Samuel Kidd (1804–1843) was an English

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

missionary in Malacca, and professor of Chinese at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

Life

Born 22 November 1804 at Welton, near

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...

, he was educated at the village school there. In 1818 he was sent to Hull, where he was drawn towards a missionary career, and in 1820 he entered the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...

's training college at Gosport. At the end of April 1824 Kidd sailed for the London Missionary Society to Madras, and on to Malacca, where he arrived in November. He took up the

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...

dialect of Chinese under the Rev. David Collie. In the course of 1826 he published short tracts in Chinese, and the following year was appointed professor of Chinese in the Anglo-Chinese College of Malacca. From this time he took an active part in missionary work, preaching and writing. Chinese College Malacca

In 1829 Kidd's wife returned to England on account of her health, giving birth to her daughter in June 1830. Two years later attacks of

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

compelled Kidd himself to go back. In 1833 he was appointed pastor of a church at

Manningtree Manningtree is a town and civil parish in the Tendring district of Essex, England, which lies on the River Stour. It is part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Natural Beauty. Smallest town claim Manningtree has traditionally claimed to b ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

. In 1837 Kidd was appointed professor of Chinese at University College, London, for a term of five years. The appointment was not renewed at the end of that term, and Kidd died suddenly on 12 June 1843, at his residence in Camden Town.

Works

As well as short works in Chinese, Kidd was the author of: * "Critical Notices of Dr. Robert Morrison's Literary Labours" in ''Memoir of Morrison'', 1838, ii. 1–87; * inaugural lecture at University College on the Chinese language, 1838; * a catalogue of the Chinese library at the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

; and * ''China, or Illustrations of the Philosophy, Government, and Literature of the Chinese'', London, 1841.

Family

In April 1824 Kidd married Hannah, second daughter of William Irving of Hull. They had four children, three born in China. However, Sara Ann Kidd was born on June 29th 1830 in Hull, after her mother had returned to England.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Samuel 1804 births 1843 deaths Congregationalist missionaries in Malaysia English Congregationalist ministers English orientalists People from Kingston upon Hull English Congregationalist missionaries