Richard Tottel (died 1594) was an English

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and influential member of the legal community. He ran his business from a shop located at Temple Bar on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...

in London. The majority of his printing was centered on legal documents, but he is most known for a collection he edited and published in 1557 called '' Songes and Sonnettes''.

Early life

Son of William Tothill (the more common spelling of the family name) and Elizabeth Matthew, Richard Tottel's early life is not one easily deciphered. Tottel's father was a wealthy citizen of Exeter, England and held many public offices in his life span including

bailiff A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their offi ...

in 1528,

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

in 1529, and eventually

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

in 1552. Tottel was the third child of eleven, having three brothers and seven sisters.Byrom, H. J. "Richard Tottell—His Life and Work." Library 4th ser. VIII.2 (1927): 199. Print.Kinney, Arthur F., and David W. Swain, eds. "Tottel, Richard." Tudor England: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 2001. 699-700. Print. At some point, approximately 1540, Tottel was

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d to a William Middleton, a printer of law books in London. Towards the end of Tottel's indentureship, in 1547, William Middleton died. Middleton's wife remarried within seven months to William Powell, another printer of Law books. The new Mrs. Powell and William Powell freed Tottel, who then went on to take over the printing house of Henry Smithe at the Sign of the Hand and Star after Smithe's death in 1550. Sometime after, Tottel married Joan Grafton who bore him one son, William, and several daughters.

Professional career and midlife

Tottel's career leapt forward when he was granted a

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

that would allow him to print all authorized books dealing with common law. This patent was originally granted in April 1553 and was to last seven years. In 1556, the patent was renewed for another seven years and, in 1559, Tottel's patent was granted to him for life. Tottel's publishing played a large role in the founding of the Worshipful Company of Stationers. Upon receiving its

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...

in 1557, the Stationers' Company of London named him as the sixty-seventh member of their charter out of ninety-four. Tottel would later rise in the ranks of the Stationers' Company including the title of warden, upper warden, and master from 1578 to 1584. Due to Tottel's failing health he was continually absent to his duties within the company and was excluded from their ranks. He was still fairly loved and admired within the company and at liberty to attend their meetings whenever he was in the area.Knott, Christopher A. "Richard Tottell." The British Literary Book Trade, 1475-1700. Ed. James K. Bracken and Joel Silver. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 170. Detroit: Gale Research, 1996. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Web. 5 Oct. 2009. Tottel's published works mainly include law documents as he was the sole publisher from 1553 until he died. However, he did publish a variety of other books ranging from literary works to books on animal husbandry. The book that gained him a lasting place in history is his publication and editing of ''Songes and Sonettes'', also known as ''

Tottel's Miscellany ''Songes and Sonettes'', usually called ''Tottel's Miscellany'', was the first printed anthology of English poetry. First published by Richard Tottel in 1557 in London, it ran to many editions in the sixteenth century. Richard Tottel Richard To ...

''. The following is an incomplete list of works published by Tottel: * William Baldwin – ''A Treatise of Morall Phylosophye Contaynyng the Sayinges of the Wise'' (1547) * Thomas More – '' A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation'' (1553) * John Lydgate – ''Fall of Princes'' (1554) *

Stephen Hawes Stephen Hawes (died 1523) was a popular English poet during the Tudor period who is now little known. Life He was probably born in Suffolk when the surname was common. If his own statement of his age may be trusted, he was born about 1474. He ...

– ''Pastime of Pleasure'' (1555) *Translation of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

's ''De Officiis'' by

Nicholas Grimald Nicholas Grimald (or Grimoald) (1519–1562) was an English poet and dramatist. Life Nicholas Grimald was born to a modest yeoman family of farmers in 1519–20. His parents are unknown, despite the popular belief that his father was Giovanni B ...

(1556) *Translations of the second and fourth books of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...

's ''

Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...

'' by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1557) *Thomas More – ''Works'' (1557) *

Thomas Tusser Thomas Tusser (c. 15243 May 1580) was an English poet and farmer, best known for his instructional poem ''Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry'', an expanded version of his original title, ''A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie'', first publishe ...

– ''A Hundreth Good Points of Husbandry'' (1557) *''

'' ** First edition (1557), second edition (31 July 1557), third edition (1558), fourth edition (1565), fifth edition (1567), and sixth edition (1574) * Arthur Brooke – '' The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet'' (1562) *

William Painter (author) William Painter (or Paynter, c. 1540 – between 19 and 22 February 1595) was an English author and translator. As a clerk of the Ordnance in the Tower of London, he was accused of fraud aimed at amassing a personal fortune at public expense. Pe ...

– ''The Palace of Pleasure'' (1566–67) *

James Dyer Sir James Dyer (1510 – 24 March 1582) was a judge and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Edward VI of England. Life Dyer was knighted at Whitehall on 9 April 1553, Strand Inn, preparatory 1520s, Middle Temple abt. 1530, call ...

– ''Collection of Cases'' (1586)

Death and legacy

Tottel's death came as no surprise. He died in early July 1593 after suffering little less than a decade of infirmity brought on by old age. As the sole owner of the printing patent for law books in the Kingdom of

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

a huge legal battle ensued following his death. Eventually the patent was dissolved, and the rights to printing such volumes were free to any publisher. Though Tottel printed several volumes unrelated to law, the bulk of his publications were legal pieces. In light of this, it is ironic that he is best known for the compilation he edited and printed known as ''Tottel's Miscellany'' or ''Songes and Sonnets''. Tottel's treatment of this piece is both careful and bold. His accuracy and ability are seen to be of scientific quality in an age where neither was of great importance. Now, hundreds of years on and eight editions later, he is still praised for his work on this and many other works of English literature.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tottel, Richard 1594 deaths 16th-century English businesspeople English printers Year of birth unknown