Many of the books are in the name of John Brerely, which is thought to be a pseudonym of Lawrence Anderton, a cousin of James and his brothers. He was the youngest son of Lawrence Anderton of Chorley, was educated at Blackburn Grammar School, and entered Christ's College, Cambridge University in 1593. He is thought to have originally taken orders in the Anglican Church but went to Rome in 1604 and subsequently joined the Society of Jesus. He published a volume of poems in 1601 in London and The Protestant Apologie in 1604, which may be his first book after becoming a Catholic priest.