KIPPIS

kippis, andrew (1725-1795), english nonconformist divine and biographer, son of robert kippis, a silk-hosier, was born at nottingham on the 28th of march 1725. from school at sleaford in lincolnshire he passed at the age of sixteen to the nonconformist academy at northampton, of which dr doddridge was then president. in 1746 kippis became minister of a church at boston; in 1750 he removed to dorking in surrey; and in 1753 he became pastor of a presbyterian congregation at westminster, where he remained till his death on the 8th of october 1795. kippis took a prominent part in the affairs of his church. from 1763 till 1784 he was classical and philological tutor in coward's training college at hoxton; and subsequently for some years at another institution of the same kind at hackney. in 1778 he was elected a fellow of the antiquarian society, and a fellow of the royal society in 1779. kippis was a very voluminous writer. he contributed largely to _the gentleman's magazine_, _the monthly review_ and _the library_; and he had a good deal to do with the establishment and conduct of _the new annual register_. he published also a number of sermons and occasional pamphlets; and he prefixed a life of the author to a collected edition of dr nathaniel lardner's _works_ (1788). he wrote a life of dr doddridge, which is prefixed to doddridge's _exposition of the new testament_ (1792). his chief work is his edition of the _biographia britannica_, of which, however, he only lived to publish 5 vols. (folio, 1778-1793). in this work he had the assistance of dr towers. see notice by a. rees, d.d., in _the new annual register_ for 1795.