James Nichols (1785–1861) was an English printer and theological writer.

Life

He was born at Washington, Durham, 6 April 1785. Because of family financial troubles he had to work in a factory at

Holbeck Holbeck is an inner city area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It begins on the southern edge of Leeds city centre and mainly lies in the LS11 postcode district. The M1 and M621 motorways used to end/begin in Holbeck. Now the M621 is t ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, from the age of eight to twelve, but also studied Latin grammar. His father was later able to send him to

Leeds Grammar School Leeds Grammar School was an independent school founded 1552 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a male-only school, in August 2005 it merged with Leeds Girls' High School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. The two schools physica ...

. Nichols was for some time a private tutor, and then entered into business as a printer and bookseller at

Briggate Briggate is a pedestrianised principal shopping street in Leeds city centre, England. Historically it was the main street, leading north from Leeds Bridge, and housed markets, merchant's houses and other business premises. It contains many h ...

, Leeds. Nichols died in Hoxton Square on 26 November 1861. He married Miss Bursey of

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

in 1813, and had many children, of whom two survived.

Works

Nichols printed some small volumes, including

John Byrom John Byrom, John Byrom of Kersal, or John Byrom of Manchester (29 February 1692 – 26 September 1763) was an English poet, the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand and later a significant landowner. He is most remembered as the wr ...

's ''Poems'' (1814), and pamphlets, and edited the '' Leeds Literary Observer'' vol. i., from January to September 1819. This periodical he wanted to replace by a more ambitious monthly miscellany; but in the event he moved to London and opened a printing office at 2 Warwick Square, Newgate Street. His best-known work ''Calvinism and Arminianism compared'' (1824), was written and printed there. He also printed The Journal of John Wesley 1735-1737/8 Volume 1 entered at Stationers hall. In 1825 there was published the first volume of his translation of the ''Works'' of

Jacobus Arminius Jacobus Arminius (; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Jakob Hermanszoon'' ; 10 October 1560 – 19 October 1609) was a Dutch Reformed Christianity, Reformed minister and Christian theology, theologian during the Protestant Reformation period whose views ...

, with a life and appendices, which met with the approval of Abraham des Amorie van der Hoeven. The third volume, issued in 1875, was translated by William Nichols. Nichols moved his printing office in 1832 to Hoxton Square, where he remained the rest of his life. Here he printed editions of

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

's ''Church History'' (1837), ''History of Cambridge'' (1840), and ''The Holy and Profane State'' (1841), ''Pearson on the Creed'' (1845 and 1848), and

William Warburton William Warburton (24 December 16987 June 1779) was an English writer, literary critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759 until his death. He edited editions of the works of his friend Alexander Pope, and of William Shakespeare. Lif ...

's ''Divine Legation'' (1846), and edited books for William Tegg. The ''Poetical Works'' of James Thomson (1849) and the ''Complete Works'' of Dr. Young (1855) were recognised as scholarly. His most substantial publication was of the '' Morning Exercises'': ''The Morning Exercises at Cripplegate, St. Giles-in-the-Fields, and in Southwark, being divers Sermons preached A.D. 1659–1689'', fifth edition, collated and corrected, London, 1844–5, 6 vols. He was on good terms with

Robert Southey Robert Southey (; 12 August 1774 – 21 March 1843) was an English poet of the Romantic poetry, Romantic school, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth an ...

, George Tomline,

William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poetry, Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romanticism, Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Balla ...

Henry John Todd Henry John Todd (1763–1845) was an English Anglican cleric, librarian, and scholar, known as an editor of John Milton. He was librarian at Lambeth Palace (1803), and examined and described manuscripts, chiefly biblical, which formerly belonged ...

John Bowring Sir John Bowring , or Phrayā Siam Mānukūlakicca Siammitra Mahāyaśa (17 October 1792 – 23 November 1872) was a British political economist, traveller, writer, literary translator, polyglot and the fourth Governor of Hong Kong. He was ...

, and other scholars.

References

* ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, James 1785 births 1861 deaths Arminian writers English printers English translators English male non-fiction writers 19th-century English businesspeople 18th-century Anglican theologians 19th-century Anglican theologians