Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, better known as Eric Gill, was born in 1882 in Brighton, Sussex. A craftsman with tremendous creative output, known foremost as a sculptor but also a notable engraver and typographer, Gill was the author of over 750 pieces of inscriptional lettering for memorials and headstones, hundreds of woodblock engravings, a large number of sculptural carvings, and a multitude of books and articles on topics that ranged from art and religion to workers' rights.

In the early 1900s, Gill lived in Hammersmith where he met Edward Johnston, who deeply influenced his approach to lettering and calligraphy. After converting to Roman Catholicism in 1913, Gill moved to Ditchling Common. He was followed by Hilary Pepler and other craftsmen including David Jones, Desmond Chute, and Joseph & Laurie Cribb; together, they formed the Guild of St. Joseph and St. Dominic. It was there that Pepler established the St. Dominic's Press, and where Gill acquired most of his practical knowledge about printing. Gill's relationship with Pepler became increasingly strained in the early 1920s, and Gill withdrew from the guild and departed from Ditchling in 1924. While the press had lost a key figure, Gill's departure did not prevent the continuation of printing at St. Dominic's Press.

Gill departed Ditchling to establish a new artistic and religious colony in the former monastery of Capel-y-ffin in South Wales. The Capel-y-ffin period saw the collaboration between Gill and Robert Gibbings who, along with his wife Moira, operated the Golden Cockerel Press. Gill would design typefaces and engravings for works like the "Song of Songs" and "The Four Gospels" that gave the press its reputation, as well as Perpetua (1925) and Sans-Serif (1927) typefaces for the Monotype Corporation. It was also at Capel-y-ffin that Gill met René Hague, who would later become his son-in-law and his partner in running the Hague & Gill press in Pigotts. By the time Gill left Wales in 1928, he had a reputaton as a leading typographer, sculptor, and engraver.

Gill's next move was to a farmhouse in Buckinghamshire, Pigotts. His Pigotts years were marked by more public commissions and activities, including the publication of numerous essays. A 1928 solo exhibition at Goupil Gallery led to an increase in publicity, including a mention in Stanley Casson's "Some Modern Sculptors" in 1929. He also began accepting large sculptural commissions, among the most significant being "Winds" and "Prospero and Ariel" for the new BBC Headquarters in London. During this time, he also designed the Joanna (1931) typeface and the illustrated letters for the Golden Cockerel Press's "The Four Gospels."

Eric Gill died in November 1940. His autobiography was posthumously published in 1941. The inscription on his tombstone reads: Pray for me / Eric Gill / Stone carver / 1882-1940.