 :for other uses or meanings of caslon, see caslon (disambiguation).  william caslon i (1692/1693 â 23 january 1766), also known as william caslon the elder, was an english gunsmith and designer of typefaces."history of printing", british printing society retrieved on 29 april 2014.  the distinction and legibility of his type secured him the patronage of the leading printers of the day in england and on the continent. his typefaces transformed english type design and first established an english national typographic style. ==life== caslon was born in cradley, worcestershire in 1692 or 1693 and trained as an engraver in nearby birmingham. in 1716 he started business in london as an engraver of gun locks and barrels, and as a bookbinder's tool cutter. having contact with printers, he was induced to fit up a type foundry, largely through the encouragement of william bowyer. he died on 23 january 1766, and was buried in the churchyard of st luke old street, london, where the family tomb (bearing his name and others) is preserved. ==typefaces==  caslon's typefaces were inspired by the dutch baroque types, the most commonly used types in england 
1692_births 1766_deaths British_graphic_designers Burials_in_London English_typographers Gunsmiths People_from_Cradley,_West_Midlands People_from_Worcestershire