JB & his wife Ann each received £10 from the will of John Norton, dated 21 May 1612. ---
BILL (JOHN), King's Printer and bookseller in London, 1604-30; Northumberland House, St. Martin's Lane, Aldersgate Street, and Hunsdon House, Blackfriars. Son of Walter Bill of Wenlock, co. Shropshire. Probably through the influence of the Nortons, also natives of Shropshire, he was sent to London and apprenticed to John Norton { NORTON, John ( - 1612) ‹ LBT 08174 › }, the printer, from the Feast of St. James the Apostle [i.e., July 25th], 1592, and took up his freedom in 1601. As John Norton was Sir Thomas Bodley's stationer, it was presumably on Norton's suggestion that John Bill was selected by the founder of the Bodleian to travel abroad and buy books for the library on commission. At the same time it speaks highly for his own ability that at the outset of his career he should have been chosen as the best man for such an undertaking. It is uncertain at exactly what period he was abroad, but it was probably between 1596 and 1602 or 1603. In one of his letters Sir Thomas Bodley writes as follows: "You need make no douht, but Jo. Bill hath gotten everywhere, what the place would afford, for his commission was large, his leisure very good, and his payment sure at home." In another he speaks of Bill as having visited the chief cities in Italy, and as having bought books to the value of upwards of four hundred pounds [Reliq. Bodl., p. 66 et seq.]. After his return home he set up as a bookseller in London, where among his customers was Isaac Casaubon [Pattison's Casaubon, 1875, pp. 406, 433-4]. He had a close and intimate friendship with both John Norton and Bonham Norton { NORTON, Bonham ( - 1635) ‹ LBT 08173 › }; in fact there is very little doubt that he managed the printing business of the former during the later years of his life. There is no doubt also that these three men, John Norton, Bonham Norton and John Bill, advanced the money necessary to enable Robert Barker { BARKER, Robert ( - 1646) ‹ LBT 06872 › }, the King's Printer, to carry through what is known as the Authorized version of the Bible, and in return for this help some sort of compact was entered into between the parties, by which John Bill and Bonham Norton became shareholders in the King's Printing House. A bitter family quarrel subsequently broke out between Bonham Norton and Robert Barker, and as a result, Robert Barker brought an action in the Court of Chancery against both John Bill and Bonham Norton, which was the forerunner of a long and costly series of law suits. By a decree of May 7th, 1619, the Court decided that John Bill was a bona-fide purchaser of his share and was entitled to enjoy it. Consequently he continued to be King's Printer for the remainder of his life. The imprints may be arranged as follows: (1) Robert Barker alone down to July, 1617; (2) Bonham Norton and John Bill from July, 1617, to May 7th, 1619; (3) Robert Barker and John Bill from May 8th, 1619, to January, 1620/1 ; (4) Bonham Norton and John Bill from January, 1620/1, to October 21st, 1629; (5) Robert Barker and John Bill from October 20th, 1629, till John Bill's death on May 5th, 1630' Further evidence that John Bill was carrying on the business of a bookseller at this time is found in the Hist. MSS. Comm., 6th Report, where amongst the Manuscripts of the Duke of Northumberland is a list of fifty-three books, mostly foreign works, purchased from Joln Bill. He also became an extensive publisher of books from 1604 onwards. Jobn Bill regularly visited Frankfort Book Fair and amongst the Domestic State Papers is an interesting letter from him, to Dr. Widemann of Augsburg, dated June 22nd, 1619, relating to some books that Widemann had offered to King James, and which John Bill desired should be sent to the next Frankfort Fair for his inspection [Library, March, 1900, p. 175). For some years John Bill issued an edition of the Frankfort catalogue for circulation in England, and all the issues from 1622 to 1626 contained a special appendix of Books Printed in English [ibid.). John Bill made his will on April 24th, 1630, and died shortly afterwards. He bequeathed a sum of £15 to the poor of his native place, and a sum of £10 to pensioners of the Company of Stationers, as well as two pieces of plate valued at £20, and a sum.of £5 for a dinner to the Livery on the day of his burial. To Bonham Norton and Robert Barker he left £5 apiece, and to his wife Jane Bill { BILL, Jane ‹ LBT 03211 › } an annuity of £300 to be paid out of the profits of his share in the King's Printing House, and all those his parts of the houses in Blackfriars and St. Andrew's in the Wardrobe. He left three sons, John { BILL, John ‹ LBT 30424 › }, Charles, and Henry, the first of whom succeeded to his father's share in the King's Printing House. John Bill nominated as his executors the Rev. John Mountford, William Austin, and Martin Lucas, gent. [Plomer, Wills, pp. SI-54],
