Note 527 — Chapter XII · ALEXANDER WILSON, 1742.

Ireland, during a portion of the eighteenth century appears to have been well supplied with type from native sources. Of the fortunes of Wilson’s branch foundry here alluded to, we have no further record, unless we are to connect the following statement with the enterprise of the Scotch typographers:—Boulter Grierson in 1764 petitioned the Lord Lieutenant for a renewal of the Patent granted to his distinguished father George Grierson by George II in 1731, for King’s printer in Ireland. Among other reasons in support of his prayer, he states: “That the art of making types for printing was unknown in Ireland until very lately, when your petitioner’s father encouraged it by laying out about One Thousand pounds in that article alone, in order to establish that art in the said kingdom, and there are now as good types made here as any imported, by which means there is a great saving to the public, and great part of the money that would be otherwise sent to foreign country’s is left in this kingdom.” (We are indebted to the kindness of a lady descendent of George Grierson for this interesting extract.) According to a note of Lemoine which we quote at p. 264n, Dublin printers in 1797 were getting their types either from Wilson of Glasgow, or from London. It is therefore probable that, whether George Grierson’s enterprise may have consisted in the encouragement of Wilson’s foundry or in the establishment of another foundry of his own, the art did not long hold its ground in Ireland, and was discontinued in the latter half of the century, only to be once revived, and that for a short period only, by Dr. Wilson’s grandsons in 1840. See p. 265.