Translators of the King James Bible

Richard Bancroft

Richard Bancroft, Getty Images

King James asked Bishop Richard Bancroft (above) to oversee six companies of translators at three locations. They worked on unbound pages from the 1602 revision of the Bishops' Bible. Bancroft wrote 15 general rules to guide them. After translators of each company completed their assignment, they passed it on to the next company, so that all companies reviewed the entire Bible. This process took four years.

LocationWestminsterCambridgeOxford
DirectorLancelot AndrewesWilliam BarlowEdward LivelyJohn DuportJohn HardingThomas Ravis
SectionGenesis–2 KingsRomans–Jude1 Chronicles– Ecclesiastes, Song of SolomonApocryphaIsaiah–MalachiThe Gospels, Acts, Revelation