NORTON (JOHN), senior, bookseller and (?) printer in London, Eton and Scotland, 1586-1612; London: St. Paul's Churchyard. Son of Richard Norton of Billingsley, Salop, and nephew of William Norton { NORTON, William (1527 - 1593) ‹ LBT 08157 › }, stationer of London (1561-93), to whom he was apprenticed for eight years from January 8th, 1577/8 [Arber, ii. 82]. John Norton took up his freedom on July 18th, 1586 [Arber, ii. 698], and rapidly rose to the highest position in the Company, being admitted to the Livery on July 1st, 1598, and being Master in the years 1607, 1611 and 1612. John Norton began business as a bookseller in St. Paul's Churchyard, and was one of the largest capitalists in the trade, besides being the publisher of some of the most important books of the day. His shop was resorted to by the chief book collectors and literary men, and he made regular visits to the Frankfort Fair. He was for a time in partnership with his cousin Bonham Norton [q.v.] { NORTON, Bonham ( - 1635) ‹ LBT 08173 › }, and John Bill. About 1587 he set up a bookselling business in Edinburgh, and in 1589 obtained, with Andro Hart, the privilege of importing hooks free of custom, with a further licence to the same effect in June, 1591 [Reg. P.C. Scot., iv. 439; Lee, App. x]. From a passage in Calderwood's History, v. 77, it would appear that Norton was living in Edinburgh in 1590; and in February, 1592, he appeared in person before the Town Council to answer a charge preferred against him and his servant Edmond Wats, by seven Edinburgh booksellers, of having usurped the liberty of the burgh by retailing books in "ane oppin chalmer upoun the foregaitt," and they were ordered to desist from selling "in smallis" [Lee, Add. Mem. App. lxxi]. After the death of Wats, about 1596, Norton gave up his Edinburgh business, and sold the books and debts to Edward Cathkin { CATHKIN, Edward ( - 1601) ‹ LBT 28371 › } and Andro Hart, booksellers there [Calderwood, v. 511]. It has generally been supposed that John Norton was a printer as well as a bookseller, and it is true that in 1603 he was appointed King's printer in Hehrew, Latin and Greek, but on examination the books that bear his imprint are found to have been printed for him by Melchisidec Bradwood { BRADWOOD, Melchisdecke ( - 1618) ‹ LBT 07329 › } and his partners at the Eliot's Court printing office in the Old Bailey. Evidence of this is shown in the splendid edition of Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1606, the titlepage of which states distinctly that it was printed "by John Norton, printer to the King's most excellent Majesty in Hebrew, Greeke and Latin," but the colophon of which runs, "London, Printed for John Norton and John Bill," and the internal evidence proves it to have been printed at the Eliot's Court Press. So too with Sir Henry Savile's edition of Chrysostom. Each volume bears the imprint "Excudebat Joannes Norton," but we know that Sir Henry Savile obtained the Greek type from Moret, the Antwerp printer, and an examination of the volumes proves that the rest of the type, initials, ornaments and devices were those of Melchisidec Bradwood, who took the necessary workmen down with him to Eton for the purpose of printing the work, which was published by John Norton. Norton died in November, 1612, during his third term of office as Master of the Company. By his will which was proved on January 12th, 1612/3, he left a sum of £1,000 to the Company of Stationers to buy lands, the income from which was to be lent to poor young men of the Company. The money was laid out in the purchase of houses in Wood Street, which now produce a considerable rental and form part of the endowment of Stationers' School [Arber, v. lxiii]. John Norton left his lands in Shropshire to provide bequests to his nephew Leonard Norton, son of his brother Richard, and to Lucy and Thomas Wight, the children of Thomas Wight, draper, He made his cousin Bonham Norton his executor [Plomer, Wills, pp. 45-7].
