. It is an allegory that presents a range of problems to scholars of the drama of the Jacobean and Caroline eras....
for Francis Constable
Francis Constable
Francis Constable was a London bookseller and publisher of the Jacobean and Caroline eras, noted for publishing a number of stage plays of English Renaissance drama....
. His quartos
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
of Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
(1635
1635 in literature
The year 1635 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 22 - In Paris, the Académie française is founded.*May 6 - The King's Men perform Othello at the Blackfriars Theatre.*Birth of René Descartes' daughter, Francine....
) and The Bloody Banquet
The Bloody Banquet
The Bloody Banquet is an early 17th-century play, a revenge tragedy of uncertain date and authorship, attributed on its title page only to "T.D." It has attracted a substantial body of critical and scholarly commentary, chiefly for the challenging authorship problem it presents...
(1639
1639 in literature
The year 1639 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*May 21 - The King's Men act John Fletcher's The Mad Lover.*Blaise Pascal's family move to Rouen.*François de La Mothe-Le-Vayer is elected to the Académie Française....
) were rare instances in which Cotes functioned as both publisher and printer. In an age when the two functions were often separate, Cotes largely confined himself to printing, and left publishing to booksellers like Meighen, Crooke and Cooke, and others.
Other works
Cotes worked on poetry, printing John TaylorJohn Taylor (poet)
John Taylor was an English poet who dubbed himself "The Water Poet".-Biography:He was born in Gloucester, 24 August 1578....
the Water Poet's Wit and Mirth (1629) for James Boler, and James Day's A New Spring of Divine Poetry and Thomas Jordan's Poetical Varieties (both 1637
1637 in literature
The year 1637 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 24 - Hamlet is performed before King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria at Hampton Court Palace....
), both for Humphrey Blunden. Most notably in this area, Cotes printed John Benson's important 1640
1640 in literature
The year 1640 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 21 - Salmacida Spolia, a masque written by Sir William Davenant and designed by Inigo Jones, is performed at Whitehall Palace — the final royal masque of the Caroline era.*March 17 - Henry Burnell's play Landgartha...
edition of Shakespeare's Poems. Cotes produced books on heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
; religious and polemical works, by William Prynne
William Prynne
William Prynne was an English lawyer, author, polemicist, and political figure. He was a prominent Puritan opponent of the church policy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Although his views on church polity were presbyterian, he became known in the 1640s as an Erastian, arguing for...
, Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer was a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, Bishop of Worcester before the Reformation, and later Church of England chaplain to King Edward VI. In 1555, under Queen Mary, he was burnt at the stake, becoming one of the three Oxford Martyrs of Anglicanism.-Life:Latimer was born into a...
, and others; and a large share of ephemera and now-forgotten items — like The Book of Merry Riddles (1629), Wine, Beer, Ale and Tobacco (1630), and Robin Goodfellow, His Mad Pranks and Merry Jests (1640).
Later years
During his later years, Thomas Cotes served as the clerk of his London parish, St. Giles without CripplegateCripplegate
Cripplegate was a city gate in the London Wall and a name for the region of the City of London outside the gate. The area was almost entirely destroyed by bombing in World War II and today is the site of the Barbican Estate and Barbican Centre...
; as such, he was a member of their guild, the Parish Clerks' Company. That guild maintained its own printing press, for issuing bills of mortality. (The Stuart regime
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
was serious about security and censorship: the parish clerks' printing press was kept in a triple-locked room.) Thomas Cotes served as the clerks' printer from 1636 until his death in 1641. Thereafter the clerks' printing was done by brother Richard Cotes, who in turn was followed by Ellen or Ellinor Cotes, Richard's widow.
Thomas Cotes was survived by two sons, James and Thomas. The exact date of his death is not recorded; he was buried on July 15, 1641. His last will and testament was signed on June 22, 1641, and probated on July 19 of the same year. His will assigned full rights to their business to brother Richard, the surviving partner, in return for a payment of £100.