William Clowes
Encyclopedia
William Clowes was a printer who developed the use of steam powered printing presses in the industry. He founded the printing
firm which became William Clowes Ltd.
in London
in 1803.
Clowes was born in Chichester
, Sussex
, the eldest son of school teachers William Clowes and Elizabeth nee Harraden. His father died when William was an infant, and he became printers apprentice at the age of 10. In 1803 he moved to London and founded his own business in October 1803 in 22 Villiers Street, with just one employee. Through links with a cousin of his wife's, William Winchester, Clowes was able to gain access to government printing work which enabled the firm to develop rapidly, moving to Northumberland Court in 1807.
In 1823 Clowes installed a steam powered printing press designed by Applegarth and Cowper. In 1827 the firm took over Applegarth's premises in Duke Street, Blackfriars, a site which became the largest printing works in the world, printing a wide variety of works ands employing over 500 workers directly. The development of powered presses by Clowes is credited with increasing levels of accuracy as well as speed of output, making printed material cheaper and more accessible. He was also an innovator in terms of working practices and in 1820 became one of the first employers to start a benevolent fund for this workforce. He was a leading figure in the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.
Clowes married Mary Winchester, the niece of William Winchester, in 1804 and had four daughters and four sons with her. Three of his sons, William, Winchester and George, ran the business which had become William Clowes and Sons in 1839. In 1824, Clowes was made a freeman of Chichester. He died in Marylbone in January 1847 and was buried in West Norwood Cemetery
.
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
firm which became William Clowes Ltd.
William Clowes Ltd.
William Clowes Ltd. is a British printing company founded in London in 1803 by William Clowes. It grew from a small, one press firm to one of the world's largest printing companies in the mid-19th century. The company merged with Caxton Press, operated by William Moore in Beccles, Suffolk in the...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1803.
Clowes was born in Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, the eldest son of school teachers William Clowes and Elizabeth nee Harraden. His father died when William was an infant, and he became printers apprentice at the age of 10. In 1803 he moved to London and founded his own business in October 1803 in 22 Villiers Street, with just one employee. Through links with a cousin of his wife's, William Winchester, Clowes was able to gain access to government printing work which enabled the firm to develop rapidly, moving to Northumberland Court in 1807.
In 1823 Clowes installed a steam powered printing press designed by Applegarth and Cowper. In 1827 the firm took over Applegarth's premises in Duke Street, Blackfriars, a site which became the largest printing works in the world, printing a wide variety of works ands employing over 500 workers directly. The development of powered presses by Clowes is credited with increasing levels of accuracy as well as speed of output, making printed material cheaper and more accessible. He was also an innovator in terms of working practices and in 1820 became one of the first employers to start a benevolent fund for this workforce. He was a leading figure in the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.
Clowes married Mary Winchester, the niece of William Winchester, in 1804 and had four daughters and four sons with her. Three of his sons, William, Winchester and George, ran the business which had become William Clowes and Sons in 1839. In 1824, Clowes was made a freeman of Chichester. He died in Marylbone in January 1847 and was buried in West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
.