Gerbrand Harkes facts for kids

Gerbrand Harkes (also known as Garbrand Herks or Harks) was a Dutch Protestant who lived from about 1510 to 1593. He became a successful bookseller and dealer in old writings in England.

A New Life in England

Gerbrand Harkes was born around 1510 in the Low Countries, which is an area that includes modern-day Netherlands and Belgium. He became an early follower of Calvinism, a type of Protestant Christianity. Because of his beliefs, he had to leave his home country in 1538 and moved to Protestant England.

He settled in Oxford, a famous university city, and started a business selling books at a place called Bulkeley Hall. This building is now part of Oriel College, Oxford.

When Edward VI of England became king, many monasteries (religious communities) were closed down. Gerbrand Harkes bought many libraries from these closed monasteries. Some of these old books later became part of the famous Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

As early as 1551, he regularly supplied books to Magdalen College, Oxford, another college at Oxford University. Besides selling books, he also sold stationery, like paper and pens. He even became the official stationery supplier for the entire University. In 1546, he was also given permission to sell wine.

In 1556, during a time known as the Marian Persecutions (when Protestants in England faced danger for their beliefs), Harkes's house became a secret meeting place. Protestants would gather in his cellar to worship safely.

Gerbrand Harkes was still active in business in 1593. He bought five shops, two cellars, and two acres of meadow land. He made his will (a legal document about his wishes for his property) on August 5, 1592. His will was officially approved on May 3, 1596, which means he passed away sometime between those dates.

His Family

Gerbrand Harkes had several sons. Some of them continued the family business of selling books in the later part of the 1500s.

• Richard Garbrand became a bookseller in Oxford on December 5, 1573. He was still alive in 1590.
• Thomas, born in 1539, was a student and later a junior teacher at Magdalen College from 1557 to 1570. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1558 and his Master of Arts degree in 1562. He was also a senior university official (called a proctor) from 1565 to 1566.
• John Garbrand, born around 1541 or 1542, became a church leader. He was also responsible for managing the writings of a famous bishop named John Jewel after Jewel passed away.
• William, born in 1549, was also a teacher at Magdalen College from 1570 to 1577. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1570 and his Master of Arts in 1574. He seems to have been suspended from his position for not following rules.

Four members of the next generation of the family also became well-known:

• Ambrose, born in Oxford in 1584, gained the rights of an Oxford citizen in 1601. By 1616, he was a main leader of the London Stationers' Company, which was a powerful group for printers and booksellers.
• John, born in 1585, was a student at Winchester College in 1596. He became a teacher at New College, Oxford, from 1606 to 1608, earning his Bachelor of Arts in 1603–1604 and his Master of Arts in 1608. He also worked as a bookseller in Oxford. He passed away around 1618, and his wife Martha later remarried.
• The oldest son of Richard was Reverend Tobias Garbrand (1579-1638). He was a scholar at Magdalen College in 1591, earning his Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity degrees. He became a Fellow (a senior teacher) of the College in 1605 and Vice-President in 1618. In 1619, he became the vicar (a type of priest) of Findon, West Sussex in Sussex, a role he held for the rest of his life. His will was approved on November 13, 1638.
• Richard's youngest son, Nicholas Garbrand, born in 1600, also attended Magdalen College. He was a scholar there from 1614 to 1619 and a Fellow from 1619 to 1639. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1618, Master of Arts in 1621, and Bachelor of Divinity in 1631. He served as vicar of Washington, Sussex, from 1638 to 1671, and vicar of Patching, Sussex, from 1660 to 1671. He was also a prebendary (a type of church official) of Chichester from 1660 to 1669.
• Susanna Garbrand, Richard's daughter, married the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who later founded the colony of Connecticut in America.

Even as late as the end of the 1600s, the family name was often written as Garbrand, also known as Herks.