John Stow
born 1525, London, Eng.
died April 6, 1605, London
one of the best-known Elizabethan
antiquaries, author of a famous Survey of London
(1598; revised and enlarged, 1603).
Stow was a prosperous tailor until about
1565–70, after which he devoted his time to
collecting rare books and manuscripts, a hobby
that left him impoverished. Self-educated, with
a passion for learning, he became the friend of
famous antiquaries and was employed by Matthew
Parker, archbishop of Canterbury, to edit
medieval chronicles. He had already published an
edition of Chaucer (1561) and a Summarie of
Englyshe Chronicles (1565; many abridged
versions). His first original work was The
Chronicles of England (1580), revised as Annales
of England (1592).
The Survey, which is in the form of a
perambulation around the London wards, contains
details of the buildings, monuments, people,
life, and customs of London at a time of
transition from medieval to modern, along with
an account of the city’s origins and growth.
