Robert Raikes the Elder (

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

22 April 1690 – 7 September 1757) was a British

printer Printer may refer to: Technology * Printer (publishing), a person or a company * Printer (computing), a hardware device * Optical printer for motion picture films People * Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist * James ...

and

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proprietor. He is noted as a pioneer of

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who was instrumental in bringing printing out of London and to the provinces.

Biography

Raikes was the son of Timothy Raikes,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of Hessle, in the

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, and his wife Sarah. On 1 October 1705, at the age of fifteen, he was apprenticed to the

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printer John Barber. He was made a freeman of 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 companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in ...

on 1 December 1712. In 1718 he was employed by a wealthy

distiller Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heatin ...

, Samuel Hasbart, to launch a newspaper in Norwich in favour of the

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, in opposition to the ''

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

Gazette''. Hasbart had previously been the part proprietor of the Norwich Gazette (1706), but he had had a dispute with his co-proprietor and printer Henry Crossgrove. However there were already three established newspapers in the city and Raikes' newspaper failed after a few weeks. By June, Raikes had moved to

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, where he launched the ''St. Ives Post Boy'', later going into partnership with William Dicey, the printer of the 'St. Ives Mercury.' On 2 May 1720, Raikes and Dicey founded the ''

Northampton Mercury The ''Northampton Mercury'' was an English news and media company founded in 1720. Published in Northampton, it was sold throughout the midlands, as far west as Worcester and as far east as Cambridge. When it ceased publication in 2015, it was ...

''. A year later, the partners set up a second press in Northgate Street,

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, from where the '' Gloucester Journal'' first appeared on 9 April 1722. In September 1725, Raikes and Dicey divided their partnership, Dicey retaining the Northampton press, and Raikes taking sole ownership of the ''Gloucester Journal'' press (now moved to premises in Southgate Street) and associated printing business. Raikes' business thrived, despite a change in newspaper duties in 1725, and a number of brushes with the law over articles published under his authority. In 1743, the ''Gloucester Journal'' was moved for a second time into larger premises in the Blackfriars area of

. Robert Raikes died at Gloucester, where he was buried in the church of St Mary de Crypt.

Family

Raikes was married three times: * In 1722, to Sarah Niblett * In 1725, to Ann Monk * '' c.'' 1735 to Mary Drew Two daughters, one each from his first two marriages, died in infancy. With Mary, Raikes had six children: Robert, Mary, William, Thomas, Richard and Charles. Raikes' eldest son, also named

Robert Raikes Robert Raikes ("the Younger") (14 September 1736 – 5 April 1811) was an English philanthropist and Anglican layman. He was educated at The Crypt School Gloucester. He was noted for his promotion of Sunday schools. Family Raikes was born at ...

, founded and promoted Sunday schools, and succeeded to his father's printing business. His third son,

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, became Governor of the Bank of England. His son William was a director of the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

References and sources

;References ;Sources *David Stoker
‘Raikes, Robert (bap. 1690, d. 1757)’
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'',

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, 2004. Accessed 30 October 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Raikes, Robert 1690 births 1757 deaths People from Hessle English printers Raikes family