William Seres (died ) was an English
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
printer, starting work in about 1546, and working in partnership with
John Day for a few years. Day and Seres specialized in religious works, such as those by
Robert Crowley, which were largely related to theological controversies of the time. By 1550, Day and Seres were busy and successful enough to amicably separate their businesses.
Seres afterwards joined partnership for a time with the printer and translator
Anthony Scoloker, and in 1553 received
letters patent
Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
for the printing of
psalters
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters were ...
,
primers and
prayer-books
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
. However, he lost this privilege after the accession of
Queen Mary to the throne in July 1553, when the entire religious climate of the country changed. He seems to have sought safety on the Continent. His letters patent were renewed with the accession in 1558 of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
.
In his old age he assigned his business for a yearly rental to
Henry Denham
Henry Denham was one of the outstanding English printers of the sixteenth century.
He was apprenticed to Richard Tottel and took up the freedom of the Stationers' Company on 30 August 1560. In 1564 he set up his own printing house in White Cros ...
who became a member of the
Stationers' Company
The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers (until 1937 the Worshipful Company of Stationers), usually known as the Stationers' Company, is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Stationers' Company was formed in ...
in 1560. Seres lived to be Master of the same Company for several years in succession, and died about 1579.
Seres' important work includes a 1549 edition of
John Rogers' ''
Matthew Bible
''The Matthew Bible'', also known as ''Matthew's Version'', was first published in 1537 by John Rogers, under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew". It combined the New Testament of William Tyndale, and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able ...
'', which was first printed in 1537 by
Richard Grafton
Richard Grafton (c. 1506/7 or 1511 – 1573) was King's Printer under Henry VIII and Edward VI. He was a member of the Grocers' Company and MP for Coventry elected 1562-63.
Under Henry VIII
With Edward Whitchurch, a member of the Haberdashers ...
and
Jacobus van Meteren
Sir Jacobus van Meteren (1519-1555) was the financier and printer of early English versions of the Bible. He was involved in the printing of an edition of Tyndale's New Testament in 1535 (Herbert #15). The Coverdale Bible of 1535 (Herbert #18) ...
as a mixture of the translations by
William Tyndale
William Tyndale (; sometimes spelled ''Tynsdale'', ''Tindall'', ''Tindill'', ''Tyndall''; – ) was an English biblical scholar and linguist who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his executi ...
and
Miles Coverdale
Myles Coverdale, first name also spelt Miles (1488 – 20 January 1569), was an English ecclesiastical reformer chiefly known as a Bible translator, preacher and, briefly, Bishop of Exeter (1551–1553). In 1535, Coverdale produced the first c ...
. Seres also printed
Baldassare Castiglione
Baldassare Castiglione, Count of Casatico (; 6 December 1478 – 2 February 1529),Dates of birth and death, and cause of the latter, fro, ''Italica'', Rai International online. was an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier and a prominent Renaissanc ...
's ''The courtyer ... done into Englyshe by
Thomas Hoby
Sir Thomas Hoby (1530 – 13 July 1566) was an English diplomat and translator.
Early life
Hoby was born in 1530. He was the second son of William Hoby of Leominster, Herefordshire, by his second wife, Katherine, daughter of John Forden. He was ...
'' in 1561.
References
External links
English printers
1579 deaths
Year of birth unknown
English Protestants
16th-century Protestants
16th-century English businesspeople
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