Richard Pue facts for kids

Richard Pue (who died in 1722) was an Irish newspaper publisher and bookseller. He also owned a popular place called Dick's Coffee House.

Richard Pue's Life and Work

We don't know exactly when or where Richard Pue was born. He opened his famous Dick's Coffee House in Skinner's Row, Dublin, before July 1698. This coffee house became a well-known spot.

Becoming a Dublin Citizen

In 1701, Richard Pue became a "freeman" of Dublin. This meant he had special rights as a citizen. He joined the Dyers' Guild, which was a group for people who dyed fabrics.

Starting a Newspaper

On December 25, 1703, Pue started a newspaper called Impartial Occurrences. He worked with Edward Lloyd on this project. This newspaper was sent by post all over the country. Richard Pue was the editor until 1706.

The paper stopped in February 1706. But it came back in February 1712 with a new name: Pue's Occurrences.

Other Printing Projects

In late 1705, Lloyd and Pue also printed a funny story by Jonathan Swift. It was called A tale of a tub. This story made fun of certain Protestant groups. They also printed official papers for the Irish government. These were called the Votes of the Irish house of commons.

Political Views and Challenges

Dick's Coffee House became a meeting place for people who supported the Jacobite cause. Jacobites wanted to bring back the old royal family to the throne. Richard Pue himself became a Tory. Tories were a political group who supported the king and the Church of England.

Pue started to dislike Jacobite ideas. In 1707, he even told Dublin Castle about "papist murmuring." This meant he reported people talking about Catholic Jacobite activities. He also reported on Jacobite meetings at his coffee house. From 1710, he printed many Tory pamphlets. These were small books about political topics.

Facing Political Trouble

After a new royal family, the Hanoverians, came to power in 1714, Pue faced problems. He had supported the Tories, who were now less popular. In February 1715, the Irish house of commons put him in prison for a short time. This was part of a plan to control Tory newspapers in Dublin.

Pue was arrested again in November 1717. He left Ireland for a while. But he came back in late December and started publishing Pue's Occurrences again on January 4, 1718.

Later Business Ventures

From the 1720s, Richard Pue held many auctions at Dick's Coffee House. He also sold "eye water" and other health products. He was a very successful printer. Interestingly, he was not officially a member of the Printers’ Guild.

Richard Pue passed away in early 1722. He was buried at the Church of St. Nicholas Within, Dublin on May 10, 1722. After he died, his wife Elizabeth took over his businesses. Later, their son Richard continued the family business.