1805, and M.A. 1810. At a by-election in May 1811 Kemp was returned to the House of Commons in the whig interest for the borough of Lewes. He was re-elected at the general election in October 1812, but in March 1816 retired from parliament. Having seceded from the church of England with his brother-in-law, the Rev. George Baring, and others, he became a preacher. Their sect, however, after attracting some notoriety, fell to pieces. In June 1826 Kemp was again elected for Lewes, and continued to represent that borough until his final retirement from parliament in April 1837. He very rarely took any part in the debates. Kemp sold the castles of Lewes and Hurstmonceaux, and bought Dale Park, near Arundel, which he afterwards resold. He had a passion for building. He built a large house in the Montpelier Road, Brighton, which he called ‘The Temple,’ and another at the south-west corner of Belgrave Square, London, which was afterwards the residence of General Lord Hill. His great-uncle, John Kemp, in 1770 purchased one moiety of the manor of Brighthelmstone for 300l. This became his property on his father's death in May 1811, and about 1820 he commenced the building speculation to the east of Brighton known as Kemp Town, by which the whole of his large fortune was completely absorbed. He died suddenly at Paris on 20 Dec. 1844, aged 63. Kemp married, first, on 12 July 1806, Frances, fourth daughter of Sir Francis Baring, bart., a sister of Alexander, first baron Ashburton, by whom he had nine children. He married, secondly, on 26 Nov. 1832, Frances Margaretta, only daughter of Charles Watkin John Shakerley of Somerford Park, Cheshire, and widow of Vigors Hervey of Killiane Castle, co. Wexford, by whom he had one son, Frederick Shakerley Kemp. His second wife died at Tunbridge Wells on 28 Aug. 1860. Two portraits of Kemp are referred to in Evans's ‘Catalogue.’
[Lower's Worthies of Sussex, 1865, p. 253; Ann. Reg. 1845 App. to Chron. p. 322, 1860 App. to Chron. p. 454; Gent. Mag. 1806 vol. lxxvi. pt. ii. p. 675, 1845 new ser. xxiii. 441–3; Grad. Cantabr. 1856, p. 220; Official Return of Lists of Members of Parl. pt. ii. pp. 250, 265, 307, 321, 324, 345, 357; Brit. Mus. Addit. MS. 28614.]
KEMP or KEMPE, WILLIAM (fl. 1590), writer on education, matriculated in June 1578 as a pensioner of Christ's College, Cambridge, whence he migrated to Trinity Hall (B.A. in 1580 and M.A. in 1584). He appears to have settled at Plymouth, and as early as 1581 was acting as master of the grammar school there at a yearly salary of 20l. He seems to have held the post till 1604–5. In 1587 he issued ‘A Dutiful Invective against the most Haynous Treasons of Ballard and Babington: with other their Adherents latelie executed. Together with the Horrible Attempts and Actions of the Q. of Scottes; and the Sentence pronounced against her at Fodderingay. Newlie compiled and set foorth in English verse. For a New Yeares gifte to all loyall English Subjects, by W. Kempe,’ London, 1587, 4to; dedicated to George Barne, lord mayor of London (Brit. Mus.). A tract dealing with the execution of Babington and his associates, entitled ‘The Censure of a Loyal Subject,’ 1587, 4to, has been assigned to Kemp; it is by George Whetstone.
Kemp was author of two educational works, both of which are now very rare; copies are in the British Museum. The earlier was entitled ‘The Education of Children in learning. Declared by the Dignitie, Utilitie, and Method thereof,’ London, 1588, 4to; it was dedicated to William Hawkins (d. 1589) [q. v.], mayor of Plymouth. The second was ‘The Art of Arithmeticke in Whole Numbers and Fractions. … Written in Latin by P. Ramus and translated into English by William Kempe,’ London, by Richard Field for Robert Dextar, 1592. This was dedicated to Sir Francis Drake, and verses by ‘A. W.’ in honour of Drake precede Kemp's translation.
It is possible that the Plymouth schoolmaster may be the ‘Kemp’ mentioned in ‘Theses Martinianæ,’ 1589 (sig. D, iii. v.), as one of the pamphleteers in behalf of the bishops against the puritans in the Martin Mar-Prelate controversy.
[Information kindly supplied by the Rev. J. Ingle Dredge; R. N. Worth's Hist. of Plymouth, 1890; Cooper's Athenæ Cantabr. ii. 41; Kemp's Works; Ames's Typogr. Antiq., ed. Herbert.]
KEMP, WILLIAM (fl. 1600), comic actor and dancer, was possibly son of ‘William Kempe, servant with William Holliday,’ who was buried at St. Giles's, Cripplegate, 15 April 1589, or he may have been the William, son of Stephen Kempe of Broxbourne, who was apprenticed to William Cooke, printer, in November 1566 (Arber, Stationers' Reg. i. 146). It has also been suggested that he is the William Kemp who married Cole Holwyn at St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, 13 June 1568, and the ‘Wm. Kempte’—no uncommon variant of the name—who owed money to one Phillipson in August 1559 (Warner, Cat. Dulwich MSS. pp. 1–2). He probably began his theatrical career as a member of the company of actors in the service of Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth's favourite. Sir Philip
