John, an English historian, was born at Farington in Cheshire, in the year 1542. He was by trade a tailor, and a freeman of the company of merchant-tailors in the city of London. In 1606 he published his Theatre of Great Britain, which was afterwards reprinted in folio, under the title of The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain. In 1614 appeared his History of Great Britain; and in 1616 he published in octavo, The Cloud of Witnesses, or the Genealogies of Scripture. These genealogies were prefixed to many editions of the English translation of the Bible; and King James gave him a patent for securing the property to him and his heirs. His works were really of but little merit, and owed their chief excellences to other writers. He had twelve sons and six daughters, and died in 1629. He was interred in the church of St Giles's, Cripplegate, London, where a monument was erected to his memory.