John Kirby (topographer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Kirby
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John Kirby (1690–1753)
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| Born | 1690 |
| Died | December 13, 1753 (aged 62–63) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Surveyor and topographer |
John Kirby (1690–13 December, 1753) was an English land surveyor and topographer. A land surveyor is someone who measures and maps land. A topographer creates detailed maps and descriptions of places.
Kirby is famous for his book The Suffolk Traveller. This book, first printed in 1735, was the first road-book for a single county. It helped people travel around Suffolk, England.
Kirby lived in Wickham Market, Suffolk. He spent three years, from 1732 to 1734, measuring and mapping the entire county. For some of this work, he was joined by Nathaniel Bacon. In 1736, Kirby published a large map of Suffolk. People who paid for this map also received a free copy of his book. He published another large map the next year.
Who Was John Kirby?
John Kirby was born in 1690 in Halesworth, Suffolk. He first worked as a schoolmaster in Orford. Later, he ran a mill in Wickham Market.
Kirby passed away on December 13, 1753, in Ipswich. He was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary at Tower in Ipswich. A famous artist, Thomas Gainsborough, painted a picture of John Kirby. In 1714, John Kirby married Alice Brown.
The Suffolk Traveller Book
In 1735, John Kirby published his book, The Suffolk Traveller; or, a Journey through Suffolk. It was printed in Ipswich. The book was a road-book, which means it showed roads and routes. It also included "antiquarian notices," which were notes about old things and history.
Kirby created the book from his own surveys of Suffolk. He had measured the whole county between 1732 and 1734. The first edition of the book came with a small map of Suffolk.
Later Editions of the Book
A new version of The Suffolk Traveller came out in 1764. Many people helped add new information to it. This edition was edited by the Reverend Richard Canning. Around 1800, a reprint of this version was made.
A fourth edition, with more additions, was published in 1829. This one was called A Topographical . . . Description of the County of Suffolk. It used a different map by Ebden instead of Kirby's original map. In 1844, Augustine Page published a Supplement to the Suffolk Traveller.
Kirby's Maps
In 1736, Kirby also released a large map of Suffolk. This map had pictures of coats of arms and views of places. An improved version of this map was published in 1766. It was engraved by John Ryland. Kirby's sons, Joshua Kirby and William Kirby, helped publish this larger and better map.
