Andro Hart

Biography

Hart occupied a shop on the north side of the High Street, opposite the cross. It is described in his will as ‘the heich buith within his foir tenement of land upon the north syd of the Hie Streit.’ The site was subsequently occupied by the shops of William Creech and Archibald Constable. Hart's printing-house was further down the close on the same side of the street. Hart was the principal printer, publisher, and bookseller of his time in Edinburgh. He published the works of Sir William Alexander and of Drummond of Hawthornden, by both of whom he was much respected. On November 9, 1618 Drayton the poet stated in a letter to Drummond that he was seeking to arrange with Hart for the publication of the last part of his ‘Poly-Olbion.’ Drummond was earnest with Hart ‘in that particular’, but the negotiation came to nothing. Hart brought out an admirable edition of the Bible in 1610, and also an edition of Barbour's ‘Bruce.’ He imported a large number of books from abroad. In a petition to the privy council, February 10, 1589–90, he and John Norton, an Englishman, state that for about two years they had imported books from ‘Almanie and Germany,’ with the result that Edinburgh was better supplied with books than ever before, and as ‘gude-chaip as they are to be sold in London or any other part of England.’ Their complaint led the council to abandon a projected new duty on imported books. In 1596 Hart was, on the accusation of a debtor, apprehended as one of the leaders of the tumult in the streets of Edinburgh of December 17, and on the 23rd was committed to ward but was probably liberated soon afterwards. In October 1599 one Edward Cathkyn became surety for Hart, who is described as ‘liberar, burges of Edinburgh,’ in a suit with John Gibson, ‘buik binder’. He died in December 1621. He married, first, Janet Micklehill and secondly Janet Kene, who died May 3, 1642. By his first wife he had a son Samuel, and by his second two sons, John and Andrew. There were also several daughters. In his will he enjoined ‘Samvell, my eldest sone, to … instruct John and Androw Hartes, his breither, if at Godis plesowr they cum to perfyt zeires, in my tred and vocatioun of buikis selling’. An autograph of Hart is noticed in ‘Notes and Queries’.