Thomas Vautrollier facts for kids
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Thomas Vautrollier (died 1587) was a printer from France. He was a Huguenot, which means he was a French Protestant. He had to leave France and came to England. Later, he also printed books in Scotland.
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Who Was Thomas Vautrollier?
Thomas Vautrollier moved to London around 1558, when Queen Elizabeth I became queen. In 1562, he became an official resident of England. He joined the Stationers' Company, a group for printers, in 1564. He probably worked for another printer for a few years.
Starting His Printing Business
In 1570, Thomas Vautrollier opened his own printing press in London. His first book was called A Booke containing divers sortes of hands. This was a very important book. It was the first writing book ever printed in English. It showed different styles of handwriting.
The book included works by a writing teacher named John de Beauchesne. It also had parts by Master John Baildon.
Printing in Scotland
In 1578, Vautrollier printed some sermons by Martin Luther without permission. He was fined for this. Soon after, he went to Edinburgh, Scotland. He took many books with him and sold them there. He even sold books to Peter Young for the king's library.
While he was in Scotland, his wife managed the printing business in London. Vautrollier returned to London for a short time. But he had to go back to Edinburgh. This was because he got into trouble for printing a book by Giordano Bruno.
In 1584, he successfully set up his press in Edinburgh. King James VI of Scotland supported him. Vautrollier printed the king's first published book. It was called The Essayes of a Prentise in the Divine Art of Poesie. He also printed an English translation of a book called History of Judith. Both books were printed with the king's special permission.
Back in London
In 1586, Vautrollier returned to London. He had received a pardon for his past troubles. He brought a handwritten copy of John Knox's History of the Reformation. He started to print it, but all the copies were stopped. This happened by order of Archbishop Whitgift.
Despite these problems, Vautrollier became a very respected printer in London. He was known for printing books about Protestant religion. These included John Calvin's Institutes and a Latin version of the Book of Common Prayer. He also printed books by famous classical writers like Ovid and Cicero. These books were popular for schools. He even had the special right to print Latin books like the New Testament.
Printing School Books and More
Vautrollier also printed important textbooks. One was Richard Mulcaster's Positions, which was a guide on how to raise children. Another was his Elementarie, a grammar book about writing English correctly.
In 1579, Richard Field became Vautrollier's apprentice. Field was a school friend of William Shakespeare. After Vautrollier died, Field worked with Vautrollier's wife, Jacqueline. They continued to run the printing business. Field and Jacqueline got married in 1589.
Printing Music
Thomas Vautrollier also printed music. He worked with composers like William Byrd and Thomas Tallis. These two musicians had a special right to print music in 1575.
After Vautrollier passed away, another printer named Thomas East took over his music printing equipment. East then focused on printing music.
