Name: A Family Business: Kendrew, printers of York
Start: 2026-06-05T10:30:00+01:00
End: 2026-06-05T12:30:00+01:00
Location: York Minster Library

A Family Business: Kendrew, printers of York

Step back into early 19th-century York to explore the pamphlets, ballads, and chapbooks of Mr Kendrew's Colliergate family printing shop.
About this Event

Speakers: Rachel Cowgill and Sarah Griffin

James Kendrew's Colliergate printing shop, which ran for 45 years from c1803, was a genuine family enterprise. Illustrations for his books were hand-painted by his daughters after school, and he passed his business down to his son in 1841.

Kendrew also seems to have had the whole family in mind in the range of publications he produced – pamphlets, primers, ballads and children's chapbooks, many of which can be seen at the British Library, York Minster Library and the Borthwick Institute for Archives (also online).

New publications by Kendrew have come to light since the chapbooks were catalogued by Roger Davis in the 1980s, and his many ballad sheets (which were set aside as ‘ephemera’ at that time) are emerging as some of his most engaging work.

Join cultural-historical musicologist Rachel Cowgill and Rare Books Librarian Sarah Griffin to explore these additions to his catalogue, discuss features that make Kendrew's work stand out from his competitors, see how York Minster Library is progressing with cataloguing its collection of 2000+ ballads and get hands-on with the art of assembling a chapbook from a single printed sheet.

Suitable for anyone aged 12+.

Please note: Level access to the building and a lift to the Reading Room on the first floor are available on request. Magnifying equipment is also available if required. Please contact York Minster Library in advance of your visit so that we can assist you. Email: email [email protected] or phone 01904 557250.

York Minster Library

The York Minster Library and Archives provides access to printed books, manuscripts and records of the Chapter of York that spans 1000 years of history.

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