(_De Worde_) (_Day_) │ │ │ (_Privileged │ printers_) │ │ │ The Polyglot │ Founders Moxon (Walpergen) │ 1637–1667 1659–1683 1673–1714 │ │ │ │ +──────────────+───────────+ │ │ │ │ │ +────────────+ │ │ │ │ Jas. Grover R. Andrews (_Rolij_) S. Andrews Ilive Head 1680–1700 1683–1733 1710 1714–1733 1730–1740 1685–1700 (?) │ │ │ │ │ │ │ +────────────+───────────+ │ │ │ │ │ │ Thos. Grover Thos. James │ Mitchell 1700–1758 1710–1736 │ 1700–1739 │ │ │ │ │ │ │ +────+────+ │ │ │ │ │ +──────────────────────────+──────────────────────+─────+ │ │ │ John James Caslon 1736–1772 the last of the Old English Letter Founders.
With the exception of the circular already mentioned, nothing of the nature of a specimen of this large foundry appeared during the lifetime of its owner. As early as 1736, Rowe Mores informs us, a specimen was begun, designed to show the variety of matrices with which the foundry then abounded, and from which types could be supplied to the trade. But although so early begun, and progressed with for several years, the work was left incomplete at the time of James’s death in 1772.[420]
Two causes may be assigned for this fact, one being the frequent and numerous additions to the foundry from time to time, which would render any specimen undertaken at an early stage of its existence incomplete; and the second and more cogent reason is to be found in the fact that the excellence and growing popularity of Caslon’s founts at this particular period tended rapidly to depreciate the productions of the old founders, and, as Rowe Mores himself states, to render many of their founts altogether useless in typography; so that a letter which in 1736 might have commanded a tolerable sale, would in 1756 be despised, and in 1770 scoffed at.
At John James’s death his foundry passed by purchase[421] into the hands of Mr. Rowe Mores,[422] a learned and eccentric antiquary and scholar, who had devoted himself, among other matters, to the study of typographical antiquities, a pursuit in which he received no little stimulus from the possession of a collection of punches and matrices, some of which were supposed to be as old as the days of Wynkyn de Worde.
Whether any motive besides a pure antiquarian zeal prompted the purchase, or whether he held the collection in the capacity of trustee, is not known, but it { 223} seems probable he had been intimately acquainted with the foundry and its contents for some time before James’s death. He speaks emphatically of it as “our” foundry, and his disposition of its contents for sale is made with the authority of an absolute proprietor. It does not appear, however, that during the six years of his possession any steps were taken to extend or even continue the old business, which we may assume to have died with its late owner.