He was born in London, the son of Jacques or James Basire, a Huguenot and native of Rouen,[1] and Magdelaine Lair.
All four worked as engravers, sometimes as an apprentice to his father, with overlapping periods of productivity, and three shared the same name.
He was noted for his skill at architectural prints and his apprenticing of the young William Blake.
James Basire the second (12 November 1769 – 13 May 1822) succeeded his father in an appointment from the Society of Antiquaries, indicating that he was a good draughtsman, a capable and accomplished engraver.
He did a number of plates of Sussex country-houses including Glynde Place and Glyndebourne House, but his work and artistic skill were not as well-regarded.