Archibald Constable

Archibald David Constable
Archibald David Constable
Born	Template:Birth date; Carnbee, Fife, Scotland
Died	July 21, 1827 (aged 53); Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation(s)	Publisher, bookseller, stationer
Known for	Founder of Archibald Constable & Co., publisher of the Edinburgh Review and Encyclopædia Britannica supplement

Archibald David Constable (24 February 1774 – 21 July 1827) was a prominent Scottish publisher, bookseller, and stationer.

Life

Born in Carnbee, Fife, Constable was the son of the land steward serving the Earl of Kellie.

In 1788, he began an apprenticeship with Peter Hill, a bookseller located on the High Street in Edinburgh. By 1795, Constable had established his own rare book dealership directly opposite Hill’s shop near the Mercat Cross. At this time, he resided in Calton village close to Calton Hill.

He secured the publishing rights for the Scots Magazine in 1801, appointing orientalist John Leyden as editor. Prior to this, in 1800, he initiated the Farmer's Magazine, and in November 1802 he launched the influential Edinburgh Review. Although nominally edited by Sydney Smith, its direction was chiefly managed by Lord Jeffrey with contributions from figures such as Lord Brougham, Sir Walter Scott, Henry Hallam, John Playfair, and later Lord Macaulay.

Constable’s relationship with Walter Scott began in 1802 when he published Scott’s Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. Scott, primarily a lawyer with offices near Constable’s shop, maintained a longstanding professional partnership with him. By 1809, Robert Cadell, Constable’s chief clerk, acquired a financial stake and became a partner by 1811; he later became sole partner alongside Constable.

Innovative in his approach to publishing, Constable offered authors exceptionally favorable terms. Contributors to the Edinburgh Review received payments at unprecedented levels; for example, Scott was advanced 1000 guineas for Marmion. In 1804 A. G. Hunter of Blackness joined as a partner, injecting capital and forming Archibald Constable & Co. Collaborating with Longman & Co., they published Scott’s Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805) and Marmion (1807). The firm also issued works by James Hogg such as The Mountain Bard (1807) and The Forest Minstrel (1810).

A rift developed between Constable and Scott in 1808 when Scott shifted his publishing to John Ballantyne & Co., which was predominantly financed by Scott himself. The two reconciled in 1813 after Ballantyne encountered financial difficulties; Constable resumed publishing Scott’s works under conditions that included dissolving Ballantyne’s company, although Scott retained an interest in James Ballantyne & Co.’s printing operations. Around 1810 Constable purchased a residence at Craigs Close near his shop that had formerly belonged to William Creech.

In 1808, he held the position of Moderator of the High Constables of Edinburgh.

Following Hunter’s retirement by 1812, Robert Cathcart and Robert Cadell became partners. That same year saw Constable acquire the copyright for the Encyclopædia Britannica, to which he added a six-volume supplement published between 1816 and 1824. In 1814 he obtained copyright for Scott’s Waverley, which quickly sold 12,000 copies; additional novels followed shortly thereafter. The firm also published the Annual Register.

Constable was instrumental in securing the Astorga Collection for the Faculty of Advocates library in 1825; this collection comprised over 3,700 volumes dating before 1800 and is now part of the holdings at the National Library of Scotland.

Excessive speculation eventually led to financial collapse in 1826 when his London agents ceased payments. This failure resulted in debts exceeding £250,000. Simultaneously, James Ballantyne & Co. declared bankruptcy with nearly £90,000 owed. These financial crises had a profound impact on Sir Walter Scott.

Despite these challenges, Constable revived his enterprise and in 1827 introduced Constable's Miscellany of Original and Selected Works, a series designed to republish established works affordably to broaden access to quality literature—among the earliest ventures targeting this market segment.

Constable passed away from dropsy at his residence at 3 Park Place in Edinburgh on 21 July 1827. His publishing house endured well into the twentieth century across both fiction and non-fiction genres and continues today as Constable & Robinson.

Park Place was a modest square situated north of George Square, later demolished to make way for new medical facilities affiliated with Edinburgh University.

Family

Archibald Constable's first marriage was to Mary Willison (who died in 1814), the daughter of David Willison, a competing printer based in Edinburgh. The couple resided at Craigcrook Castle located in the western part of Edinburgh. Their offspring included a son named Thomas and a daughter named Elizabeth.

Their son, Thomas Constable FRSE (1812–1881), took over the family printing enterprise. In 1839, he was appointed as the official printer and publisher to Queen Victoria in Edinburgh, overseeing significant publications such as Constable's Educational Series and Constable's Foreign Miscellany.

Following Mary's passing, Constable entered into a second marriage in 1818 with Charlotte Neale, daughter of John Neale.

Thomas Constable strengthened business connections within the publishing sector by marrying Lucia Anne Cowan, daughter of the Edinburgh paper manufacturer Alexander Cowan. Their home was at 11 Thistle Street in Edinburgh’s First New Town. Their son, Archibald David Constable FRSE LLD (1843–1915), became a partner in the family firm in 1865. After Thomas retired in 1893, the company continued under the name T. & A. Constable.

Elizabeth Constable (died 1818), their daughter, was married to Robert Cadell of Ratho, who served as Constable’s junior partner in publishing.

Publications

George Barry’s The History of the Orkney Islands (1805), published jointly by Archibald Constable and Longman Hurst.
Sir Robert Gordon’s A Genealogical History of the Earldom of Sutherland (1813), printed on behalf of Archibald Constable and Company.
David Stewart of Garth’s Sketches of the Character, Manners, and Present State of the Highlanders of Scotland (1822 & 1825), issued by A. Constable and Longman Hurst.

In fiction

The figure John Paterson (‘the Bishop’) featured in John Paterson's Mare, an allegorical satire critiquing Edinburgh’s publishing world penned by James Hogg and first appearing in the Newcastle Magazine in 1825, is modeled after Archibald Constable.

References

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