1626 RIVERS, Peregrine

Nothing is known about Peregrine Rivers, almost certainly a pseudonym: the use of bird names for authors crops up fairly often in almanacs. He may well have been a lecturer at the University of Cambridge. His first Almanacke almost certainly appeared in 1626. Although the first known copy is dated 1627, the references in it, and in the 1629 and 1630 issues, fourth time amplified and fifth time amplified, indicate the series starting in that year. The 1627 edition contained A plain description of the high wayes in England & Wales, now the second time enlarged, in a more perfect manner than heretofore hath been published, with the use of the same by example. The roads were shown in a tabular form introduced by Hopton and Rudston (cf). This seems to have been included throughout in the accompanying Prognostication section. A list of principal markets and fairs was also included.

The title remained more or less the same throughout with the year of publication and the number of years since a leap year prominent: Rivers referred to himself as student in the sciences mathematicall or as student iin the mathematicks, whereby student meant had studied rather than studying. Almost always these were Printed by the printers to the Vniversitie (e.g. 1627). In 1640 it was Printed by Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge, and are to be sold by William Harris, in Coleman street in London.

 

A new almanacke and prognostication for the yeare since the Nativitie of Christ MDCXXVII, being the third after leape-yeare calculated for the Vniversitie of Cambridge, and may generally serve for the whole of Great Brittaine. ... now the second time amplified.

Printed by the printers to the Vniversitie, (Cambridge) 1627. (BL, Birm, QMU).

 

The following copies are recorded: 1629 (fourth time amplified, B), 1630 (fifth time amplified^, B, Essex, Swansea), 1631 (also 5^th, Harvard, QMU), 1633 (LPL, C illustrated), 1634 (BL), 1635 (BL), 1637 (BL), 1638 (B, QMU), 1640 (BL).

     

     

All illustrations from Internet Achive. Original courtesy of the Lambeth Palace Library.