John Osborn (2) (d. 1775?; fl. 1746–1750)

OSBORNE, JOHN. There were probably four John Osborns, or Osbornes, within our period. I think DR. WOOD has merged the records of two of them (Nos. 1 and 3) and omitted one entirely. The identities of these four have not been completely disentangled, but some correspondence between Mr. C. J. Longman and Mr. G. Morey Miller, on "The Publisher of 'Pamela'," which appeared in The Times Lit. Sup., 31 July and 28 Aug., 1930, brought certain information to light and Mr. Longman has kindly supplemented this by private correspondence. So far as I have been able to identify these John Osborns they appear to be:—

(1) Of St. Saviour's Dockhead, and later of Paternoster Row.
(2) Of Paternoster Row, (?) son of above.
(3) Of Lombard Street, and later of Paternoster Row.
(4) Son of No. 3.

...

No. 2. John Osborn (? son of [No. 1] above), of the Golden Ball, Paternoster Row; his imprints and his advertisements in the London Evening Post, are dated 1746–50. The stock of "John Osborn who has left off trade" was sold by auction on 14 and 19 Nov., 1751. ...

The "John Osborne whose death Nichols records in 1775" (see ante p. 219) remains unaccounted for except on the supposition that he is John Osborn (No. 2) of Paternoster Row.

—Ambrose Heal, 14 November 1931