1602  WOODHOUSE, William and John

 

Title Page of Concordancy from 1625 edition. Illustration courtesy of Forest Books copyright Forest Books, Normanton-on-Cliffe, Grantham, Lincs., England. 

Another Almanack which seems to have had a life long after the original author died is that which began under the name of William Woodhouse. Started in 1602 the first almanack known included 8 pages of towns with their distances from London. This section, headed A perfect direction of the best and rediest highwaies from any notable towne in England and from the cittie of London to any notable townes and likewise from one notable towne to another listed 37 different routes or sections of routes including S Burien in Cornwaell to Exceter, From Exceter to Salisbury …, Exceter to London and Totnes to Exceter. However, roads were amended for the 1604 issue. The road book section was replaced by a list of the fairs in 1606, fairly comprehensively stretching to almost 10 pages. In 1611 this was supplemented with a list of The Counties or Shyres of England and Wales, how many Parishes be in each of them, with the distance of most of the chiefest Cities or Towns of every Countrey, to the Citie of London was included. These pages typically followed the Prognostication (which ended FINIS) as a separate section, but later could be found within the Prognostication (e.g. 1615).

The original volume in the series was published but by William Woodhouse: his first known  Almanacke dates as early as 1602 (Lambeth Palace Library). Copies of this Almanack or Prognostication have been reported up until 1708.

Woodhouse 1602: an almanacke and prognostication for the yeare of our Redemption MDCII : necessary for all men, chiefly for gentlemen, lawyers, marchants, mariners, husbandmen, trauellers, artificers, and all other : faithfully supputated for the meridian and inclination of London / by William Woodhouse.

By 1606 the meridian and inclination had moved further north:

An almanacke and prognostication, for the yeare of our redemption, 1606 Necessary for all men, chiefly for gentlemen, lawyers, merchants, mariners, husbandmen, tranellers [sic], artificers, and all other. Faithfully supautated for the meridian & inclination of Woler Hamptom [sic] in Staffordshire, and may moste aptly serue for all England, / by William Woodhouse.

In 1607 William Woodhouse revealed his identity to some degree: By William Woodhouse clark of his Maiesties great custome, in the port of London, and student in astronomy. When John Woodhouse published his first Almanacks the title was startlingly similar to that of William´s.

E.g. 1610: a plaine almanacke and prognostication for the yeare of our Lord God 1610, being the second from the leape yeare : gathered especially for the furtherance of good husbandry and vse of all those that haue businesse in the marts and faires of this kingdome : supputated [sic] for the meridian of the ancient towne of Wulfrune-hampton, commonly called Wo[l?]uer hampton in Staffordshire, generally for all Great Brittaine / by Iohn Woodhouse ... Wolverhampton stayed the focus from 1610 to 1613.

The title changed for 1624 and 1625: An almanacke and prognostication for the yeere of our Lord God … seruing indifferently for all this kingdome of Great Britaine, but more especially for the Southerne parts ad latitudinis gradum, 52. Whereunto is annexed, and diarily compared, the new kalender, of the Romans, vsefull for all, whosoeuer, shal haue cause to trauell, trade, or traffique into any nation, which hath receiued the sameBy Iohn Woodhouse Philomath.

The first Almanacke and Prognostication so far identified as having the Description of the Roads is that of 1648, but earlier examples may be extant. The 1649 issue seems to have omitted it and it is included again from the 1650s. John Woodhouse seems to have been adventurous with his almanacs and there are some unusual titles, e.g. but more especially for the famous and auncient citie of Chichester (1614 to 1647); or Calculated for the longitude and latitude of the city of Dublin, and may generally serve for all Ireland (1644). In addition, a map of was published by John Woodhouse in A guide for strangers in the kingdome of Ireland : Wherein the high-wayes and roads from all the sea-townes, market parishes, great or small is truely set down, throughout every province, and the whole kingdom / by a surveyor thereof John Woodhouse. ; As also a map of Ireland and the townes thereof alphabetically printed. London: Printed for John Rothwell, 1647. (BL). A map of Ireland  is held at Cambridge University Library: Ireland: with the exact dimensions of the provinces therein contained and those againe divided into their severall counties, with the names of all the townes and places great and small alphabettically set downe ... : as also the high-wayes and roads from all the sea-towns, parishes and market-townes ... is briefly set down / by John Woodhouse. This was published in London and printed by M. Simmons for Tho. Jenner, 1653 (C).

Woodhouse also printed and published other works, e.g. A catalogue of sins : highly useful to self-acquaintance, experimental prayer; and above all to a suitable preparation, for a worthy partaking of the supper of the Lord. Published by John Woodhouse and printed by John Astwood, and sold by John Lawrence, at the Angel in the Poultrey, 1699. 

       

Page of mileages from 1602 edition. Illustration courtesy of Early English Books Online copyright ProQuest. Original at Lambeth Palace Library.

 

Page of mileages from 1611 edition. Illustration courtesy of Early English Books Online copyright ProQuest. Original at British Library. 

Various printers were involved in production of the Almanacke, including: W.S. 1632; Iohn Dawson 1633 to 1647; M. Dawson 1637; T.W. from 1648 to 1659; Printed by A.W. from 1658 to 1665; Printed by M. Mabb 1666; Printed by Anne Maxwell 1667 to 1674; J.C.  1675 to 1679; R.E. from 1680 to 1695 but Printed by Robert and Richard Everingham in 1696 and Printed by Robert and Jane Everingham in 1698, when it then became (Robert) Everingham 1699 to 1708. 

The Prognostication had a second title page and these are sometimes attributed: Printed by E.R. 1647; Printed by W. Wilson 1648; Printed by E.P. 1649 and 1654; Printed by G.P. 1655, 1657, 1658; Printed by J. Macock for the Company of Stationers, 1662, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1667, 1669, 1671, 1673, 1674 and 1677 but simply Printed by J. M. 1683, 1685, 1686 and 1692; Printed by T. B. 1694 and 1698. 

Institutes with copies of John Woodhouse:

Bodleian 1613, 1616, 1619[1], 1633, 1639, 1641, 1642, 1647, 1649, 1653, 1654, 1655, 1657, 1658, 1659, 1662, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1667, 1669, 1671, 1672, 1673, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1677, 1678, 1680, 1682, 1683, 1684, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1690, 1692, 1693, 1694, 1699, 1700 and 1708.

Glasgow University Library1644 (Dublin).

British Library 1611, 1612, 1615, 1624, 1627, 1628, 1630, 1631, 1632, 1634

Chichester 1637, 1640, 1643, 1646, 1660, 1670, 1679, 1681, 1695 and 1698.

Lambeth Palace Library 1610, 1614, 1618, 1620, 1622, 1623, 1629 and 1638.

Cambridge University Library 1688 and 1702.

Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery 1617.

Harvard University. Library 1621, 1689 and 1696.

University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign Campus). Library 1636.

Worcester College Library, Oxford 1626.

Newberry Library 1625.

University of Chicago. Library 1648 (serving generally for any place of Great Brittaine and the kingdome of Ireland).

 

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[1] … seruing indifferently for all this kingdome of Great Britaine, but more specially for the famous and auncient cittie of Chichester, builded by Cissa, the second king of the south Saxons, about the yeare of our Lord, 540.