Caxton

Caxton, William, c.1421-91, English printer, the first to print books in English. He served apprenticeship as a mercer and from 1463 to 1469 was at Bruges as governor of the Merchants Adventurers in the Low Countries, serving as a diplomat for the English king. He learned printing in Cologne in 1471-72, and at Bruges in 1475 he and Colard Mansion printed The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye, his own translation from the French, and the first book printed in English. In 1476 he returned to England, and at Westminster in 1477 he printed Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres, the first dated book printed in England. Caxton is known to have printed about 100 books, many dealing with themes of chivalry. He was the translator, from French, Latin, and Dutch, of about one third of the books that he printed, and for some he wrote original prologues, epilogues, and additions. His books are of superb craftsmanship and are carefully edited. One of the typefaces used by Caxton is the original Old English type. The size of this type of Caxton's (14 point) is known as English. Wynkyn de Worde, his successor as a printer, was his assistant at Westminster, and the printers Richard Pynson and Robert Copland refer to Caxton (possibly figuratively) as their master.

(born circa 1422, Kent, Eng.—died 1491, London) First British printer. He was a prosperous mercer when he began to translate French literature and learn printing. He set up a press in Belgium and published his translation The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye (1475), the first book printed in English. Returning to England, he set up another press and produced the first dated book printed in English, Dictes and Sayenges of the Phylosophers (1477). His varied output—about 100 items, including books on chivalric romance, morality, and history and an encyclopaedia that was the first illustrated English book (1481)—shows that he catered to a general public as well as to wealthy patrons.

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(born circa 1422, Kent, Eng.—died 1491, London) First British printer. He was a prosperous mercer when he began to translate French literature and learn printing. He set up a press in Belgium and published his translation The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye (1475), the first book printed in English. Returning to England, he set up another press and produced the first dated book printed in English, Dictes and Sayenges of the Phylosophers (1477). His varied output—about 100 items, including books on chivalric romance, morality, and history and an encyclopaedia that was the first illustrated English book (1481)—shows that he catered to a general public as well as to wealthy patrons.

Learn more about Caxton, William with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Caxton is a small rural village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. It is 9 miles west of the county town of Cambridge. In 2001, the population of Caxton parish was 480 people. Caxton is most famous for the Caxton Gibbet.

History

The name Caxton is probably derived from 'farmstead of a man called Kakkr'. It was spelled Caustone in the 1086 Domesday book when 35 peasants lived there. It is probable that the village came into existence as a late Scandinavian settlement in a area of woodland. The use of the names 'weald' and 'wald' in the 12th century indicate the influence of woods.

What was the Roman Ermine Street, now the A1198 road, bisects Caxton parish. The modern village has grown up around the road, although the church is a short distance south-west, along Gransden Road. There are also three medieval moated sites further from the road: Caxton Moats, which has signs of Anglo-Saxon or Norman occupation; Caxton Pastures, south-west of Caxton Gibbet, which may have belonged to John of Caxton, a 13th century landowner; and Swansley, south-east of the gibbet. St Peter's Street, north and east of the church, may have been the centre of the original village.

The road provided passing trade; the market was held next to it and the Crown and George inns were built there. Parts of the Crown inn date from the 15th century and it was known by that name by 1545. Caxton benefitted from travellers passing through but highway robbers could also be a problem. The road became busier after the 16th century and a post office was opened at the Crown inn 'many years' before 1660. By the mid-18th century, Caxton post office was one of only two in the whole county.

After the end of the coaching era, Caxton declined. In 1863, a traveller described the village as "a small, rambling village, which looked as if it had not shaved and washed its face, and put on a clean shirt for a shocking length of time". Fires in 1896 and 1897 destroyed more than a dozen houses and, although the arrival of the motor car in the 1920s brought traffic back through the village, its former prosperity did not return. In 2004 a bypass was completed around Caxton to accommodate traffic for the newly-built Cambourne to the north.

Governance

Caxton is represented on South Cambridgeshire District Council by three councillors for the Bourn electoral ward and on Cambridgeshire County Council by one councillor for the Bourn electoral division. It is in the parliamentary constituency of South Cambridgeshire, represented at the House of Commons by Andrew Lansley.

Geography

Neighbouring parishes

Caxton parish is 9 miles west of Cambridge, 7 miles east of the town of St Neots and 48 miles north of London. It stands on the A1198 (Ermine Street, the Old North Road) between the villages of Papworth Everard, to the north, and Longstowe, to the south. Roads run from Caxton to the villages of Bourn and Great Gransden. It ranges from 44 to 68 metres above sea level and the soil is clay with a blue gault subsoil. Bourn Brook runs through Caxton, eventually joining the River Cam.

Demography

At the time of the 2001 census, the population of Caxton parish was 480 people. All residents were white and 72% described themselves as Christian, with 27.8% either having no religion or stating none. In 1881 the population was 129, and in 1921 the population had grown to 398.

Landmarks

Caxton Gibbet stands by the side of the A428 road, north of Caxton village. The roundabout at the junction of the A428 and A1198 is also known as Caxton Gibbet.

A war memorial, commemorating Caxton men who died in the First and Second World Wars, stands at the junction of Ermine Street, Bourn Road and Gransden Road.

Religious sites

Caxton has two churches. The Church of St Andrew was built of stone and flint mainly in the Early English style. It has a low tower with six bells. A Baptist Church was built in 1842.

See also

• List of places in Cambridgeshire

References