Richard Bithell

Richard Bithell (22 March 1821 – 4 December 1902) was an English agnostic philosopher and writer.

Richard Bithell
Born	22 March 1821 Lewes, Sussex, UK
Died	4 December 1902 (1902-12-05) (aged 81)
Occupation(s)	Philosopher, writer

Bithell was born at Lewes, Sussex on 22 March 1821.^[1] When he was 11, he worked at his father's smithy in Lewes.^[2] Due to ill health he later took up teaching. He took courses at the Borough Road Training College to become a teacher of chemistry and mathematics.^[2] In 1843, he was appointed master of the British School in Chesterfield. He was transferred to Brighton, Wolverton and London.^[2]

Bithell obtained a BSc from London University and a PhD from University of Göttingen.^[2] He developed an interest in philosophy and authored a series of books on agnosticism.^[2] From 1865 he worked at the banking house of the Rothschilds until his retirement in 1898.^[3] His title-pages describe him as "B.Sc., Ph.D., Fellow of the Institute of Bankers". Bithell was a member of the Rationalist Press Association.^[4]

Bithell has been cited as one of the early popularizers of agnosticism during the late 19th century.^[3]

Selected publications

• A Counting-House Dictionary, containing an explanation of the technical terms used by merchants and bankers, etc. (1882; new ed., 1903)
• The Creed of a Modern Agnostic (1883)
• Agnostic Problems (1887)
• A Handbook of Scientific Agnosticism (1892)