John Marbecke's Book of Notes and Common Places, printed by Thomas East
This volume is an example of what is known as a commonplace book. It was written by John Marbecke and printed by Thomas East in 1581 in London.
East's print shop had once been located on Fleet Street, but at this time was located on Thame Street, between St. Paul’s Wharf and Baynard’s Castle. He was best known for his printed music and music paper, but had also printed several medical and theological books.
The method of commonplacing, or keeping commonplace books, had been practiced since antiquity to compile the knowledge an individual acquires throughout their life. Such books often grew like a scrapbook, as owners filled them with all sorts of items like notes, proverbs, adages, quotations, and any other information they wished to keep. There were also published versions of commonplace books like this one, which an individual could annotate or add to themselves, or utilize as a repository.
While this notetaking method was used into the 19th century it was especially popular during the Renaissance. It is a quintessentially humanist method of notetaking and information storing where entries are grouped under headings to aid in later retrieval and use. Multiple well-known scholars wrote regarding different methods of keeping a commonplace book, including Erasmus.
At the time of Elizabeth I’s accession, John Marbecke was serving as both lay clerk and organist of St. George’s Church. He was a reformist who was nearly martyred for his position in the early 1540s, causing him to abstain from religious controversy during the reign of Queen Mary I, out of fear of persecution. In 1550, he published his Concordance and The Booke of Common Praier Noted. His Concordance was the first in English to cover the whole Bible and the musical setting he wrote for the Booke of Common Praier was a first for the prayer book.
Marbecke presents the book as “A worke both profitable and also necessarie, to those that desire the true understanding & meaning of holy Scripture”; a significant claim to be made. His position as a Reformist informs the perspective of the commonplace book and the information it holds. The book does not solely focus on themes from the Bible but also provides explanations for weather phenomena like thunderstorms, or bodily functions such as sweating.
Our copy contains the bookplate of John Cannon. It appears to be a newer bookplate imitating the style of earlier bookplates, although information about the owner of this bookplate was difficult to ascertain. The American Antiquarian Society appears to have an entry in their bookplates inventory relating to a J. C. Cannon, although it was unconfirmed if this is the same individual.