30 October 1577 Thomas Bassendyne died in Edinburgh on 30 October 1577. Together with Alexander Arbuthnot, he printed the first translation of the Bible in Scotland, known as the Bassendyne Bible. The New Testament, printed by Bassendyne, was completed first, and the Bible as a whole is known as the Bassendyne Bible.
OTD 19 October 1749
19 October 2024 by
William Ged died in Edinburgh on 19 October 1749. He had trained as a goldsmith, but pioneered a system of stereotyping, though he was unsuccessful in persuading printers to adopt it. It became a standard process early in the 19th century.
OTD 15 September 1507
15 September 2024 by
On 15 September 1507 James IV granted Walter Chepman and Andro Myllar a licence to set up a printing press in Edinburgh.
OTD 11 August 1711
11 August 2024 by
Robert Freebairn was appointed Printer to the Queen for Scotland on 11 August 1711 in Edinburgh. He later printed for the Pretender’s Army at Perth in 1715.
OTD 8 August 1857
8 August 2024 by
On 8 August 1857, there was a major fire in James’s Court, off the Lawnmarket in Edinburgh’s Old Town, in which the printing works of H & J Pillans was destroyed.
Talk by Helen Williams
29 July 2023 by
As part of the National Trust for Scotland’s Gladstone’s Land Lecture Series, the Trust’s Honorary Secretary, Helen S Williams will be giving a talk on August 31 on Edinburgh’s Print Workers and their Organisations. Printers had a tradition of collective organisation: the typographical societies, which later became the print unions, operated as welfare organisations for […]
Relief printmaking course at Edinburgh Printmakers
12 October 2022 by
Edinburgh Printmakers are running courses on relief print-making from 10 November, taking place over a series of six weeks. For more details and information on how to book, see the EP website.
Typographic Surprise event in October
8 October 2022 by
On Thursday 20 October 2022, the Trust’s Secretary, Helen Williams, is giving an online talk on Edinburgh in Print in the Typographic Surprises! series organised by the Printing Historical Society. This event is free and online but booking is required through this link.
Breaking the news exhibition
6 July 2022 by
A pop-up display based on the British Library’s Breaking the News exhibition is on view at Edinburgh’s Central Library. The displays draw upon each library’s individual collection and regional connections to celebrate the value of regional news in communities across the UK. It is on display 4 July 4 August 2022. Breaking the News at […]
Edinburgh Printmakers open day
29 March 2022 by
Edinburgh Printmakers is participating in Scotland’s Workshops Week with an Open Day on Saturday 9th April from 11am-4pm. Activities will include printmaking workshops, talks and printmaking demonstrations. All events and talks will be bookable in advance from Wednesday 30 March. For more details see the Edinburgh Printmakers website.
SPRAT is grateful for support from The Watson Foundation