16 Facts About Marmaduke Johnson

Marmaduke Johnson was a London printer who was commissioned and sailed from England to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1660 to assist Samuel Green in the printing of The Indian Bible, which had been laboriously translated by John Eliot into the Massachusett Indian language, which became the first Bible printed in America.

Marmaduke Johnson was the first highly skilled letterpress printer in America.

Marmaduke Johnson was born in Rothwell, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the son of a tailor.

Marmaduke Johnson subsequently wrote the anonymous Ludgate, What It Is: Not What It Was, a critical essay condemning the British debtors' prison system, which was printed by his brother Thomas.

Marmaduke Johnson is widely noted for printing the Eliot Indian Bible with Samuel Green.

Marmaduke Johnson commissioned Green in the printing of the Gospel of Matthew, Book of Genesis, and Psalms, and presented these works to the corporation as examples of what a completed Algonquin Bible would look like.

The Corporation approved Elliot's work and in 1660 sent Marmaduke Johnson, an accomplished printer, to the American colonies on board the Prudent Mary and he arrived at Boston with a new printing press, one hundred reams of paper and eighty pounds of new type for the printing to assist Green in the translation and printing of the New and Old testaments of the Bible in an Algonquin Indian language.

Marmaduke Johnson arrived in New England sometime during the summer of 1660 with another printing press to assist in the printing of Elliot's Indian Bible.

Marmaduke Johnson was considered a good worker during the printing production of the Indian Bible he would sometimes take leave of absence for extended periods of time, leaving Green to take on the huge task by himself, subsequently slowing down the rate of printing production.

For winning the affections of the young woman, Marmaduke Johnson was fined five pounds, and for his threats he was put under bonds as a measure for prompting him in keeping the peace.

Marmaduke Johnson made several attempts to repeal these restriction by addressing the General Court with his own petitions, which initially failed.

Marmaduke Johnson maintained that the restrictions placed upon him would have prevented him to make enough income to support himself, and would prevent him from printing tracts that would be beneficial to the court and the commonwealth.

In 1672 Marmaduke Johnson printed a work by William Dyer, entitled, Christ's Famous Titles, for Joseph Farnham and Edmund Ranger.

John Foster, with likely encouragement of Increase Mather, the newly appointed licenser of the press, bought Marmaduke Johnson's printing press and wares.

Marmaduke Johnson had a son back in England who never came to the American colony to claim his father's estate.

Marmaduke Johnson brought to Massachusetts the technical knowledge of printing that was in short supply and badly needed, helping to make publishing take root and flourish in the colonies.