James Burton (1 May 1745 – 30 Jun 1825), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

priest from

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. He was a senior canon of

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

(1793–1825) and chaplain to

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. He was the older brother of the barrister and judge, Charles Burton.

Biography

Early life

Burton was born in

Aynho Aynho (, formerly spelt ''Aynhoe'') is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, on the edge of the Cherwell valley south-east of the north Oxfordshire town of Banbury and southwest of Brackley. Along with its neighbour C ...

, the son of Francis Burton (1709–1777), a member of a family that could trace its descent from Ingenulfe de Burton who came to England with

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

. His mother was Anne Burton, née Singer (1716–1792). Burton was educated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, entering as a chorister in 1755 and matriculating as an undergraduate in 1761. He continued his education at Magdalen, gaining a B.A. in 1765 and M.A. in 1768.

Career

In 1762, Burton was admitted as a demy by Magdalen College, a post which he retained until shortly after his marriage in 1774. He took holy orders and became rector of Over Worton,

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

Little Berkhamstead Little Berkhamsted is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, five miles south-west of the town of Hertford. The village is in a hilly location, some 120 metres (400 feet) above sea level. It has a row of weather-boarded cottages ...

and incumbent at Waddesdon. He gained a B.D. in 1788, and a

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

the following year. He was also

chaplain in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

and

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, and became a senior canon at

from 1793 until his death.

Marriage and children

In 1774, Burton married Mary Anne Jenner (1751–1788). They had nine children (5 boys and 4 girls), of which two of the daughters died in infancy. The surviving children were: *Arthur Francis Burton (1777–1819) – priest. *James Singer Burton (1778–1818) – gentleman usher to George III. *Robert Burton (1779–1801) *Charles William Burton (1780–1816) – army officer who served and died in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and married Mary Anne Gilchrist, daughter of

John Borthwick Gilchrist John Borthwick Gilchrist (19 June 1759 – 9 January 1841) was a Scottish surgeon, linguist, philologist and Indologist. Born and educated in Edinburgh, he spent most of his early career in India, where he made a study of the local languages. ...

. *Rachel Burton (b. 1782) *Mary Anne Burton (b. 1784) – married Rev. Edward Marshall. *Cecil Hill Burton (1788–1813) – also an army officer who died in India.

Death

Burton died on 30 June 1825, and was buried at

Fetcham Fetcham is a suburban village in Surrey, England west of the town of Leatherhead, on the other side of the River Mole and has a mill pond, springs and an associated nature reserve. The housing, as with adjacent Great Bookham, sits on the lower s ...

on 7 July 1825.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, James 1745 births 1825 deaths People from Aynho 18th-century English Anglican priests Fellows of Magdalen College, Oxford People associated with Christ Church, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests