Origins and early life

Miller was born at Norwich

Norwich

Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

 on 14 August 1731, the son of Thomas Miller, a pavior. He was apprenticed to a grocer, but when he commenced business for himself in 1755 his fondness for reading induced him to combine bookselling with his other trade.

Bookseller and antiquary

Unfortunately he settled in Bungay, Suffolk

Bungay, Suffolk

Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...

, where the demand for books was small. Moreover, his sturdy independence lost him the custom of many of the local magnates. As his son William recorded in a memoir, "Thomas Miller was little suited by nature to the quiet, unambitious life of a country shopkeeper. He possessed a strong & vigorous understanding, with great energy & industry. His mind, which he had improved by much reading, was adapted to a larger sphere - his cramped locality marred his fortune...He had a spirit too independent for the petty aristocracy that surrounds most country towns - his politics never varied or were adapted to his local interests....He had a talent for light poetry but was too fond of lampooning his neighbours when the vein was upon him & he saw a fair opportunity." His stock of books was very valuable, and he had an extensive collection of engraved portraits, and nearly a complete series of Roman and English silver and brass coins. He published catalogues of his collections in 1782 and 1790. In 1795, when the fashion was very general for tradesmen to circulate provincial halfpennies, he had a die cast, but an accident happening to one of the blocks when only twenty-three pieces were struck off, Miller, like a true antiquary, declined having a fresh one made. This coin (which is very finely engraved, and bears a strong profile likeness of Miller) is known to collectors by the name of the 'Miller halfpenny’. As he was careful into whose hands the impressions went, they soon became very rare.

Family, Death and posterity

On 12 July 1756 he married Ann Scarlett at Swaffham (daughter of Edward Scarlett); she had no issue and died in 1763. In 1764 he married secondly Sarah (Sally), the daughter of William Kingsbury, a maltster. His son, William Richard Beckford Miller

William Miller (British publisher)

William Richard Beckford Miller was one of the leading English publishers of the early 19th century.-Origins and early life:William Miller was born at Bungay, Suffolk, on 25 March 1769, the son of Thomas Miller , a bookseller and antiquarian, and Sally Kingsbury of Waveney House, Bungay...

 (1769–1844), became a leading publisher. He also had three daughters.

In 1799 he became quite blind, but continued in business until his death, which took place at Bungay on 25 July 1804. Miller's portrait was engraved by E. Scriven from a miniature by Henry Edridge

Henry Edridge

Henry Edridge ARA , was the son of a tradesman and apprenticed at the age of fifteen to W. Pether, a mezzotinto engraver and landscape painter, and became proficient as a painter of miniatures, portraits and landscapes....

.