KEN 



KEMSER, a town of Bengal ; 15 miles S.S.E. of Cur- 

 ruckpour. 



KEMSKOI, a town of Ruflia, in the government of 

 Tobolfl-c. N. lat. 57- 2j'. E. long. 92°. 



KEN. Thomas, in Biography, an Englidi prelate, was 

 born at Berkhamaead, in Hertforddiire, in the year 1637. 

 He received liis claffical education at Wincheller fchnol, was 

 eleSed fcholar, and removed in dnt* time to New-College, 

 Oxford, of which he was chofen fello*'. After taking his 

 degrees be entered into holy orders, and became chaplain to 

 lord Maynard, comptroller of tlie houfhold to kmg Charles 

 II. In 1666, he was chofen fcUew of Winchefter college, 

 and in- a (hort time afterwards was appointed domeilic chap- 

 lain to Dr. Morlcy, bilhop of Winchefter, from whom he 

 received a prefentation to the rectory of Brixton, in the llle 

 of Wight, and afterwards, in 1669, to a prebend in the 

 churclf of Winchefter. About the year 1673, the fame 

 friend and patron gave him the reftory of Woodhey, m 

 Hampihire, which, however, he foon refigned, conceivmg that 

 he ought to be fatislied with the emoluments which he had 

 previoufly poflcfFed. In 1675, '^^ ^^^"'^' '" company with his 

 nephew, Mr. Ifaac Walton, to Rome, and on his return he 

 ufed to fay he was grateful for the eft'eA produced by the 

 journev, inafmuch as he was more ft;rongly confirmed in his 

 belief of the excellence of the reformed religion, by wntneffing 

 the abfurdities of the fupcrftitions praClifed abroad. In 

 1679, he took his degree of doctor of divinity, and being 

 appointed chaplain to the princefs of Orange, he went to 

 Holland. He difcharged the duties of his office with fo 

 much prudence and zeal, as to fecure the efteem and confi- 

 dence of his royal miftrefs, but he mcurred the temporary 

 difpleafure of her confort, afterwards William III. of Eng- 

 land, by obliging one of his favourites to fulfil his engage- 

 ment to a young lady of the princefs's train, whom he had 

 feduced under "a promife of marriage. On his arrival in 

 England he was appointed chaplain to lord Dartmouth, who 

 received a commiffion to demolifh the fortifications of Tan- 

 giers, and on his return from this expedition, he was imme- 

 diately advanced to be chaplain to the king, by an exprefs 

 order from his majeily, who hoped thereby to render him 

 fubfervient to his mezrfures, and to the laxity of his morals. 

 When the court removed to Winciiefter, the fovereign de- 

 fired Dr. Ken to admit into his prebendal houfe Eleanor 

 Gwyn, one of the king's miftreffes, but he pofitively refufed 

 to fubmit to an arrangement which might appear to give 

 countenance to vice ; and Charles, fo far from being offended 

 with this decifive proof of religious intrepidity, took an early 

 opportunity of raifing him to the epifcopal bench, by pre- 

 fenting him with the fee of Bath and Wells. Within a few 

 days of this appointment the king was attacked by his lait 

 iUiiefs, during which the bifhop attended him in the moft 

 fedulous manner, endeavouring, though, it is faid, meffeftu- 

 ally, to awaken the king's confcience te a fenfe of forrow 

 for his paft profligate hfe. Neverthelefs the bifhop did not 

 hefitate to pronounce abfolution over his majefty wnthout re- 

 ceiving any declaration of repentance, for which he has been 

 defervedly cenfured ; though it is to be feared, that almoft 

 all death-bed repentances, being the elTeCl of dread of the 

 future, can avail the fuppofed penitents very little with re- 

 gard to a future ftate. The hilltop was exemplary in per- 

 forming the duties of his llatioo, and was inceffantly; de- 

 vifing means for relieving the poor, and inilruaing the igno- 

 rant. With this view he built the firit workhoufe at Weils, 

 -.vhich has proved the model for numbers tiiat have been 

 ereded fince his time ; and he eftablifhed many fchools in 

 all the great towns of hisdiocefe. To thcfe, and many other 

 fimilar object-, Dr. Ken devoted the principal part of the 



KEN 



income of his fee. He was a warm friend to the doiSrine 

 of paflive obedience and non-refiftance, and on that account 

 was at firft well received by Jaraes II., but when that princo 

 endeavoured to introduce popery as the eftablilhed religion 

 of tlie country, he found it expedient to act upon more 

 conftitutional grounds, and to oppofe tlie meafures of the 

 court with fpirit and zeal. He was one of the fevcn bifliops 

 fent to the Tower for refilling that monarch's difpciifing 

 power, and for petitioning in belialf of their own and the 

 people's rights. The bilhop and his brethren, tliough 

 charged with high treafon, were honourably actpiitted, to 

 the inexpreflible joy of every friend to the country. At the 

 Revolution he refufed to transfer hit allegiance to the new fo- 

 vereigns, and, declining to take the oaths required of him, 

 was deprived of his biftiopric. He now lived a life of re- 

 tirement, but cojifidered himfclf ftill as bidiop in right, 

 though not in fad, conceiving that no human power coulif 

 feparate him from the relationfhip which he bore to liis dio- 

 cefe. Upon the death of his firft fucceffor, Dr. Kidder, he 

 urged Dr. Hooper, who had been nominated to the vacaiit 

 biftiopric, to accept it, and ever afterwards figncd himfelf 

 " late bilhop of Bath and Wells.'' From this time the queen 

 fettled on him a penfion of 200/. per ann. which he enjoyi-d 

 fo long as he lived. Ho died, as he was on a journey to Bath, 

 in Miu-ch 1 7 10-11, in the 74th year of his age. He had 

 been in the habit of travelling many years with his ftiroud 

 in his portmanteau, which he always put on when attacked 

 by i'.lnefs : of this he gave notice the day before his death, 

 in order to prevent his body from being ft ripped. His works, 

 which are all of a theological and praAical turn, were col- 

 lected, in 1 72 1, in four volumes octavo. Biog. Brit. 



Kex, in Geographf, a town of Hindooftan, in the pro- 

 vince of Behker; 20 miles N. of Behker.— Alio, a fmall 

 low idand in the Perfian gulf, in which arc a few ihrubs.' 

 N. lat. 27' J4'. E. long. 50' 76'. 



KEN.AMOW, a town of Hindooftan, in Oude ; 30 miles 

 S.S.E. of Caunpour. 



KENAPOOSSAN, a fmall iflai-.d in the Eaft Indian 

 fea, in the Sooloo Archipelago. N. lat. 5- 12'. E. long. 

 120' 23'. 



KENAREI-HAV AZ, a town of Hindooftan, in Moul- 

 tan ; 20 milts E. of Batnir. 



KENAWAS, a town of Hindooft^an, in the circar of 

 Kitchwarah ; 1 7 miles W. of Sheergur. 



KENCHES TER. See Auicoxiu.m and Hereford. 



KENDAL, or Kentdale, a market town and parifti 

 in the ward of Kendal, and county of Weftmoreland, Eng- 

 land, is built in a pkafnnt valley on the weftern banks of 

 the river Kent, over which there are three bridges. The 

 town confifts of one principal ftrect running north and fouth, 

 with feveral fmaller ones branching off at right angles. Ken- 

 dal has long been famed for its manufafture of cottons. In 

 the year iSoo, Houfeman ftates that the town contained 12 

 manufaftories engaged in this bufinefs, and that about i2CO 

 pieces of cotton were made weekly, each of which contained 

 about 24 pounds of v.-ool. The bufinefs was then increafing. 

 Eight houfes were alfo engaged in the linfey manufaftuies, 

 and " feveral other manufactures of lefs confequence are car- 

 ried on. There are likewife a confiderable number of perfons 

 employed in working and pohfliing marble, which, in the 

 beauty and variety of its colours, is thought by many to be 

 fuperior even to that imported from Greece and Italy. Mr. 

 Wakefield manufafturcs large quantities of gunpowder at 

 Lis mills a little below the town.' The public biii'dings ot 

 Kendal are the churcii, a large and commodious workhouie, 

 and a bridewell. Near the church is a handfome houle 

 called Abbot-hall, the property of fir Alan Chambrc, one 

 4X2 ot 



