7. ‘The Privilege Granted to the Printer’: The Role of James VI in the Scottish Print Trade 1567–1603

In 1590 James VI granted the ‘priviledge’ of the office of Royal Printer to the exiled English stationer Robert Waldegrave. Until James’ removal to England in 1603, this decision defined the direction of the print trade in Edinburgh, resulting in the marginalisation of native printers, more widespread anglicisation of printed Scots works, and an overall decline in the Scottish print trade. This chapter will fundamentally reassess the role played by James VI within the Scottish print trade, and the impact his patronage and personal engagement with the press had on the print trade in Edinburgh between 1567 and 1603. It will explore how James’ involvement shaped the nature of the industry by examining the way in which the King’s interests reoriented aspects of the trade towards England rather than the continent, privileged ‘foreign’ stationers, and as a result left the industry in flux on his removal to England in 1603.