Andrew Kippis facts for kids
Andrew Kippis (born March 28, 1725 – died October 8, 1795) was an English nonconformist clergyman and writer. A nonconformist was a Protestant Christian who did not follow the official Church of England. Kippis spent his life writing biographies and teaching.
Andrew Kippis's Life
Andrew Kippis was born in Nottingham. His father, Robert Kippis, worked with silk. Andrew went to Carre's Grammar School in Sleaford, Lincolnshire. When he was 16, he went to a special school called a Dissenting academy in Northampton. Dr. Philip Doddridge was in charge of this school.
In 1746, Kippis became a minister at a church in Boston. Later, in 1750, he moved to Dorking, Surrey. In 1753, he became the pastor of a Presbyterian church in Westminster, London. He stayed there for the rest of his life.
Kippis was very active in his church and in education. From 1763 to 1784, he taught classical languages and grammar at the Coward Trust's academy in Hoxton. Later, he taught at the New College at Hackney. In 1778, he became a member of the Antiquarian Society. The next year, in 1779, he became a member of the Royal Society. These were important groups for scholars and scientists.
Andrew Kippis's Works
Andrew Kippis was a very busy writer. He wrote many articles for magazines like The Gentleman's Magazine and The Monthly Review. He also started his own publication called the New Annual Register.
Kippis published many sermons and short books. He also wrote life stories (biographies) that were put at the beginning of other authors' books. For example, he wrote a life story for Nathaniel Lardner's Works in 1788. He also wrote one for Philip Doddridge's Exposition of the New Testament in 1792.
His biggest project was editing the Biographia Britannica. This was a huge collection of biographies. He only managed to publish five large volumes between 1778 and 1793 before he passed away. He had help from Joseph Towers, who was a minister at Newington Green Unitarian Church.
One of Kippis's most famous books is Cook's Voyages. This book was first published in London in 1788. It starts with a letter from Kippis to George III of the United Kingdom, the King, dated June 13, 1788. The book tells the stories of Captain James Cook's three famous voyages around the world:
- The first voyage (1768–1771)
- The second voyage (1772–1775)
- The third voyage (1776–1779)
The book also describes Captain Cook's personality and how his amazing journeys changed the world. Kippis also wrote about how important Cook's work was.
See also
