Moses Pitt
Encyclopedia
Moses Pitt was a bookseller and printer known for the production of his Atlas of the world, a project supported by the Royal Society
, and in particular by Christopher Wren
. He is also known as the author of The Cry of the Oppressed (1691), an account of the conditions in which imprisoned debtors lived in debtors' jails in England.
, Cornwall
, and began publishing in 1667 from his base in Little Britain, London
.
and Gilbert Burnet
. His Atlas was initially intended to be 12 volumes and he continued to undertake other work for the Royal Society. However rising costs, estimated by Pitt at £1000 per volume, contributed to his eventual bankruptcy and only four volumes were ever produced.
In Ireland William Molyneux
collaborated with Roderic O'Flaherty to collect material for the Atlas. While Pitt's financial crisis lead to cancellation of the project, much valuable work on early Irish history was collected. Molyneux and O'Flaherty struck a friendship and Molyneux assisted when the latter's treatise Ogygia was published in London in 1685.
As a result of the Atlas project, Pitt was declared bankrupt. He was taken to the Fleet Prison
, and remained there, or in the King's Bench Prison
, for seven years. In 1691, he published The Cry of the Oppressed: Being a True and Tragical Account of the Unparallel'd Sufferings of Multitudes of Poor Imprison'd Debtors In Most of the Gaols in England, a moving appeal on behalf of prisoners for debt across the country.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, and in particular by Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
. He is also known as the author of The Cry of the Oppressed (1691), an account of the conditions in which imprisoned debtors lived in debtors' jails in England.
Early life
Pitt originated from St TeathSt Teath
St Teath is civil parish and village in north Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles southwest of Camelford and seven miles northeast of Wadebridge. The hamlet of Whitewell lies to the west....
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and began publishing in 1667 from his base in Little Britain, London
Little Britain, London
Little Britain is a street in the City of London running from St. Martin's Le Grand in the east to West Smithfield in the west. It is the northern boundary of St Bartholomew's Hospital and is situated in the Aldersgate and Farringdon Within wards. Postman's Park is situated by Little...
.
Publications
His work was characterised by its learned content and included authors such as Robert BoyleRobert Boyle
Robert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
and Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
. His Atlas was initially intended to be 12 volumes and he continued to undertake other work for the Royal Society. However rising costs, estimated by Pitt at £1000 per volume, contributed to his eventual bankruptcy and only four volumes were ever produced.
In Ireland William Molyneux
William Molyneux
William Molyneux FRS was an Irish natural philosopher and writer on politics.He was born in Dublin to Samuel Molyneux , lawyer and landowner , and his wife, Anne, née Dowdall. The second of five children, William Molyneux came from a relatively prosperous Anglican background...
collaborated with Roderic O'Flaherty to collect material for the Atlas. While Pitt's financial crisis lead to cancellation of the project, much valuable work on early Irish history was collected. Molyneux and O'Flaherty struck a friendship and Molyneux assisted when the latter's treatise Ogygia was published in London in 1685.
As a result of the Atlas project, Pitt was declared bankrupt. He was taken to the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
, and remained there, or in the King's Bench Prison
King's Bench Prison
The King's Bench Prison was a prison in Southwark, south London, from medieval times until it closed in 1880. It took its name from the King's Bench court of law in which cases of defamation, bankruptcy and other misdemeanours were heard; as such, the prison was often used as a debtor's prison...
, for seven years. In 1691, he published The Cry of the Oppressed: Being a True and Tragical Account of the Unparallel'd Sufferings of Multitudes of Poor Imprison'd Debtors In Most of the Gaols in England, a moving appeal on behalf of prisoners for debt across the country.