John Kitto

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John Kitto (1804 - 1854), English biblical scholar, son of a Cornish stonemason, was born in Plymouth.

At the age of 12 a fall led to his becoming totally deaf. From poverty and hardship he was rescued by friends, to whom his mental powers had become known, and the means of education were placed within his reach. By these he profited so remarkably that he became a valuable contributor to Biblical scholarship. He travelled much in the East in the pursuit of his favourite studies. Among his works are Scripture Lands, Daily Bible Illustrations (1849-53), and The Lost Senses in 2 volumes, one dealing with Deafness and the other with Blindness.

He also edited The Pictorial Bible (1838), The Journal of Sacred Literature, The Cyclopaedia of Bible Literature, and contributed to various periodicals.

He received a pension of £100 from Government. In 1844 the University of Giessen conferred upon him the degree of D.D.

Kitto was a close friend of the Exeter dentist and Christian missionary Anthony Norris Groves, whom he accompanied in travelling to Baghdad in 1829. He returned to England via Constantinople in 1833, accompanied at sea by Francis William Newman.

In 1989 Burrington Secondary Modern School in Plymouth was renamed John Kitto Comprehensive School in his honour. It is now the John Kitto Community College[1].

[edit] Works

These include:

• Uncle Oliver's travels in Persia (1838)
• Pictorial History of Palestine (1839-40)
• The Gallery of Scripture Engravings (1843)
• The history of Palestine from the patrianchal age to the present time (1843)
• A Cyclopaedia of Biblical literature (1845)
• Ancient Jerusalem (1846)
• Modern Jerusalem (1847)
• The Olive, Vine and Palm (1848)
• The Court and People of Persia (1848)
• The Tabernacle and its Furniture (1849)
• The Bible history of the Holy Land (1850) maps
• Domestic Arrangements of the Orientals (1853)
• The Pictorial Bible – being the Old and New Testaments according to authorized versions. Illustrated with Steel Engravings and Woodcuts representing landscape scenes, and subjects of natural history, costume and antiquities with Original Notes by John Kitto, D.D., F.S.A. – New edition, with additional notes, based on discoveries of recent travellers (4 volume set); London: W & R Chambers (1866)

[edit] Bibliography

• Eadie, John, Life of John Kitto, DD, FSA (Edinburgh, Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier, 1866)

For a complete list of Kitto's works, see:

• Boase, George Clement, Devonshire Bibliography, a bibliographical list of the writings of Dr. John Kitto, London 1883.

This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. London, J.M. Dent & sons; New York, E.P. Dutton.