, eminent for his talents in perspective, was the eldest son of Mr. John Kirby, who was
originally a schoolmaster at Orforcl, and who is known to
topographers by a map of Suffolk which he published, and
by “The Suffolk Traveller,
” 12mo, a new edition of which
was published in 1764. He was born at Parham, near
Wickham-market, in 1716, and settled as a house-painter
at Ipswich about 1738. Me had a turn for drawing, and
published, early in life, twelve prints of castles, ancient
churches, and monuments, in Suffolk, with a small descriptive pamphlet. He afterwards became intimate with
the celebrated artist Gainsborough, the contemplation of
whose works increased his taste for painting, but he had
very little leisure to cultivate it, and has left only a few
landscapes in the possession of his family; one of which,
a view of the old kitchen at Glastonbury-abbey, was exhibited at Spring-gardens in 1770.