John Overton (1640–1713; fl. 1665–1707)
John Overton, bookseller, printseller, and mapseller, 1667–1707; at the White Horse in Little Brittain, next door to little St. Bartholomews Gate; at the White Horse without Newgate.
Dictionary of National Biography (1885–1900)
OVERTON, JOHN (1640–1708?), printseller, was the principal vendor of mezzotints of his day. Noble thinks he was connected with Robert Scot, the bookseller, of Little Britain. His shop was at ‘the White Horse without Newgate,’ London, where he succeeded Peter Stent and an elder John Overton, and where he was followed by Henry Overton, probably his son, who published many mezzotint portraits, some with E. Cooper. Towards the end of his life Henry Overton was in partnership with I. Hoole. Another member of the family was Philip Overton, who brought out mezzotint portraits down to a period subsequent to 1750 at the Golden Buck, near St. Dunstan's Church, opposite Fetter Lane, in Fleet Street, London, where he was succeeded by M. Overton, and afterwards by Robert Sayer. Both Henry and Philip Overton were benefactors to William Bowyer on the occasion of the fire at his printing-office, on 30 Jan. 1712 (Nichols, Lit. Anecd. i. 62).
A portrait of John Overton, in wig and bands, ‘ætatis suæ 68, A.D. 1708,’ is described by J. Chaloner Smith, who states that his address ‘is to be found on many works of the times of Charles II, James II, and William III, some being after states of the line engravings by the elder Faithorne’ (British Mezzotinto Portraits, 1884, iv. 1699–1700).
[Notes and Queries, 6th ser. ii. 347, 414, 498; Noble's Biographical History of England, 1806, iii. 428–30; Gay's Trivia, ii. 488–9; North's Life of John North, 1826, iii. 290–3.]
A Dictionary of the Booksellers and Printers who were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667, by Henry Plomer (1907)
OVERTON (JOHN), bookseller in London; White Horse in Little Brittan, next door to Little St. Bartholomews Gate, 1667–1703. Published in 1667 an edition of Robert Fage's Cosmography.
A Dictionary of the Printers and Booksellers who were at Work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1668 to 1725, by Henry Plomer (1922)
OVERTON (JOHN), bookseller and printseller in London, (i) White Horse in Little Britain next door to Little St. Bartholomew's Gate; (2) White Horse without Newgate. 1667–1707. See Dictionary, 1641–67. In 1671 he moved to the White Horse without Newgate, the shop previously occupied by Henry Overton (q. v., Dictionary, 1641–67), who was perhaps his father. John Overton established a good business in prints, maps, and engravings of all kinds, and was the principal vendor of mezzotints of his day. In 1707, on the occasion of his son Henry's marriage, he sold him his stock-in-trade and retired in his favour. He died in 1713, his will being proved on April 2nd. Besides Henry (q. v.) he left three other sons: Thomas, who went to America, James, and Philip (q. v.).
Notes & Queries "London Booksellers Series" (1931–2)
OVERTON, JOHN. He was trading at the White Horse without Newgate at the opening of the century, though in 1707 the business was transferred to his son Henry. (See above).
—Frederick T. Wood, 26 September 1931