William Caxton

Nothing is known of Caxton’s personal life including his marriage and children.

Though there is no accurate information regarding his death, it is assumed that he died somewhere around 1491 and 1492. He was buried at St. Margaret's, Westminster. His printing press thrived for forty years after his death under Wynkyn de Worde, one of his immigrant workers.

Posthumously, in 1954, a memorial dedicated to Caxton was unveiled in Westminster Abbey by J.J. Astor. The plaque read the following inscription, ‘Near this place William Caxton set up the first printing press in England.’

There is no clear information regarding William Caxton’s birth. It is assumed that he was born during the period 1415–1424 in Kent. Information regarding his parentage or ancestry is vague or ambiguous.

It is believed that when young Caxton entered his teens, he was sent to London to apprentice under Robert Large, a successful and wealthy merchant. Large was the owner and founder of Mercers’ Company.

In 1441, Large left for the heavenly abode leaving Caxton a small sum of money, (£20). Following the death of his master, Caxton took his mercantile life quite seriously and in no time started trading in the Low Countries.

By 1450, he travelled frequently to Bruges, the epicentre of European wool trade and within three years, settled at the place. His business thrived and expanded, making him one of the most successful and influential merchants in the English trading industry. Caxton sold woollen cloth and in return imported foreign luxury goods.

In 1463, he took up the coveted post of Governor of the English Nation of Merchant Adventurers. In this new-found role, he was responsible for protecting the economic interest of the English government as well as his merchant colleagues.

It was during his governance that he negotiated a trade agreement with the royal family, Dukes of Burgundy. The trade agreement fastened his relationship with the Burgundian court and the royal family and eventually led to his appointment as the secretary to the Duchess of Burgundy, Margaret, sister to King Edward IV and King Richard III.

Caxton’s most notable contribution has been as a printer and publisher. He revolutionized the way English people read, by introducing in England the printing press. He was the first English person to work as a printer and also the first English retailer of printed books, his contemporaries being Flemish, German and French. Additionally, he exerted a dominant influence on English language, standardizing the same through printing.