William Bowyer (printer)

The title page of Samuel Squire's An Enquiry into the Foundation of the English Constitution (1745), which was printed by Bowyer

William Bowyer (/ˈboʊjər/; 19 December 1699 – 13 November 1777) was an English printer.

Born in London, he was educated at St John's College, Cambridge,^[1] and in 1722 became a partner in his father's business. In 1729 he was appointed printer of the votes of the British House of Commons, and in 1736 printer to the Society of Antiquaries, of which he was elected a fellow in 1737. In 1759 he took as apprentice John Nichols, who was to be his successor and biographer.^[2] Bowyer was also a close collaborator with the prominent London bookseller Andrew Millar.^[3]

In 1761 Bowyer became printer to the Royal Society, and in 1767 printer of the rolls of the House of Lords and the journals of the House of Commons. He died leaving unfinished a number of large works and among them the reprint of Domesday Book.

He wrote a great many tracts and pamphlets, edited, arranged and published a host of books, but perhaps his principal work was an edition of the New Testament in Greek, with notes. He also edited the Greek-Latin Lexicon of Schrevelius. His generous bequests in favour of his own profession are administered by the Stationers' Company, of which he became a liveryman in 1738, and in whose hall is his portrait bust and a painting of his father. He was known as "the learned printer."

Bowyer was buried in Leyton parish church, where he has a monument.^[4]

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bowyer, William". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Millar, Andrew, Letter to Andrew Mitchell, 26 August 1766, accessed through "www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk." University of Edinburgh.