Britain Unlimited covers 250 Great British people and what made them famous

Who was William Caxton? Prose writer, translator, and printer. Date and Place of Birth: 1422, Kent, England. Family Background: Early biographical information is difficult to find and can only be gleaned from the frontispieces of his work. It is likely however that he came from a minor merchant family. Education: It is likely that his parents gave him a basic education. Apprenticed to Robert Large a rich mercer. Chronology: 1438: Took up apprenticeship with Robert Large a rich mercer who would later become the Lord Mayor of London. 1441: After large's death he moved to Bruges in Belgium and built up a successful textile business. 1453: Visits England to be admitted to the Mercers Company. 1463: He was appointed Acting Governor of the Merchant Adventurers in the Low Countries. 1464: Failed to renew a wool treaty with Philip Duke of Burgundy. 1468: This time successfully negotiated a wool treaty with Charles the Bold, successor to Philip. He was hired to be an advisor by Charles to his wife Margaret who was the sister of King Edward the Fourth of England. Encouraged by the Princess to take up his work again on the translation of Raoul le Fevre's "The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye" a popular French romance. He went to Cologne for a year to learn the art of printing and then set off back to Brussels to set up his own printing press. 1474: Prints first book in English "The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye" in greater quantities at the press of Colard Mansion. Prints "The Game and Play of the Chesse" which was the first printed book in English to contain woodcuts. 1476: Sets up printing press in Westminster under the sign of the Red Pale. 1477: His first printed work here was "Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres", which was the beginning of a stream of ninety-six books in total. He made the first printing of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales". 1484: First printing of Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde". 1485: First printing of "L'Morte D'Arthur" by Malory. 1490: Began using a more open typeface originally devised by the parisian printer Antoine Verard which was based on the French lettre batarde. Marriage: Unknown. Places of Interest: LONDON: British Library, St. Pancras. Date and Place of Death: 1491, London, England. Age at Death: 69. Site of Grave: St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster , London, England.