MILLAN, John (1701-1782) — London
Bookseller, publisher, mapseller. Published Alexander Murray, ‘The true interest of Great Britain, Ireland and our plantations’ 1740-1741, with thirteen maps and charts, including Andrew Bearhop, A map of the barony of Stobbo in the sherrefdom of Peebles and John Cowley, A plan & perspective view of the improved land of Mingary 1740, engraved by Emanuel Bowen (see BME 2011); ‘The succession of colonels to all His Majesty’s land forces’ 1742, with an engraved title-page by Paul Fourdrinier (see BME 2011), engraved tables, and a map; ‘A narrative of the proceedings of His Majesty’s fleet in the Mediterranean, and the combined fleets of France and Spain, from the year 1741, to March 1744’ — the second edition, with four maps; Herman Moll, (see BME 2011) ‘A pocket companion containing Great Britain & Ireland, Holland, France, Germany, Savoy, Switzerland, Piedmont, & Poland, &c. The present seat of war’ 1745; seven double-page engraved battle plans of the action in the Mediterranean, “infinitely preferable to any thing that has ever been exhibited in this way. The ships carefully plac’d in proper positions and situations” 1745, engraved by Nathaniel Parr and Richard Parr (see BME 2011); Richard Kane, ‘Campaigns of King William and Queen Anne from 1689 to 1712’ 1745, with a map; Battle of Falkirk 1746; Culloden Battle 1746; True plan of Bergen-op-Zoom with the forts lines and country adjacent 1747; G. Paterson & W. Paterson, A survey of Old & New Aberdeen with ye adjacent country between ye Rivers Dee and Don 1748; William Smith, ‘Thirty different drafts of Guinea’ 1749, with engraved maps and plates, originally published by John Clark (see BME 2011) in 1727; John Warburton (see BME 2011), ‘Vallum Romanum: or, the history and antiquities of the Roman wall, commonly called the Picts Wall, in Cumberland and Northumberland’ 1753 (with others, including Richard Baldwin (see BME 2011)), with a map engraved by Nathaniel Hill (see BME 2011) and numerous plates; ‘A journal of the siege of St. Philip’s on Minorca. With a plan’ 1757; Richard Kane, ‘A system of camp-discipline, military honours, garrison-duty, and other regulations for the land forces … with a map of the seat of war’ 1757, the second edition with charts and plans; John Entick, ‘The general history of the late war’ 1763-1764, with maps, co-published with Edward Dilly; Thomas Simes, ‘The military guide for young officers’ 1772, with maps, etc. Also published the poetry of James Thomson, plays, books on botany, architecture, e.g. Batty Langley, ‘The young builder’s rudiments : or the principles of geometry, mechanicks, mensuration and perspective’ 1730; Batty Langley, ‘Ancient Masonry’ 1733, etc., etc.
Probably originally Scottish and surnamed McMillan. “A publisher of note, and an extensive dealer in second-hand and new books” (Plomer). By licence dated 2 Jan 1725, Millan married Mary Nott (d.1779) at St. Martin in the Fields 5 Jan 1725. Later that year, a man called John Picton was sentenced to transportation for stealing books from Millan. Millan and his wife baptised a daughter, Charity (1728-1773), at St. James Piccadilly 18 Jan 1728, and a son, also John Millan, at St. Martin in the Fields 21 Jun 1732. His addresses from 1735 all seem to relate to the same premises, later numbered 32 Charing Cross, opposite the Admiralty Office and around twelve doors south of Craig’s (Crag’s) Court, across from his earlier home at the corner of Buckingham Court. Details of his examination in 1743 concerning his purchase of copies of the pamphlet called ‘A true dialogue’ from a Mrs Cowper in Paternoster Row are in NA. In 1744, he advertised, with Mary Cooper (see BME 2011), a “beautiful fan-mount, containing on one side, a plan of the bay, town, isles, &c. of Hieres, nine miles off Toulon-Harbour, with the British Fleet at anchor” (General Advertiser, 30 Aug 1744). The antiquary Richard Gough called the hidden treasures of his premises “a future Herculaneum”. Died 15 Mar 1782 “at Charing-Cross, aged upwards of 81 years, Mr. John Millan who kept a bookseller’s shop there more than 50 years” (Gloucester Journal, 18 Mar 1782). He was buried at St. James Paddington 22 Mar 1782. Henry Dell’s poem, The Booksellers (1766), commended him — “Millan, deserving of the warmest praise, As full of worth and virtue as of days”, etc. His stock was auctioned off after his death, recorded in ‘A catalog of the first-[third] part of the large and valuable museum of Mr. John Millan, comprehending many thousand uncommon articles’ 1782. His will, granted probate 16 May 1782 (PROB 11/1090/322), left the bulk of his estate to two grand-children, Thomas and Mary Egerton, children of his daughter Charity, who had married Edward Egerton in 1762. He was succeeded at Charing Cross by Thomas Egerton (1748-1730), but this is not thought to be his grandson.
Locke’s Head, Shug Lane, near the upper end of the Haymarket, and the next bookseller to the Horse Guards — 1725-1726
Locke’s Head, New Street, between Marylebone Street & Piccadilly — 1727
At the Blew Anchor in Pall Mall, and the next bookseller to the Horse Guards — 1728
Near the Horse Guards — 1729
Near Whitehall — 1730
At the corner of Buckingham Court … at the Admiralty Gate — 1733-1734
At the Great Book Warehouse, next Will’s Coffee House, Scotland Yard Gate, Whitehall — 1735-1737
Over against (Opposite to) the Admiralty Office, Whitehall — 1733-1743
Near Whitehall — 1744-1749
Next Scotland Yard, Whitehall — 1748
Charing Cross (Near Whitehall) (St. Martin the Fields) — 1755-1781
BBTI. BM. BNA. Exeter. Harris. Henrey. LHD. Maxted (1977). Maxted (1984). Moir. NA. OB. Tooley.