Thomas Kitchin (also Kitchen;
1718–1784)
was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
engraver and
cartographer, who became
hydrographer to the king. He was also a writer, who wrote about the history of the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
.
Life
He was born in
Southwark, and was apprenticed to
Emanuel Bowen
Emanuel Bowen (1694 – 8 May 1767) was a Welsh map engraver, who achieved the unique distinction of becoming Royal Mapmaker to both to King George II of Great Britain and Louis XV of France. Bowen was highly regarded by his contemporaries for p ...
in 1732. Originally based in
Clerkenwell, by late 1755 Kitchin was established on
Holborn
Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London.
The area has its root ...
Hill. From 1773 Kitchin was royal hydrographer to the king. He married Sarah Bowen, daughter of
Emanuel, in 1739, and then Jane, daughter of
Joseph Burroughs, in 1762. He died in
St Albans on 23 June 1784. Kitchin lived and worked in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
until his retirement.
[
]
Works
He produced John Elphinstone
John Elphinstone, also known as John Elphinston (1722 – 28 February 1785), was a senior British naval officer who worked closely with the Russian Navy after 1770, with approval from the Admiralty, during the period of naval reform under Russi ...
's map of Scotland (1746), ''Geographia Scotiae'' (1749), and ''The Small English Atlas'' (1749) with Thomas Jefferys
Thomas Jefferys (c. 1719 – 1771), "Geographer to King George III", was an English cartographer who was the leading map supplier of his day.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004. He engraved and printed maps for government and other offi ...
. ''The Large English Atlas'' (with Bowen 1749–60) was a serious attempt to cover England at large scale. In 1755 Kitchin engraved the Mitchell Map
The Mitchell Map is a map made by John Mitchell (1711–1768), which was reprinted several times during the second half of the 18th century. The map, formally titled ''A map of the British and French dominions in North America'' &c., was used ...
of North America. He worked for ''London Magazine
''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and miscellaneous topics.
1732–1785
''The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly I ...
''.[ He produced 170 maps for ''London Magazine'' (1747–83). Kitchin was the head hydrographer for the King of England. Kitchin frequently stole the works of other cartographers, which is one reason why he "created" so much work as a cartographer.][
His book, ''The Present State of the West-Indies: Containing an Accurate Description of What Parts Are Possessed by the Several Powers in Europe'' was published in 1778 bt R. Baldwin in London.]
In 1783, he wrote, The Traveller's Guide Through England and Wales, which listed most towns and cities with mileages back to London.
Kitchin died in June 1784 and was buried in St Alban's Cathedral. His memorial stone has not survived.ODNB
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
See also
*Sea of the West
The Sea of the West, or ''Mer de l'Ouest'', was a geographic misconception of an inland sea in the Pacific Northwest that appeared on many maps of the 18th century. The depiction was particularly common on French maps. The sea was supposed to be co ...
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitchin, Thomas
1719 births
1784 deaths
English engravers
English cartographers
18th-century cartographers
English hydrographers
18th-century English people
People from Southwark