King's Printer: Difference between revisions

The holder of the letters patent has the nearly exclusive right of printing, publishing and importing the [[King James Bible|Authorized Version of the Bible]] and [[Book of Common Prayer]] within the United Kingdom's jurisdiction. There are three exceptions which apply to this right. One is that the office of Queen's Printer only extends to [[England]], [[Wales]] and [[Northern Ireland]]. Within [[Scotland]] the rights to the King James Bible are administered for the Crown by the [[Bible Board]], which holds the office of Her Majesty's sole and only Master Printers and which licenses the printing of the Bible, New Testament and Book of Psalms.<ref>Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia of the Laws of Scotland, Vol 7. The Crown, paragraph 851 "The Master Printer and the Bible Board".</ref> The other two exceptions are that separate sets of letters patent grant the [[Oxford University Press]] and [[Cambridge University Press]] the right to print and distribute the KingAuthorized JamesVersion of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer regardless of who holds the office of Queen's Printer.

In 1767 Charles Eyre received a patent as the King's Printer and from 1787 [[Andrew Strahan]] operated with Eyre in the same role. Following Strahan's retirement in 1819 his nephews [[Andrew Spottiswoode|Andrew and Robert Spottiswoode]] continued to work as the King's Printer and were later to run the firms Spottiswoode and Co. and [[Eyre & Spottiswoode]]. From 1875 George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode were "printers to the Queen's most excellent majesty for Her Majesty's Stationery Office". In 1901 after the accession of King Edward VII the firm of Eyre & Spottiswoode was "re-appointed King's Printer".<ref>[https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Eyre_and_Spottiswoode Eyre and Spottiswoode], gracesguide.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2018.</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27318 |date=28 May 1901 |page=3634}}</ref>