Hills 1988

Hills, Richard L. Papermaking in Britain, 1488-1988: A Short History. London: Athlone Press, 1988.

“The first paper that was used in England came from Italy and France from the early fourteenth century until the end of the sixteenth century. The region around Troyes in France formed an important source of supply to the Netherlands and through them to the English market. Caxton procured his paper from the Low Countries and in it has been found watermarks fo a bull’s head and a unicorn.” (4-5)

John Tate, member of Mercers’ Company, built a mill circa 1476 (5), established by 1495; used to print De Proprietatibus Rerum by Bartholemaeus Anglicus, printed by Wynken de Worde 1495-6 — colophon mentioning Tate’s paper

1498, Henry VII visited the mill (8)

1282, watermarking appeared at Fabriano in the center of Italy (18)

After John Tate, mills produced brown paper, therefore difficult “to know how continuously paper has been made in this country” (50) — no evidence for another until Thomas Thirlby, Bishop of Ely, tried one at Fen Ditton near Cambridge, 1554-1559 ca

Difficult to make white paper in England in 16c, complaint among Stationers that French papermakers bought up the supplies of English rags

1588, John Spilman, German jeweler to QE1 and King James I, first mill making white paper to have some success (50)

Industry and imports in 17c (52)

Manufacture of white paper came to halt in England around 1641

1675 - Eustace Burneby, patent for white paper 1685 - John Briscoe making white paper

1686 - patent granted to the Company of White Paper Makers in England, comprising Frenchmen and Englishmen (53)

1670-1720 - major exemption of English paper production (53)