John Stow
John Stow was an English historian and bibliophile, born around 1524 in London. The eldest of seven children in a reasonably well-off family, he exhibited a keen intellect and fluency in Latin despite a lack of formal records regarding his education. Stow's career was marked by his dedication to historical accuracy, making him a pioneering figure in modern historiography. He began his publishing journey with a new edition of Geoffrey Chaucer's works in 1561 and later became known for his contributions to historical literature, including the significant "Survey of London" published in 1598. Throughout his life, he faced financial challenges, particularly after the death of his mother and disputes over inheritance with his brother. Despite his scrupulous research methods and connections with prominent figures of the time, Stow’s contemporary reputation was often overshadowed by his personal struggles and the perception of his humble origins. He passed away on April 5, 1605, leaving behind a legacy that influenced future historians.
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John Stow
Historian
- Born: c. 1525
- Birthplace: St. Michael Cornhill, London, England
- Died: April 5, 1605
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
John Stow was born in 1524 or 1525 in the parish of St. Michael Cornhill in London, the eldest of seven children of tallowchandler Thomas Stow and his wife Elizabeth, née Archer. No record survives of his schooling but he was obviously well-educated, becoming fluent in Latin and very knowledgeable. The family was reasonably well-off—Stow spent much of his later life wrangling with his brother Thomas over their inheritance— and he seems to have had income enough to indulge his hobby of collecting books and manuscripts. He was admitted to the freedom of the Merchant Taylors Company in 1547—leading some sources to allege, mistakenly, that he worked as a tailor—but he remained in a subordinate company and was never admitted to the livery or to any office, at least until 1584, when he was apparently briefly employed as a surveyor of alehouses.
Sometime after 1549, Stow married. His wife’s first name was Elizabeth; they had three daughters and settled in Aldgate. Stow’s book collecting brought him into contact with other like-minded men—he knew John Dee and Archbishop Matthew Parker— and such acquaintances were initially instrumental in winning him patronage. His first publication was a new edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s works, issued in 1561. He wrote poetry of his own, heavily influenced by Edmund Spenser, to whom he dedicated a collection. His main claim to fame, however, was an offshoot of his bibliomania; he became the most prolific historian of the sixteenth century, and the most accurate. His strength was his willingness—indeed, his obsessive compulsion—to search out documentary sources for consultation. His insistence on so doing made him the first modern historian, and an invaluable source for those who came after him, although he was never as popular in his own day as historians who were more concerned with glorification than accuracy.
Stow dedicated his 1565 Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles to the Earl of Leicester, but he did not retain such important patronage for long. He was always short of money after 1568, when his mother died—his father had died in 1559—and his conflict with his brother began in earnest. He assisted in the continuation of Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicle, but his masterpiece was the Survey of London issued in 1598, which laid the groundwork for all subsequent histories of the city. He published many other works of limited scale while laboring long and hard on a comprehensive history of England, but he did not manage to publish it and the manuscript was lost.
Stow—the only member of the Society of Antiquaries who was not a gentleman—never shook off the handicap of his humble beginnings. His contemporary reputation did not refer to the accuracy of his work, but to the feuds his scrupulousness precipitated and fact that he would walk prodigious distances to consult his sources. The rumor went around that when he applied to James I for financial help late in life, he was issued with a license to beg. He died on April 5, 1605.