Samuel Burdy (c.1760–1820) was an Irish author, known as the biographer of

Philip Skelton Philip Skelton (1707–1787) was an Irish Protestant clergyman and writer. Life The son of Richard Skelton, a farmer, gunsmith tanner, he was born at Derriaghy, County Antrim, in February 1707. His mother, Arabella Cathcart, was daughter of a farm ...

Life

He was born at Dromore, County Down, about 1760, the only son of Peter Burdy, a merchant there. He obtained a

sizar At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined jo ...

ship by examination at Trinity College, Dublin, on 22 March 1777; was awarded a scholarship in 1780, and graduated B.A. in 1781. He was ordained in 1783, and in the same year was appointed curate of

Ardglass Ardglass () is a coastal fishing village, townland (of 321 acres) and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the historic barony of Lecale Lower. It is still a relatively important fishing harbour. It is situated on the B1 Ardg ...

, a parish in the county of Down. Burdy was only once promoted, to the perpetual curacy of

Kilclief Kilclief (from the Irish ''Cill Cléithe'' meaning 'church of wattle') is a civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic baronies of Lecale Lower and Lecale Upper. It is also a townland of 623 acres. The site o ...

, a small preferment in County Down. This was soon after 1800, and he died there in 1820.

Works

In 1781 Burdy met the Rev. Philip Skelton, then in old age, and they became firm friends for the remaining six years of Skelton's life. Skelton lived in Dublin, and for three years Burdy used to visit him often. After Burdy left Dublin they corresponded till 4 November 1786. After Skelton's death Burdy researched for a biography, visiting Tyrone, Monaghan, and Donegal, to collect reminiscences of Skelton. In 1792 he published at Dublin ''The Life of the late Rev. Philip Skelton, with some curious anecdotes''. The life was republished in London in two volumes, with the lives of Edward Pocock,

Zachary Pearce Zachary Pearce, sometimes known as Zachariah (8 September 1690 – 29 June 1774), was an English Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Rochester. He was a controversialist and a notable early critical writer defending John Milton, attacking Richard ...

, and Thomas Newton, in 1816. In 1824 a third edition appeared, prefixed to an edition of Skelton's works, edited by Robert Lynam, but with changes to the text of Burdy's biography. Burdy also published: *''A Short Account of the Affairs of Ireland during the years 1783, 1784, and part of 1785'' (1792); *''Ardglass or the Ruined Castles, also the Transformation, with some other poems'' (1802); the Belinda who is several times mentioned in Burdy's poetry is probably the daughter of Thomas Percy, but Burdy remained unmarried, because the bishop would not allow the match. *''A History of Ireland'' (1817).

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Burdy, Samuel 1760 births 1820 deaths 18th-century Irish Anglican priests 19th-century Irish Anglican priests Irish biographers Irish male non-fiction writers Irish male poets Male biographers Irish poets