John Wolfe Author2016 Jasmeen Boparai Encoder2021 Kate LeBere Proofreader2021 Molly Rothwell Programmer Martin Holmes Project Director Janelle Jenstad The Map of Early Modern Londonhttp://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/includes.xmlVictoria, BC, Canada
Department of English P.O.Box 3070 STNC CSC University of Victoria Victoria, BC Canada V8W 3W1
2016University of Victoria978-1-55058-519-3 Janelle Jenstad london@uvic.ca

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 Provider: University of Victoria Database: The Map of Early Modern London Content: text/plain; charset="utf-8" TY - ELEC A1 - Boparai, Jasmeen ED - Jenstad, Janelle T1 - John Wolfe T2 - The Map of Early Modern London ET - 7.0 PY - 2022 DA - 2022/05/05 CY - Victoria PB - University of Victoria LA - English UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/WOLF6.htm UR - https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/xml/standalone/WOLF6.xml ER - Boparai, Jasmeen. John Wolfe. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0, edited by Janelle Jenstad, U of Victoria, 05 May 2022, mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/WOLF6.htm. Boparai, Jasmeen. John Wolfe. The Map of Early Modern London, Edition 7.0. Ed. Janelle Jenstad. Victoria: University of Victoria. Accessed May 05, 2022. mapoflondon.uvic.ca/edition/7.0/WOLF6.htm. Boparai, J. 2022. John Wolfe. In J. Jenstad (Ed), The Map of Early Modern London (Edition 7.0). Victoria: University of Victoria. Retrieved from https://mapoflondon.uvic.ca/editions/7.0/WOLF6.htm.

Molly Rothwell Molly Rothwell MR

Project Manager, 2022-present. Research Assistant, 2020-2022. Molly Rothwell was an undergraduate student at the University of Victoria, with a double major in English and History. During her time at MoEML, Molly primarily worked on encoding and transcribing the 1598 and 1633 editions of Stow’s Survey, adding toponyms to MoEML’s Gazetteer, researching England’s early-modern court system, and standardizing MoEML’s Mapography.

 Kate LeBere Kate LeBere KL

Project Manager, 2020-2021. Assistant Project Manager, 2019-2020. Research Assistant, 2018-2020. Kate LeBere completed her BA (Hons.) in History and English at the University of Victoria in 2020. She published papers in The Corvette (2018), The Albatross (2019), and PLVS VLTRA (2020) and presented at the English Undergraduate Conference (2019), Qualicum History Conference (2020), and the Digital Humanities Summer Institute’s Project Management in the Humanities Conference (2021). While her primary research focus was sixteenth and seventeenth century England, she completed her honours thesis on Soviet ballet during the Russian Cultural Revolution. During her time at MoEML, Kate made significant contributions to the 1598 and 1633 editions of Stow’s Survey of London, old-spelling anthology of mayoral shows, and old-spelling library texts. She authored the MoEML’s first Project Management Manual and quickstart guidelines for new employees and helped standardize the Personography and Bibliography. She is currently a student at the University of British Columbia’s iSchool, working on her masters in library and information science.

 Jasmeen Boparai Jasmeen Boparai JB

Research Assistant, 2016-2017. Jasmeen Boparai was an undergraduate English major and Medieval Studies minor at the University of Victoria. Her primary research interests included Middle English literature with a specific interest in later works, early modern studies, and Elizabethan poetry.

 Janelle Jenstad Janelle Jenstad JJ

Janelle Jenstad is Associate Professor of English at the University of Victoria, Director of The Map of Early Modern London, and PI of Linked Early Modern Drama Online. She has taught at Queen’s University, the Summer Academy at the Stratford Festival, the University of Windsor, and the University of Victoria. With Jennifer Roberts-Smith and Mark Kaethler, she co-edited Shakespeare’s Language in Digital Media (Routledge). She has prepared a documentary edition of John Stow’s A Survey of London (1598 text) for MoEML and is currently editing The Merchant of Venice (with Stephen Wittek) and Heywood’s 2 If You Know Not Me You Know Nobody for DRE. Her articles have appeared in Digital Humanities Quarterly, Renaissance and Reformation,Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Early Modern Literary Studies, Elizabethan Theatre, Shakespeare Bulletin: A Journal of Performance Criticism, and The Silver Society Journal. Her book chapters have appeared (or will appear) in Institutional Culture in Early Modern Society (Brill, 2004), Shakespeare, Language and the Stage, The Fifth Wall: Approaches to Shakespeare from Criticism, Performance and Theatre Studies (Arden/Thomson Learning, 2005), Approaches to Teaching Othello (Modern Language Association, 2005), Performing Maternity in Early Modern England (Ashgate, 2007), New Directions in the Geohumanities: Art, Text, and History at the Edge of Place (Routledge, 2011), Early Modern Studies and the Digital Turn (Iter, 2016), Teaching Early Modern English Literature from the Archives (MLA, 2015), Placing Names: Enriching and Integrating Gazetteers (Indiana, 2016), Making Things and Drawing Boundaries (Minnesota, 2017), and Rethinking Shakespeare’s Source Study: Audiences, Authors, and Digital Technologies (Routledge, 2018).

 Martin D. Holmes Martin D. Holmes MDH

Programmer at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre (HCMC). Martin ported the MOL project from its original PHP incarnation to a pure eXist database implementation in the fall of 2011. Since then, he has been lead programmer on the project and has also been responsible for maintaining the project schemas. He was a co-applicant on MoEML’s 2012 SSHRC Insight Grant.

 John Day John Day 1521/22-1522/23 1584-08-02

Printer. Printed John Foxe’s Actes and Monuments. Father of Richard Day. Not to be confused with John Day.

ODNB Wikipedia Richard Day Richard Day

Printer. Son of John Day.

ODNB Wikipedia Robert Greene Robert Greene 1558/59 1592/93

Writer and playwright. Buried at St. Botolph, Aldersgate.

EB ODNB Wikipedia Thomas Nashe Thomas Nashe 1567/68 1601/02

Playwright and writer.

EB ODNB Wikipedia John Windet John Windet 1584/85-1611/12

Printer.

BBTI Wikipedia John Wolfe John Wolfe 1548/49 1601/02

Bookseller and printer. Husband of Alice Wolfe.

MoEML BBTI ODNB Alice Wolfe Alice Wolfe

Wife of John Wolfe.

 William Wright William Wright 1579/80 1603/04

Printer and bookseller.

BBTI Gabriel Harvey Gabriel Harvey 1552/53-1553/54 1631/32

Scholar and poet.

EB ODNB Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser

Poet and administrator of Ireland. Author of The Faerie Queen.

Wikipedia John Danter John Danter

Printer and pirate.

OR Edward White Edward White

Printer. Member of the Stationers’ Company. Father of Andrew White.

Wikipedia Andrew White Andrew White

Son of Edward White.

 Richard Field Richard Field

Printer.

ODNB Wikipedia Edward Aggas Edward Aggas

Bookseller, printer, and translator.

ODNB Wikipedia Robert Bourne Robert Bourne

Printer.

 Adam Islip Adam Islip

Printer.

British Museum Christopher Barker Christopher Barker

Printer.

ODNB Wikipedia Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò Machiavelli

Italian diplomat, philosopher, and historian.

Wikipedia Pietro Aretino Pietro Aretino

Italian author, playwright, poet, satirist, and blackmailer.

Wikipedia Henry Kirkham Henry Kirkham

Member of the Stationers’ Company.

 John Harrison II John Harrison II

Printer.

 Worshipful Company of FishmongersFishmongers’ Company

The Fishmongers’ Company was one of the twelve great companies of London, formed in 1536 out of the merger of the Stock Fishmongers and the Salt Fishmongers. The Fishmongers were fourth in the order of precedence established in 1515. The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers is still active and maintains a website at https://fishmongers.org.uk/ that includes a history of the company.

The coat of arms of the Fishmongers’ Company, from Stow (1633). [Full size image]
Worshipful Company of StationersStationers’ Company

The Stationers’ Company was one of the lesser livery companies of London. The Worshipful Company of Stationers is still active (under the new title of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers) and maintains a website at https://www.stationers.org/ that includes a history of the company.

 Born digital. Gadd, Ian. Wolfe, John. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H.C.G. Matthew, Brian Harrison, Lawrence Goldman, and David Cannadine. Oxford UP. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/29834. Hoppe, Harry R. John Wolfe, Printer and Publisher, 1579-1601. The Library 14.3 (1933): 241-288. Huffman, Clifford Chalmers. Elizabethan Impressions John Wolfe and His Press. New York: AMS Press, 1940. Print. Jowett, John. Credulous to False Prints: Shakespeare, Chettle, Harvey, Wolfe. Shakespearean Continuities. Ed. John Batchelor, Tom Cain, and Claire Lamont. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997. 93-107. Print. Kathman, David. Barker, Christopher (1528/9–1599), printer. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. H.C.G. Matthew, Brian Harrison, Lawrence Goldman, and David Cannadine. Oxford UP. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/1390. Loewenstein, Joseph. For a History of Literary Property: John Wolfe’s Reformation. English Literary Renaissance 18.3 (1988): 389-412. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6757.1988.tb00962.x. Parmelee, Lisa Ferraro. Printers, Patrons, Readers, and Spies: Importation of French Propaganda in Late Elizabethan England. The Sixteenth Century Journal 25.4 (1994): 853-872. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/2542259. Pantzer, Katherine F., and Philip R. Rider. A Short-Title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad, 1475–1640. Began by A.W. Pollard and G.R. Redgrave. 3 vols. London: Bibliographical Society, 1991. Print. London

The city of London, not to be confused with the allegorical character (London).

(LOND5.xml) Stationers’ Hall (St. Paul’s)

Beginning in 1554 until 1611, The Stationers’ Hall near St. Peter’s College Rents functioned as the second headquarters for the Stationers’ Company, following their occupation of the Stationer’s Hall (Milk Street) and preceding their occupation of the Avergabenny House on Wood Street starting in 1611. The hall was located near St. Paul’s Cathedral and was just north of the The Deanery, adjacent to the courtyard and St. Peter’s College Rents. According to Cyprian Blagden, [A] good deal of money was spent to make [the building] suitable for its new functions, but the move gave the Stationers’ Company an appropriate location in the very centre of the area which for so long was associated with the buying and selling of books (Blagden 19).

(STAT1.xml) Distaff Lane

Distaff Lane was in Bread Street Ward. It is not to be confused with Great Distaff Street, the street which crossed the northernmost end of Distaff Lane. There is some discrepancy in the exact length of Distaff Lane between the Agas Map and the information in Survey of London. On the Agas Map, Distaff Lane (labelled Diſtaf la.) appears to run south off Great Distaff Street, labelled Maidenhed lane, terminating before it reaches Knightrider Street. Stow tells us, in his delineation of the bounds of Bread Street Ward, that Distaff Lane runneth downe to Knightriders street, or olde Fishstreete (Stow 1:345). Our map truncates Distaff Lane before Knightrider Street.

(DIST1.xml) St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Paul’s Cathedral was—and remains—an important church in London. In 962, while London was occupied by the Danes, St. Paul’s monastery was burnt and raised anew. The church survived the Norman conquest of 1066, but in 1087 it was burnt again. An ambitious Bishop named Maurice took the opportunity to build a new St. Paul’s, even petitioning the king to offer a piece of land belonging to one of his castles (Times 115). The building Maurice initiated would become the cathedral of St. Paul’s which survived until the Great Fire of London.

(STPA2.xml) Paul’s Chain

Paul’s Chain was a street that ran north-south between St Paul’s Churchyard and Paul’s Wharf, crossing over Carter Lane, Knightrider Street, and Thames Street. It was in Castle Baynard Ward. On the Agas map, it is labelled Paules chayne. The precinct wall around St. Paul’s Church had six gates, one of which was on the south side by Paul’s Chain. It was here that a chain used to be drawn across the carriage-way entrance in order to preserve silence during church services.

(PAUL1.xml) Pope’s Head Alley

Pope’s Head Alley ran south from Cornhill to Lombard Street, and was named for the Pope’s Head Tavern that stood at its northern end. Although it does not appear on the Agas Map, its approximate location can be surmised since all three streets still exist. Although Stow himself does not discuss Pope’s Head Alley directly, his book was Imprinted by Iohn Wolfe, Printer to the honorable Citie of London: And are to be ſold at his ſhop within the Popes head Alley in Lombard ſtreet. 1598 (Stow 1598, sig. A1r). Booksellers proliferated the alley in the early years of the seventeenth century (Sugden 418).

(POPE6.xml) Lombard Street

Lombard Street was known by early modern Londoners as a place of commerce and trade. Running east to west from Gracechurch Street to Poultry, Lombard Street bordered Langbourn Ward, Walbrook Ward, Bridge Within Ward, and Candlewick Street Ward.

(LOMB1.xml) Royal Exchange

Located in Broad Street Ward and Cornhill Ward, the Royal Exchange was opened in 1570 to make business more convenient for merchants and tradesmen (Harben 512). The construction of the Royal Exchange was largely funded by Sir Thomas Gresham (Weinreb, Hibbert, Keay, and Keay 718).

(ROYA1.xml)

Our editorial and encoding practices are documented in detail in the Praxis section of our website.

Author A person or organization chiefly responsible for the intellectual or artistic content of a work, usually printed text. This term may also be used when more than one person or body bears such responsibility. MoEML uses the term author to designate a contributor who is wholly or partly responsible for the original content of either a born-digital document, such as an encyclopedia entry, or a primary source document, such as a MoEML Library text. Markup editor A person or organization performing the coding of SGML, HTML, or XML markup of metadata, text, etc. MoEML uses the code mrk both for the primary encoder(s) and for the person who edits the encoding. MoEML’s normal workflow includes a step whereby encoders check each other’s work. We use the term encoder to designate the principal encoder, and markup editor to designate the person who checks the encoding. Project director A person or organization with primary responsibility for all essential aspects of a project, or that manages a very large project that demands senior level responsibility, or that has overall responsibility for managing projects, or provides overall direction to a project manager. MoEML’s Project Director directs the intellectual and scholarly aspects of the project, consults with the Advisory and Editorial Boards, and ensures the ongoing funding of the project. Proofreader A person who corrects printed matter. MoEML uses the term proofreader to designate a contributor who checks a transcription against an original document, or a person who corrects formatting and typographical errors in a born-digital article. Note that we use the term markup editor to designate a person who proofreads and corrects encoding. Programmer A person or organization responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of computer program design documents, source code, and machine-executable digital files and supporting documentation. MoEML uses the term programmer to designate a person or organization responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of computer program design documents, source code, and machine-executable digital files and supporting documentation. Proofed and published file. Created file. John Wolfe
Biographical Information

John Wolfe (also Woolfe) was apprenticed to John Day for ten years, but only served for seven. Sometime after leaving his apprenticeship, Wolfe departed for Italy to further his printing knowledge (Hoppe 243). On 1 July 1583, Wolfe was transferred from the Fishmongers’ Company to the Stationers’ Company (Gadd). In 1587 he became the acting beadle of the Stationers’ Company and then from 1593-1601 he became the City of London’s printer (Gadd). As the acting beadle, Wolfe helped prosecute printers executing illegal printing (Hoppe 264; Gadd).Wolfe was a valuable member of the Stationers’ Company because he had experience in illicit printing. Harry R. Hoppe’s John Wolfe, Printer and Publisher, 1579-1601 explains that Wolfe began with names like Robert Waldegrave, Roger Ward, and John Danter (Hoppe 264-265). Hoppe also explains Wolfe’s other duties as beadle, including collecting fees (Hoppe 265). Wolfe apparently also did most of his printing during his tenure as beadle, despite his vast number of responsibilities (Hoppe 266). When Wolfe’s press was removed from Stationers’ Hall in 1591, Robert Bourne printed for him until 1593, and John Windet did most of Wolfe’s printing from then on (Gadd; Hoppe 267).Hoppe’s article explains that Adam Islip and John Windet were given most of Wolfe’s ornaments and gives a list of printers who took over for John Wolfe (Hoppe 266-267). Alice Wolfe, his widow, inherited his printing rights and eventually transferred the rights to other printers and the Stationers’ Company (Gadd).

Printing Locations

John Wolfe’s work places him at several different locations during his career: 1582: dwelling in Distaff Lane, ouer against the Signs of the Castell (STC 15441) 1588: neare the signe of the Castle (STC 23266), dwelling in the Stationers’ Hall (STC 12354) 1590: right ouer against the great South doore of Pauls (STC 5400.3) 1592: at the Little Shop ouer against the great South doore of Paules (STC 11260; Pantzer 186), shop at Poules Chayne (STC 12300) 1598: Popes head Alley in Lombard street (STC 23341; Pantzer 186) 1599: in Popes head Alley, neere to the Exchange (STC 12995; Pantzer 186)

Print Output

John Wolfe primarily printed quartos and octavos. For his printing emblem, Wolfe used an elaborate palm tree surrounded by beasts (serpents and toads) (Jowett 94; Huffman 6; STC 12900.5), a simple crowned or uncrowned fleur-de-lis (Huffman 8; STC 25401), or a more extravagant fleur-de-lis (STC 11260; STC 23081a). Wolfe printed the first three books of Edmund Spenser’s well-known allegorical epic, The FAERIE QVEENE (STC 23081a), and Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender (STC 23091). Richard Day, John Day’s son, also allowed Wolfe to print and have the rights to The Whole Booke of Psalmes (STC 2478; STC 2471; STC 2472; STC 2475).

Wolfe, who was interested in international news, printed French news in the 1580s when there was a demand for it in London (Huffman viii; Parmelee 859). Furthermore, he translated numerous French propaganda news items including pamphlets, intellectual works, and declarations (Huffman 69-70; Parmelee 859).Parmelee lists Edward Aggas as a major contributor to translations of French propaganda alongside John Wolfe (Parmelee 861). William Wright and Richard Field were the other two publishers of French news in England before 1600 (Huffman 69).

In his earlier years (1581-1589), Wolfe printed Italian texts about literature, religion, politics, news, and geography while living in London (Huffman 14). He also printed (in Italian) books by Niccolò Machiavelli (Lasino doro di Nicolo Macchiauelli [STC 17158], Historie di Nicolo Macchiauelli [STC 17161], and I discorsi di Nicolo Machiavelli [STC 17159]) and a book by Pietro Aretino (La prima parte de Ragionamenti [STC 19911.5]). Many of these books were printed with false imprints of location or date (Loewenstein 396).Huffman goes into extensive detail about John Wolfe’s affair with printing Italian books. He suggests that while Wolfe was not the only printer to illegally print books, he was seen as the ringleader. Huffman also argues that as a member of the Fishmongers’ Company, Wolfe held no loyalty to the Stationers’ Company and their laws. Many of the Italian books that he printed (like the ones by Machiavelli) were done so with false imprints of location or year (Huffman). Loewenstein also outlines Wolfe’s experiences with fraudulent printing of Italian texts (Loewenstein 395-396).

Networks

Wolfe appeared to have printed numerous texts for publisher William Wright, or to be sold by William Wright. These include Greenes, Groats-Worth of witte (STC 12245), A Proclamation set out by the K. of Spaine (STC 18464.5), The Poore-Mans Teares opened in a sermon (STC 22683), and Newes out of France (STC 11285).

Wolfe also printed Morando and The Tritameron of Loue (STC 12277) and The most dangerous and memorable aduenture of Richard Ferris (STC 10834) for the publisher Edward White at his shop at the signe of the Gunne. The shop may have been taken over by Edward’s son, Andrew White, since Wolfe later printed ARTICLES accorded for the Truce generall in France (STC 13117) for him at the shop located at the sign of the Gunne.

John Harrison II was another publisher with whom Wolfe collaborated. Wolfe printed The Shepheardes Calender (STC 23091, The compasse of a Christian (STC 19054), and A Bartholomew Fairing for Parents (STC 23277) for John Harrison II.

Wolfe may have been the partner of Stationer Henry Kirkham, who had a shop located at the Black Boy, opposite the middle door of St. Paul’s Cathedral (Huffman 128; STC 25401).

In the 1580s and 1590s, John Wolfe printed material for both Gabriel Harvey and Robert Greene, despite their ongoing dispute over ideals in literature (Huffman 101). Regardless of the dispute, Wolfe appeared to have shared ideals with Harvey (Huffman 110) and he let Harvey live and work in his shop (Huffman 99, 105). Wolfe also printed an abundance of Harvey’s essays since they express[ed] his interests in new and excellent literature (Huffman 99). These works included Foure Letters (STC 12900.5), A Nevv Letter of Notable Contents (STC 12902), and Pierces Supererogation or A New Prayse (STC 12903).Huffman goes into detail about the Harvey-Nashe-Greene debate where Greene’s A Quip for an Upstart Courtier (STC 12300) had supposedly attacked Harvey and his brothers. Harvey responded with his Foure Letters (STC 12900.5), outlining his ideals and principles (Huffman 109-110). Nashe supported Greene and had his Strange Newes, of the Intercepting Certaine Letters (STC 18377) printed by John Danter (Huffman 110). Harvey’s ideals about literature did not agree with Greene’s, and John Wolfe seemed to have benefited from this ordeal by printing for both parties.

Wolfe had a tendency to print material that did not belong to him. One of his prime targets was Christopher Barker since he had printing privileges to English Bibles (Kathman). Barker eventually tried to bargain with Wolfe by persuading him to transfer his freedom from the Fishmongers’ Company to the Stationers’ Company in exchange for work, loans, and the ability to keep all of his apprentices (Hoppe 245; Gadd). Since Wolfe was still a member of the Fishmongers’ Company at this time, his motive for targeting Barker may be explained as a lack of brotherly love. Specifically, by 1582, he and other printers disputed the Stationers’ Company privileged, selective printing system of holding rights to specific book titles (Huffman 2, 128-129).

Scholarship

John Wolfe is not particularly well known today. He was, however, an ambitious printer. By 1583, Wolfe’s shop was searched (because of John Day) and it was discovered that he had three presses in the open, with two hidden in a vault (Huffman 129). He was one of the busiest printers in England, only second to Christopher Barker (Parmelee 859). Wolfe printed almost as much material as Christopher Barker, which suggests that he was well known in London. Not only did he regularly print Continental news for the people of England, he also was educated enough to print Italian texts. Furthermore, Wolfe was a printer who stood up for his beliefs against the Stationers’ Company and had the audacity to continue printing illegally despite being sent to jail twice (Gadd).