// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's John Exshaw? Ex-shaw-ly a notable guy
John Exshaw | |
|---|---|
| Lord Mayor of Dublin | |
| In office February – October 1800 | |
| Preceded by | John Sutton |
| Succeeded by | Charles Thorp |
| In office 1789–1790 | |
| Preceded by | John Rose |
| Succeeded by | Henry Howison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1753 County Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 6 January 1827 (aged 73–74) County Dublin, Ireland |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 11 |
| Relatives | Charles Exshaw (uncle) |
John Exshaw (1753 – 6 January 1827) was an Irish bookseller, who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin from 1789 to 1790 and again from February to October 1800.[1]
Personal life
[edit]John Exshaw was born in 1753, the second son of John Exshaw and his first wife, Faith Walker.[2] His family had been in the bookselling business since 1732. The foundation for this had been laid by his uncle, Edward Exshaw, and Edward's brother, John Exshaw's father. After his father's death, John Exshaw took over the business and ran it until 1822. His retirement marked the end of his family's bookselling activities.
Business career
[edit]He succeeded his father in the book trade as printer, bookseller and stationer in 1776, moving from Dame Street to Grafton Street in 1782. He obtained lucrative contracts – with the lottery commissioners (1780), Dublin University Press (1787–1788) and the Post Office (1792). Among his firm's publications was an edition of the Works of George Berkeley and an edition by Edmund Malone of Shakespeare's Plays and poems (1794). In an obituary he was credited with publication of Hue and Cry, a police gazette, 'emoluments of which are stated to be about £1,000 a year' (Gent. Mag.).[2]
Political career
[edit]Exshaw was politically active primarily in Dublin politics. He was a member of the Guild of St. Luke the Evangelist, the guild of cutlers, innkeepers, and stationers founded in 1670, which also represented booksellers.
From 1779 to 1780 he was Sheriff of Dublin City. From 1782 he served as an alderman, and in October of that year he was elected warden of his guild. In 1784 he was elected coroner of the city. From 1786 to 1788, Exshaw was divisional justice of police. Later, after the passage of the Dublin Police Magistrates Act of 1808, he held this post again and remained a magistrate until his death in 1827.
On 8 May 1789, Exshaw was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin. He took office on 16 October 1789, and held the position until October 1790. Also in 1790, he unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Irish parliament. On 24 February 1800, he was re-elected Lord Mayor. The previous incumbent, John Sutton, had died unexpectedly, and Exshaw completed the remainder of his term until October 1800.
Family life and death
[edit]In May 1776, he married Angel Wilkinson. His wife died in October 1787 at the age of 32. Exshaw married twice more later in life. His second marriage to Thomasine Haffield, produced at least two children. His third marriage, in 1805 to Hannah Lagrovere, resulted in a son born in March 1806. His third wife died in June of the same year.[3]
He died in Roebuck on 6 January 1827 at the age of 74 and was buried in St. John's Cemetery in Clondalkin. There he was buried next to his first wife and her two daughters.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Lord Mayors of Dublin 1665–2024" (PDF). Dublin City Council. December 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Exshaw, Edward". Dictionary of Irish Biography (online ed.). Royal Irish Academy. October 2009. doi:10.3318/dib.002976.v1.
- ↑ "Printer to the City: John Exshaw (1751-1827), Printer, Bookseller and Lord Mayor of Dublin". Maire Kennedy Books. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2026.