Walter Chepman
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notary
civil servant
Agnes Cockburn (2nd wife)
Walter Chepman | |
|---|---|
| Died | 1532 |
| Occupations | merchant notary civil servant |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Kerkettle (1st wife) Agnes Cockburn (2nd wife) |
Walter Chepman (died 1532) was a Scottish merchant, notary and civil servant active in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. Chepman served at the Scottish court during the reigns of James IV and James V. In partnership with Androw Myllar he established Scotland's first printing press in 1508.[1][2] Chepman was also a significant patron of Saint Giles' Kirk in Edinburgh.
Chepman's first appearance in the historical record is in the accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland for 1494 in which he is recorded as receiving payment for clerical work at the royal court.[3] He would continue to receive such payments for the remainder of his life.
The impression that Chepman was well-educated is supported by the fact that he acted as a notary in and around Edinburgh.[4] His service at court also suggests that he was trusted by King James IV. In 1503, to coincide with the King's marriage, James presented Chepman with a suit of clothes of English fabric.[3]
Walter Chepman traded in imported textiles and timber and regularly supplied goods to the King.[3] He appears to have been a prosperous man. In April 1501, Chepman was involved in a property dispute with James Oliphant, Provost of the Trinity College.[5] He owned a seven-storey tenement in Edinburgh's Royal Mile at the head of Blackfriars Wynd[4] where he lived with his family and, at the southern end of this wynd where it joined the Southgait (later renamed Cowgate), he and Androw Myllar established their printworks in 1507.[6]
Chepman was married twice. His first wife was Margaret Kerkettle and, after being widowed, he married Agnes Cockburn.[4]
Chepman died in 1532[7] and was buried in the chapel he had established in the south aisle of the St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, now known as the Chepman Aisle.[4]
