He was declared bankrupt in 1801 and a sale of assets took place, the assets including about 1200 books were auctioned at Alnwick Town Hall on 2 March 1802, hence the sale advertised in a hand-bill, a rare copy of which is now in the National Library of Scotland[4] He managed to re-start in business and in 1807 he took on 2 apprentices, one was his son James, and another was a lad named Mark Smith,[3] (see later); a few months afterwards he entered into partnership with William Davison to form Catnach and Davison.
[1] John Catnach (1769–1813) married in Berwick on Tweed (sometime in the late 1780s) Mary (née Hutchinson), (1766 – 24 Jan 1826) a native of Dundee, Scotland.
John had been raised as a Roman Catholic and his wife as a Presbyterian, but in the baptismal records of St. Michael’s Church, Alnwick, she is described as a (religious) Dissenter.
Dec 1802 – 5 Mar 1802) His son James (18 August 1792 – 1 Feb 1841) (popularly known as "Jemmy" later became famous for the street literature publications produced on his press at Seven Dials, London.
The family moved into lodgings in a court off Drury Lane, where they were joined by John in 1812 on his release, but the accommodation was to prove temporary.
Although taken immediately to St George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, he contacted rheumatic fever, and being already in a run-down state, eventually succumbed, dying on 4 December 1813.
He kept in touch, helped out the family by providing firstly utensils, later paying off the rent arrears and whilst John was in hospital, by working at night-time to finish off the jobs on his books.