William Caslon
William Caslon I:
William Caslon I – born 1692 in Cradley, Worcestershire, England, died 1766 in Bethnal Green, England – engraver, type founder, type designer.
- 1706: Begins a seven-year apprenticeship as an engraver with a London harness-maker.
- 1716: Self-employed engraver.
- 1721: the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge commissions Caslon to cast Arabic alphabets.
- 1725: Sets up his own type foundry.
- 1734: Caslon’s first one-page specimen is produced which illustrates 47 of his typefaces.
- 1737: The type foundry moves to Chiswell Street in London, where it continues to operate for 200 years.
William Caslon II:
William Caslon II – born 1720, died 1778 – type founder, type designer.
- 1742: Joins his father’s company.
- 1763: Father and son issue the first English book of type specimens, which includes 56 alphabets by Caslon senior and 27 by his son, designed between 1738 and 1763.
- 1766: After the death of his father, Caslon junior runs the family business until 1778.
William Caslon III:
William Caslon III – born 1754, died 1833 – type founder.
- Caslon III sold his share of the business to his mother and daugther-in-law and used the money to buy the Jackson type foundry, The type foundry remained the property of the Caslon family until 1795.
William Caslon IV:
William Caslon IV – born 1780, died 1869 – type founder.
- 1807: Caslon IV takes over the running of the type foundry until 1819, when the foundry is bought by Blake, Garnett Co.
- 1837: The type foundry, still under the name of Caslon, becomes the property of the Stephenson, Blake Co. type foundry in Sheffield.
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