Michael Burghers Engraver, Artist & Printer 1647/8-1726/7
Michael Burghers Engraver, Artist &
Printer 1647/8-1726/7
A Short Biographic
Draft History of Michael Burghers
From 1676 to
1723 almost all of the Oxford Almanacks were in part and sometimes entirely
designed and engraved by Michael Burghers. Burghers was born in Amsterdam and
he came to England with [1]Loggan
on the winning of Utrecht by Louis XIV.[2]
Burghers according to what can be ascertained from local records finally
settled in Oxford around 1674. Burghers actually started working for the
University of Oxford in 1673 as an engraver and in 1694 he became engraver to
the University. Burgher's best known work is for the University were the
Almanacks from 1699 to 1724[3].
No artist
has been so closely associated with the University press as Burghers. According
to Harry Carter's A History of the Oxford
University Press, Volume I to the year 1780 ‘Burghers engraving of
headpieces after Aldrich have been seen as a significant contribution to book
design. Alamancks became very popular and indeed profitable for the burgeoning
Oxford University press. Oxfordshire county records in regards to Burghers and
his family are of some biographic interest.
Oxfordshire
archives are able to find the baptism’s of 7 of Burghers children at the church
of St Peters in the East; Michael, 23rd of April 1676; Susanna, 6th
January 1978; Thomas, 1st November 1680; Henry, 21st of
January 1683; Agnes, 12 October 1684; Elizabeth, 21st November 1686;
Michael, 19th January 1690. Unfortunately the mothers name is not
stated. Four of the children were buried in the same parish at a fairly young
age, not uncommon for the time; the first Michael, 13th July 1676 (4
months); Susanna, 7 November 1693 (15 years old); Henry, 11 September 1689 (6
years old) and Elizabeth, 6th October 1688 (2 years old). It is
noted that in the case of the first Michael’s baptism the name was spelt Burges,
possibly a mistake by the clerk or perhaps an early attempt to anglicise the
name. A marriage was also found for Ann Burghers and John Wells at St Peters in
the East on 28th April 1705. It was noted that they were both of the
parish, I would assume that the bride is actually the daughter of Burghers,
Agnes. Agnes also acted as administrix on the death of Burghers. Agnes and her
husband John Wellman had the baptism of 11 children at St Peters in the East,
the baptisms date from 1705/6 to 1722, unfortunately 6 of the children died in
infancy, but three lived to quite old age.
St Peters in
the East is currently in use as a library for the college St Edmunds Hall
although it is still part of the parish of Oxford. No graves or headstones can
be identified as belonging the Burghers or his immediate family although it is
clear that in the 1960s when a research project did a survey of all existing
graves and headstones within the church and graveyard at that time. No
headstones or grave marking inside and within the church were found with any
mention of Burghers or his immediate family. These headstones were not
recorded, it should be noted that the records state that the children &
Burghers were buried in the parish of St Peters in the East and not actually in
the churchyard, burials with headstones were also an expensive undertaking
which I suspect Burghers or his immediate family were unable to afford. It is
also clear that a large area around St Peters in the East, was an area of
re-development undertaken during the Victorian era, it is at this time that the
burial grounds shrunk, and possibly the time at which many physical evidences
of life & death around the church of St Peters were lost.
Burghers was
buried on January 13th 1727, his wife Susanna Burghers was buried in
St Peters of the East on 16th August 1718 (this is the one of the
only mentions of the name of Burghers wife) After an extensive search no
records can be found in regards to any marriage entry for Michael and Susanna
for Oxfordshire and North Berkshire and other churches associated with the
university and the press, St Mary the Virgin, St Michael at the Northgate and
the Christ Church, perhaps the marriage took place outside of these areas or
possibly before Burghers came to this country although I do not think this is
the case. There is also no mention of Burghers in the index of Oxford Freemen
for this period.
According to
the University of Oxford Archives, Burghers has an entry in the published
register of those who matriculated (i.e. were admitted to the University)
between 1500 and 1714, by Joseph Foster, entitled 'Alumni Oxonienses'. The text
of the Burghers' entry is as follows:
Burghers,
Michael, 'Calcog. Uni.' privilegiatus 7 July 1694, a Dutch engraver
and
draughtsman, died 10 January 1626/7. The death date must be a typing error, i.e.
1726/7. The University archives also hold Burghers' inventory and
administration bond within the Chancellor's Court probate records, which are
dated April 1727.
A 'privilegiatus',
or privileged person, was someone who was granted the privileges of the
University, but who was not a student. Privileged persons were mostly (but not
solely) tradesmen of the city whose main privilege was exemption from certain
aspects of the city's jurisdiction; there was no connection with degrees.
Burghers
date of ‘matriculation’ is the date at which he became a privileged person. The
records in the University Archive and found Burghers' entry (in his own hand)
in the Subscription Register for 1694-1714 (SP 42, fol 7). The 'Calcog. Uni'
given by Foster is how Burghers describes himself in this entry, i.e.
'Calcographus' to the University. It would appear from the records that
Burghers' admission to the University in 1694 was on account of his appointment
as University Engraver. He does not appear to have had a formal connection with
the University prior to this date. The Register of Convocation for 1693-1703[4]
records the University's granting of the office of University Engraver
('Officium Sculptoris .. Universitatis Oxon.') to Burghers on 7 July 1694. The
sealed letters granting the position, which were copied into the Register,
describe Burghers as 'Sculptoria Artis apprime perito' and stipulate that in
payment, Burghers was to receive a salary or fee of twenty shillings a year.
Burghers
death is also recorded in the University archives within the administration bond (OUA Hyp/B/37, fols
219-20) is dated 28 April 1727 and obliges Burghers' administratrix, his
daughter Agnes Welman, to make an inventory of his possessions. The Bond is
signed by John Wellman, William Wellman and Francis Wellman (or Welman).
The
inventory (OUA Hyp/B/11, fols 48-9) is dated 29 April 1727. It describes
Burghers as 'Engraver, Deceased, late of the Parish of St Peter in the East,
Oxon.'. It then proceeds to list all his goods and chattels, Two properties are
mentioned: a 'garrett' containing primarily items of bed and table linen,
tools, cooking equipment, clothing and furniture; and a 'brewhouse' containing
a small number of miscellaneous items. Unfortunately no further details are
given as to the location of these premises. At this point in time a press or
printing equipment does not seem to evidenced, this is puzzling since it is
clear that Burghers would have owned a press and the equipment that goes along
with plate engraving and print production. Perhaps Burghers press and equipment
was sold before his death indicating that perhaps he was unable to work at the
very end of his life and none of his children took up the work to support him. The
listing of 61 copper plates is intriguing, these must have been finished plates
that Burghers had kept over the years, a treasure that is now lost.
Hyp/B/11, f. 48
A True & Perfect Inventory of the Goods
& Chattels of Mr Burghers Engraver Deceas’d, late of ye
Parish of St Peter in the East, Oxon.
In ye Garrett
Impr:s A Feather bed, bolster & 3 pillows, an
halfheaded bedstead £ s
Mattress
& Cords 3 blanketts, an old Rug & a Quilt. 2 = 02
Three
pair of ordinary sheets, 3 Coarse Table Cloths
5 Napkins, 4 Pillow-biers, 5 Towels, 1 Table Cloth 13 Napkins. 1 = 10
5 Napkins, 4 Pillow-biers, 5 Towels, 1 Table Cloth 13 Napkins. 1 = 10
A
Chest & a Strong Box, 2 large Pewter Dishes 5
lesser Dishes, a Cheese Plate 16 Pewter Plates a Pewter- 1 = 05
flaggon & a Chamberpot.
lesser Dishes, a Cheese Plate 16 Pewter Plates a Pewter- 1 = 05
flaggon & a Chamberpot.
A
Copper Cullinder a Stewpan 2 Sawcepans,
3 brass Ladles a warming pan a Large brass pott 1 = 10
2 lesser potts & a Small Kettle.
3 brass Ladles a warming pan a Large brass pott 1 = 10
2 lesser potts & a Small Kettle.
A
Grate & fender a Crane a fireshovel a pair of
pothooks 2 Spitts a Jack weight & Chain 5 Smoothing-
pothooks 2 Spitts a Jack weight & Chain 5 Smoothing-
Irons
2 hammers a Pair of Dog Irons 3 pair of 1
= 12
Brass Andirons 2 Shovels 2 pair of Tongs an old
Brass Candlestick.
Brass Andirons 2 Shovels 2 pair of Tongs an old
Brass Candlestick.
An
Old Elbow Cane Chair 2 other old Chairs a Small
Oval Table a Glass Case 2 Candleboxes a Chocolate pott 0 = 07
2 Stands & some Lumber.
Oval Table a Glass Case 2 Candleboxes a Chocolate pott 0 = 07
2 Stands & some Lumber.
Two
Coats 2 Wastecoats a Rug Coat a Morning Gown
3 old pair of Stockings an hatt 3 Shirts – item one large 0 = 07
pair of Iron Compays[?] 1 smaller
3 old pair of Stockings an hatt 3 Shirts – item one large 0 = 07
pair of Iron Compays[?] 1 smaller
A
Cloaths press a Chest a bedstead Curtins & Valiens [valance] a
Chest of Drawe’s, a large drinking Glass & 3 smaller, a
large bason 2 plates a Syllabub-Cup a Decanter 2 flow’r= 1 = 17
pots a Looking Glass a large picture over ye Chimney
Chest of Drawe’s, a large drinking Glass & 3 smaller, a
large bason 2 plates a Syllabub-Cup a Decanter 2 flow’r= 1 = 17
pots a Looking Glass a large picture over ye Chimney
In ye Brewhouse
A Copper & Iron work a Cooler
2 press rolls a grate & stock 1
= 10
a Grindstone
a Grindstone
A
Silver Spoone 0 = 07
61
Copper Plates 69 Cd wt [hundredweight] 2 = 17
A
Few Prints 0 = 01
A
Parcel of Books & Pictures 5 = 05
Total 20 = 13
[Signed]
JW Tottell
[Signed]
Leond: Lichfield
In fact in
the OUP archives there is one plate that on the reverse side has some engraved
images that would have been carried by a child, possibly one of Burghers
Children or grandchildren?
Burghers
engraved many of the illustrations in Oxford books and also cut designs for
many title‑pages and headings. George Vertue[5],
worked with Burghers for several years and eventually became the University
Engraver after Burghers, Vertue fully attributed, the almanack of 1676 to him:
‘the first of M. Burghers without his Name poorly done 1678. With his name a
little better. Some years after much improv'd. His best.’ Burghers inscribed
his plates ‘sculp.’ or ‘sculpt.’ as engraver of the plate, or ‘sculp. Univ.
Oxon.’ as Engraver to the University. In 1699 he added ‘delin.’ showing that he
created the drawing as well as engraving the plate, and from 1706 to 1719 all
the drawings and some of the design suggestions were his. Burghers claimed to
have fully designed only one Almanack, that for 1722, one plate of which is inscribed
‘MBurghers inven. & delin. G.Vertue Sculp.’, but it is thought he may also
have designed the ones for 1688 and 1719.
In 1675
Burghers was paid in October and in 1677 in August,[6]
but plates were sometimes engraved early in the year before. One plate for 1715
was completed just before the death of Queen Anne on August 1714, but not
printed, for it is corrected by the addition of the date of the accession of
George I; in the second plate his name is included in the regal table so the
calendar, must have been engraved after August. One plate for 1720 was ready in
May 1719, and in 1728‑9 Vertue was paid for engraving the plates for 1730 and
1731.
In 1675
Burghers it was recorded was paid £8 for the engraving of the Almanack and two
years later his fee was £9. In 1691 it was £13 for the but the price soon rose;
in 1710 the charge was £32 and in 1713 the two plates cost £4 and the
engraving £28 .88 Prices remained fairly
steady for some years, except for the payment of £56. 10s. od. In 1719‑20 when
the Almanack was engraved in London[7].
Vertue's fee for engraving the two plates each year varied between £76. 7s. 6d. In 1726‑7 and £54. 2s. 6d. In
1739‑40, and Cole was paid £12 a year
for engraving the two calendars.
The year of
peak sales for the Almanacks was 1717, when 10,112 were printed; 500 were given
away and the rest sold. The prices paid for work at the rolling press were low.
In 1676 the printer charged OUP '3 shillings for a thousand impressions of the
Sheldonian on a title page, and for a frontispiece and Sheldonian 6 pennies a
hundred’[8].
Therefore the profits made by the press from the production of the almanacks
underpinned the activities of the whole press and allowed academic publishing
to flourish.
Hearne’s Diaries and References to Michael
Burghers.
Introduction.
The references to Michael Burghers made by Thomas Hearne in his diaries
provide valuable insights into how the interaction of the publisher and the
artist/engraver would work during the early period of printing at Oxford and
within Oxford University. The diary entries made by Thomas Hearne enable the
reader to understand the way in which Burghers contributed to the book
production in Oxford and the way in which Burghers was used, and perhaps
undervalued, by the publishing industry. Mary Petter’s The Oxford Almanacks has included several quotes that touch upon
the important link between Michael Burghers and Thomas Hearne, publisher of
scholarly works, but the extent to which this resource shows the role of the
craftsman requires a more extensive investigation. The diaries of Hearne cover
the period from 1705 until a few days before his death in 1735. Burghers worked at the Press from 1673 until
his death in January 1727, which meant that Hearne would have certainly known
of Burghers from the time he first worked in the Bodleian in 1701 until he
recorded the death of Burghers in his Relique
on the 10th of January 1727.
What do these diary entries actually tell us? The diary entries give an
intimately recorded and observed account of how the Press was resourced and
what sort of people contributed to the management, planning, and production of
academic publications. The operations of the Press at this time had a notable
local Oxford flavor but were also linked to a national and international
publishing industry. Burghers, as an illustrator and printer, Hearne, as a publisher,
played their roles in expanding the practical developments in publishing that
accompanied a similar expansion in learning and scholarly activity in the early
1700’s, but in very different ways. Hearne played his part by dealing in
business and producing worthy publications and keeping an intimate record of
his daily life. Burgher’s role was to combine the pursuit of technical skill
that he brought to the process of publication, providing the activity of book
production with decorative illustrations and accurate observational images,
with a progressive involvement in the Oxford University system that went beyond
merely doing what others ordered.
The significance of the professional collaboration between Hearne and
Burghers cannot be overvalued, Burghers being the more established within
Oxford University Press of this particular time and Hearne operating as a
publisher within and outside of the Press itself. The two would quite easily
cooperate as a natural consequence of the limited number of people available in
Oxford for the publication of academic works. They had not much choice to work
well on a professional level since without each other the activity they were
working toward was mutually exclusive. Neither Hearne nor Burghers commented on
any aspects of a close personal relationship and both seem to have their social
distance from each other, but is Hearne’s diary entries indicate Burghers work
ethic and certainly some glimpse of the personality traits that figured in the
individual craftsman of the time.
Perhaps one of the more significant entries by Hearne is his record of
Burghers death.
RELIUES 2
286 RELIQUIAE (1726-27)
Jan. 10. Yesterday morning died old Mr. Michael Burghers, of St. Peter's
parish in the East, Oxford. He was born at Amsterdam in Holland, and beingan
engraver, when young he came into England, and after some time settling in
Oxford, he worked as a journeyman to Mr. David Loggan the university engraver.
Upon Loggan's death Burghers himself was made the university engraver.
He was looked upon as the best general engraver in England, and had always till
very lately, within these two or three years, a vast deal of business, so that
being withal a very industrious man, he got a vast deal of money, and purchased
a pretty estate in Oxford. His wife hath been dead several years. His only
daughter (and I think only child now living) is the wife of one Welman a barber
in St. Peter's parish. The old man was so foolish as to make all he had over to
them some time ago, whereupon they wanted to be rid of him, and for some time
they kept him a prisoner in his own house ; for he and they lived all together
in a house of his by East gate ; and gave out one while that he was gone to
Holland, and another that he was at Hackbourne in Berks, where his son in law
Welman hath some estate, and all this that he might not come out to pay his
debts. For they having got all, the old man was reduced so as to borrow money,
and run in debt other ways. It is true, the old man was, in many respects, a great
villain, and a very debauched person. Yet for all that, they should have taken all
possible care of him, and not have starved him as they did. Had he had the
comforts of life, he might have held out (as all think) ten or a dozen years
longer, and yet was about fourscore when he died. He was a very strong man, and
had a vast stomack. He was struck with a palsy a few days before he died, which
if it had been known to physicians and apothecaries in good time, they might
(as I am well assured) in all pro1726-bability have recovered him so as he
might have held out a good while longer, but, it seems, they thought their
father had lived too long already.
[2] He became Engraver to the University in
1694. Hearne believed that Burghers was the best general engraver in England
during the latter part of his life". He died according to Thomas Hearne's
"Relique," on the 10th of January 1727.
[3] A good introduction to Thomas Hearne and his
personal history is H. Carter's A History
of the Oxford University Press Volume I to the year 1780, Oxford University
Press, 1975, p263‑269
[4] NEP/subtus/Reg Bc, p27
[5] George
Vertue, worked with Burghers for many years and described the Almanck of
1676??? to him ‘ the first of M Burghers with out his name poorly done’ 1678.
with his name a little better. Some years after much improv’d his best (Walpole
society, xx 33.) Vertue became engraver to the University on Burghers death in
1726 /27.
[6]
Bodl. MS. Rawl. D. 397, ff. 424 4
[7] The Account for Printing, i. I ; ii, ff. 13v,
32V
[8] Bodl. MS Rawl. D 397, ff. 424, 4Iiv.
