Miller, James, bookseller and printer, Haddington
Record IDcni00059595
URIhttp://data.cerl.org/thesaurus/cni00059595
Last Edit2015-04-08
General Note
James Miller was the eldest son of George Miller, bokseller of Hadiington and Dunbar. He was born at Dunbar on 21 December 1791. Before he was fourteen he was working in George's workshop at Haddington. He was formally bound apprentice to his father as printer, the apprenticeship to end 14 April 1811. In 1807 he ran off to Edinburgh and worked at Oliver & Boyd's office, but returned to Haddington in June 1808. At the expiration of his apprenticeship, he proposed to work an extra year. Afterwards he travelled for three months visiting printer-publishers in England. At Whitsun 1812 the lease on the Haddington shops expired, and new premises at the foot of the High Street. In 1815, Miller's niece who had been running the grocery side of the business, went into business on her own account, and the grocery side of George Miller's business fell on James as well as the running of the printing office. In May 1816, the firm abandoned the grocery side of the business. The disaster to George's business in September 1816, made the partnership no longer of advantage, and James carried on alone. In the emergency James added grocery and spirits to the goods he dealt in once again. About this time, jame also married a Janet Craw from Garvald. Like is father, James Miller published a good number of poetical works. In 1830 he also published his “History of Dunbar”. James was elected a merchant-councillor of Haddington on 14 October 1825. His relations with the Council however deteriorated. On 2 March 1832 he was paid for the last work he was to do for them. John Wood was now printing for them, and in December 1832 George Neill & Sons became their printer. By 1833 he was commonly drunk and had lost both his shop and his house. He was admitted to the Edinburgh Home of Refuge on 7 May 1864, and died there 21 May 1865.
More Information
Dates of Activity1812-1833
Activitybookseller and printer
Related Entries
See alsoGeorge Miller & Son, Haddington (1812 - 1816)
Names
HeadingMiller, James, bookseller and printer, Haddington
used in: National Library of Scotland, Scottish Book Trade Index
Variant NameJames Miller (1817 - 1833)
Sources
Found inChapbook Printers. — Pigot 1820; 1825. — W.J. Couper. “The Millers of Haddington, Dunbar and Dunfermline: a record of Scottish bookselling”. London, 1914. 183-242