Mary Bryan 

Mary Bryan (fl. 1810-25) assumed control of the family business upon her husband’s death in 1814, still operating at 51 Corn Street, Bristol; unfortunately, he died insolvent and she was forced to pay off his debts while supporting six young children. She increased the firm’s business, publishing 24 titles between 1814 and 1825, more than Ann Bryan’s 14 titles during her career and almost as many as her husband did between 1801 and 1814. She also continued to print and sell Baptist titles, especially works by John Ryland, Jr., Baptist minister at Broadmead in Bristol where James and Cottle were members, as well as the Annual Reports of the Bristol Education Society. In 1815, as a means of bolstering her income, she published a book of poems, Sonnets and Metrical Tales, which led to some notoriety and correspondences with William Wordsworth and Walter Scott, the latter spanning the period of 1818 to 1829. In 1820 she married a local doctor; in 1825 they moved to Stowmarket, where in 1829 her novel Longhollow: A Country Tale, appeared under her married name, “Mrs. Bryan Bedingfield.” For more on the Bryans, see Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements, Isobel Grundy, eds., The Feminist Companion to Literature in English (London: Batsford, 1990), 153; J. R. de J. Jackson, Romantic Poetry by Women: A Bibliography, 1770-1835 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), 43; Michelle Levy, “Woman and Print Culture, 1750-1830,” in The History of British Women’s Writings, 1750-1830, vol. 5, ed. Jacqueline M. Labbe (Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), 42; and  “Bristol Women in the Long Eighteenth Century c. 1660,” in Women and the City: Bristol 1373-2000, ed. Madge Dresser (Bristol: University of the West of England, 2000), 78; Stuart Curran, “Isabella Lickbarrow and Mary Bryan: Wordsworthian Poets,” Wordsworth Circle 27 (1996), 113-18; and S. A. Ragaz, “Writing to Sir Walter: The Letters of Mary Bryan Bedingfield,” Cardiff Corvey: Reading the Romantic Text 7 (December 2001), online resource (http://www.romtext.org.uk/articles/cc07_n02/).

24 Imprints

1.    Address to the City of Bristol. To the Vale of C-h. The Apology. [Poems.] Bristol: M. Bryan, 1810.

2.    The rules, with a short explanation of the views of the Prudent Man's Friend, a society established in Bristol at a public meeting held in the Guildhall, on the 22d of December, 1812 ... Bristol, Printed by M. Bryan and sold by Barry [1814?].

3.    Ryland, John. The Messiah strangely despised and abhorred, but destined to be revered, glorified and worshipped: a sermon, preached at Narbeth, June 8, 1814: printed by the desire of the ministers of the Baptist Association, which had met that day, at Moleston ... Bristol : Printed by the widow of E. Bryan, [1814?].

4.    Building account of the New Baptist Academy, Bristol.  Bristol: M. Bryan, [18??].

5.    The circular letter from the elders, ministers, and messengers, of the several Baptist churches of the Western Association, assembled at the Pithay, Bristol, on Wednesday and Thursday, 1st and 2nd of June, 1814. Bristol: Printed by the Widow of E. Bryan, [1814?].

6.    Curnick, Thomas. Jehoshaphat; with other poems ... Bristol: Printed by M. Bryan, 1815.

7.    Bryan, Mary. Sonnets and metrical ballads. Bristol: Printed and sold at the City Printing-Office, 51, Corn-Street: Sold also by all the Booksellers, 1815.

8.    Shaw, William. Latin prosody made easy. Bristol: Printed for the author, by M. Bryan: And sold by C. Frost ..., 1815.

9.   [Cottle, Joseph, ed.]. Selection of poems, designed chiefly for schools and young persons. London: Printed for Button and Son ..., and by Mary Bryan, Bristol, 1815. [Included poems by Cottle and one by Mary Ann Schimmelpenning, “Jerusalem laid Waste” (p. 286) and by John Ryland.  First published by Cottle in 1805 by Joseph Johnson in London, and sold in Bristol by Long and Dennis.  Copy of 1815, 2nd ed. is at the Pforzheimer Collection.

10. Bunyan, John. From this world to that which is to come: delivered under the similitude of a dream. Bristol : Printed by Mary Bryan, 1815.

11. Jones, N. W. A sketch of English history, compiled for the use of the junior pupils in ... N.W.J.'s Literary Establishment, Summer Hill ... near Bristol.Bristol: M. Bryan, 1815.

12. Byron, Lord George Gordon. Poems on his domestic circumstances : &c. &c. Bristol. [Gloucestershire]: Printed and sold by Mary Bryan ... and may be had of the booksellers, 1816.

13. An account of Lord Mortimer Wimsey, the Hermit of the Wash, related in aletter to Sir H- G- Bart., by a clergyman of the Church of England.Bristol: M. Bryan, 1816.

14.  An account of the Bristol Education Society : for the year ending June, 1816. Bristol: Printed by Mary Bryan, 1816.

15. A Sketch of the life of the late Richard Reynolds, of Bristol the great philanthropist, who died at Cheltenham, the 10th day of September, 1816. To which is added, the requisition to the mayor of Bristol for founding a commemoration society; and the speeches delivered on the occasion, together with interesting anecdotes from his most intimate friends. Bristol, M. Bryan, 1816.

16. The speech of Charles Phillips, Esq. on the trial of Mr M'Corkill, printer of "The Londonderry journal" for a libel on the Rev. Mr. O'Mullan : delivered in the court-house of Galway in Ireland on the first day of April 1816. Bristol: Printed and published by Mary Bryan ..., 1816.

17. Court of King's Bench, London, June 9, 1817 : the King, versus Janes Watson, the elder, Thomas Preston, John Hooper  and Arthur Thistlewood. Bristol: Mary Bryan, 1817.

18. Trial for high treason ... London, June 9th, 1817. The King versus James Watson, the elder, Thomas Preston, John Hooper and Arthur Thistlewood.Bristol, Mary Bryan, 1817.

19. Hymns for the use of Sunday schools : selected from various authors. Bristol: Printed for and sold by J. Wood, 32, High-Street ; ... printed by Mary Bryan, Bristol., 1818.

20. [Deacon, J.] The speech of the Reverend J. Deacon : at a meeting held at Leicester, to take into consideration the outrages at Manchester, August 16, 1819. Bristol: Mary Bryan & Co., Printers, [1819].

21. A calendar of all the prisoners in his Majesty'sgaol, within the city and country of Bristol : for felony and other criminal matters ; this ninth day of July, 1821. Bristol: M. Bryan and Co., 1821.

22. A natural history of the Crinoidea, or, Lily-shaped animals : with observations on the genera, Asteria, Euryale, Comatula & Marsupites, illustrated with fifty coloured plates. Bristol: Bryan and Co. City Printing Office. Bristol : Published for the author by C. Frost, Broad-Street : Sold also by J. Norton, Bristol ; Longman, Hurst, and Co. Baldwin and Co. J. and A. Arch, Rodwell and Martin, W. Wood, L. Relfe, G.B. Sowerby, London ; Upham, Barratt, Collings, Bath ; and other booksellers, 1821.

23. Palmer, Edward. The spirit, wine dealer's and publican's director : showing the method of managing brandy, rum, Hollands, and British gin; together with tried and approved receipts for preparing cordials and compounds ; also the best mode of selecting and treating foreign wines, and manufacturing British wines, of more than fifty different descriptions; comprehending likewise a treatise on the art of making vinegar, cider, perry, and brewing malt liquors; particularly Taunton strong beer and ale ; besides a variety of information essential to those in the above branches; forming a pocket companion adapted for dealers, publicans, and travelers, as well as families in general. By Edward Palmer. London: Published by G. and W.B. Whittaker, Ave Maria Lane, and sold by all Booksellers. Bryan and Co. Printers, Bristol, Bristol. 1824.

24. For felony and other criminal matters, this second day of April 1825. [Bristol]: [Bryan & Co., City Printing Office], [1825].