Life

Soone was educated at Cambridge University, where he matriculated at Michaelhouse

Michaelhouse

Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.- History :...

 in 15444. He graduated B.A. 1547, and proceeded M.A. at some date after 1549. He became doctor of civil and canon laws, probably at some university on the continent. The bursars' accounts of Caius College show that he was resident at Gonville Hall, probably as a fellow, from 1548 to 1555. In 1561 he became regius professor of civil law

Regius Professor of Civil Law (Cambridge)

The Regius Professorship of Civil Law is one of the oldest and most prestigious of the professorships at the University of Cambridge.The chair was founded by Henry VIII in 1540 with a stipend of £40 per year, and the holder is still chosen by The Crown....

, and in June of that year was admitted fellow of Trinity Hall

Trinity Hall

Trinity Hall may refer to:* Trinity Hall, Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge* Trinity Hall, Dublin, hall of residence of the University of Dublin, Trinity College* Trinity Hall, Washington, Pennsylvania, Trinity High School...

.

He would not conform to the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

, and, leaving Cambridge, went abroad. His successor in the professorship, William Clerke, was appointed in 1563. Soone is said to have resided at Paris, Dol, Freiburg, and Padua, and to have been a professor of law for some time at Leuven

Leuven

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

. From Leuven he went, most likely, to Antwerp, where he acted as assistant to Abraham Ortelius

Abraham Ortelius

thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) thumb|250px|Abraham Ortelius by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]Abraham Ortelius (Abraham Ortels) (April 14, 1527 – June 28,exile in England to take...

.

In 1572 he was at Cologne

Cologne

Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...

. He then passed to Rome, and had some papal appointment.

Works

In Cologne he published ‘Gulielmi Sooni Vantesdeni Auditor sive Pomponius Mela disputator de Situ Orbis’. Part of this rare book, the ‘Novi incolæ orbis terrarum,’ is copied from that of Arnold Mylius and published by Ortelius in the 1570 edition of the ‘Theatrum.’ Accordingly Ortelius complained, and Soone offered explanations dated from Cologne, 31 August 1572.

Soone also copied the map of Cambridge which Richard Lyne had drawn for John Caius

John Caius

John Caius , also known as Johannes Caius, was an English physician, and second founder of the present Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.-Early years:...

's ‘History of the University’ (1574), and published his copy in Georg Braun

Georg Braun

Georg Braun was a topo-geographer. From 1572 to 1617 he edited the Civitates orbis terrarum, which contains 546 prospects, bird's-eye views, and maps of cities from all around the world....

and Hogenberg's ‘Civitates Orbis terrarum’ (1575?). With this map went a description of the university.