| Nathaniel Edward Kindersley | |
| Birth Date: | 1763 2, df=yes[1] |
| Birth Place: | Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England |
| Death Place: | Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Nationality: | British |
| Known For: | First translator of Tirukkural into English |
| Occupation: | Officer, British East India Company |
| Father: | Nathaniel Kindersley |
| Mother: | Jemima Wickstead |
| Spouse: | Hannah Butterworth |
| Children: | Sir Richard Torin Kindersley and Nathaniel William Kindersley |
Nathaniel Edward Kindersley (2 February 1763 – 16 February 1831) was an English civil service officer to the British East India Company. He is known for being the first translator of the Tirukkural into English in 1794.[2]
Nathaniel Edward Kindersley was born to Nathaniel Kindersley and Jemima Wickstead at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. He married Hannah Butterworth on 3 July 1786 at Tangernaikpuram, Tamil Nadu, India,[3] and they had two sons named Sir Richard Torin Kindersley (born 5 October 1792, died 22 October 1879) and Nathaniel William Kindersley (born 1794, died 3 December 1844).
He died on 16 February 1831 at the age of 68 at Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England.[4]
Nathaniel Edward Kindersley published the first ever translation of the Tirukkural into English in a chapter titled 'Extracts from the Teroo-Vaulaver Kuddul, or, The Ocean of Wisdom' in his publication Specimens of Hindoo Literature in 1794. However, he translated only the first few chapters of Book I of the Kural text in prose.[5]