Benjamin Kennicott (1718-1783) was a native of Totnes (Devon, England). In 1744 he entered Wadham College, Oxford, where he was able to study theology and Hebrew. A few years later he was elected a fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, and rector of Culham (Oxfordshire). He published numerous works, including Vetus Testamentum hebraicum cum variis lectionibus. Kennicott set out to collect all the Hebrew manuscripts before the printing press and managed to collect numerous donations that allowed him to go ahead with the project. His eagerness to find books on biblical and Hebrew subjects led him, as librarian of the Radcliffe Library in Oxford, to acquire some outstanding copies, such as the Kennicott Bible.