Humfrey Lownes (1562–1630; fl. 1587–1629)
Humphrey Lownes, Sr., bookseller and printer, 1587–1629; at the West Door of St. Paul’s Church, 1587; at the Star on Bread Street Hill, 1608.
A dictionary of printers and booksellers in England, Scotland and Ireland, and of foreign printers of English books 1557–1640, by R.B. McKerrow (1910)
LOWNES (HUMPHREY), bookseller and printer in London, 1587–1629; (i) West Door of St. Paul’s Church, 1587; (2) The Star on Bread Street Hill, 1608. Son of Hugh Lownes of Rode in the parish of Astbury, co. Chester, husbandman and fletcher, brother of Matthew Lownes and cousin of Thomas Lownes III. Humphrey Lownes was also without doubt related to William Lownes to whom he was apprenticed for seven years from Midsummer, 1580 [Arber, ii. 96]. He took up his freedom on June 26th, 1587, and made his first book entry in the Registers on March 22nd, 1591/2 [Arber, ii. 606, 699]. He was admitted into the Livery in July, 1598 [Arber, ii. 873], and was Master of the Company in the year 1620–1, and again in 1624–5. Humphrey Lownes in 1591 married a daughter of Thomas Man, stationer, the wedding being celebrated in Stationers’ Hall [Arber, i. 545]. His wife died before 1604, when he married Em or Emma, the widow of Peter Short, printer, and succeeded to the business in Bread Street Hill. Humphrey Lownes held shares in the English, Latin and Irish Stocks of the Company of Stationers, and in 1615 he was allowed two presses. On November 6th, 1628, he assigned the bulk of his copyrights to George Cole and George Latham, the last named being a cousin. Amongst the copies mentioned in this list were Sidney’s Arcadia, Spenser’s Faerie Queene, Drayton’s Polyolbion, Bacon’s Apothegmes, and Ben Jonson’s Poetaster. Humphrey Lownes made his will on November 7th, 1629, and it was proved on June 24th, 1630. From this it appears that his sons, Humphrey and John, predeceased him and also his second wife. He left the bulk of his estate to his daughter Anne Grantham. George Cole, George Latham, and Robert Young were among the witnesses. [P.C.C., 53, Scroope.] Robert Young was in partnership with Lownes at the time of the latter’s death.