Sir James Bland Lamb, 1st Baronet (8 June 1752 – 13 October 1824), born James Burges and known as Sir James Burges, Bt, between 1795 and 1821, was a British author, barrister and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Background and education

Born James Burges, he was the only son of George Burges and Anne Whichnour Somerville. His mother was the daughter of James Somerville, 12th Lord Somerville.thepeerage.com Sir James Bland Lamb, 1st Bt.
/ref> His father had distinguished himself at the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden (; gd, Blàr Chùil Lodair) was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince Wi ...

by capturing the standard of

Charles Edward Stewart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

and was later deputy paymaster in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

.David Hill Radcliffe, ‘Burges , Sir James Bland, first baronet (1752–1824)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 4 Aug 2014
/ref> He went to

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and then entered

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, in 1770 before studying law at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1773.

Political career

Burges first served in Parliament as

for

Helston Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map she ...

from 1787 to 1790. He then served as

Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is a vacant junior position in the British government, subordinate to both the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and since 1945 also to the Minister of State for Foreign Affa ...

between 1789 and 1795 before becoming a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 21 October 1795 and

knight marshal The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by King Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of King Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846. The Kni ...

of his majesty's household in November of the same year, where he played an important role in the coronation of

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 ...

Writing and poetry

Burges was an ambitious and productive writer. He was well established; being a friend of William Cumberland and

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the Drainage basin, watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. ...

; and a patron of Thomas Dermody. He was connected by marriage to

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

. He wrote music for Ode to the Passions by William Collins and wrote the prologue to

Vortigern and Rowena ''Vortigern and Rowena'', or ''Vortigern, an Historical Play'', is a play that was touted as a newly discovered work by William Shakespeare when it first appeared in 1796. It was eventually revealed to be a Shakespeare hoax, the product of promi ...

(1796). He exchanged poetry with royalty and wrote long poems. ''The Birth and Triumph of Love'' was published in 1796 and the 16,000 line poem was very poorly received. It was quoted as a project that was known for its lack of success. Despite the ignominy Burges still had a prestige and funds available where he could indulge his literary interests. He wrote an introduction for

William Henry Ireland William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet, writer of gothic novels and histories. Although he was apparently christened William-Henry, he was known ...

's Shakespearian forgery and Thomas Dermody stole money from him. Burges continued to publish poetry and he had a play in Drury Lane. Despite being championed by

, no other plays followed. He wrote an introduction to a later edition of the ''

Pilgrim's Progress ''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come'' is a 1678 Christianity, Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature and a prog ...

'' sequel, ''Progress of the Pilgrim Good-Intent in Jacobinical Times''. In this introduction he revealed that the true author of the work was his gifted sister

Mary Ann Burges Mary Anne Burges (6 December 1763 – 10 August 1813) was a Scottish writer who wrote a successful sequel to ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. Life Burges was born in Edinburgh in 1763 to George and Anne Burges. Her father had distinguished himself a ...

Family

Burges married three times; his first marriage to Elizabeth Noel, second daughter of

Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth Edward Noel, 1st Viscount Wentworth (30 August 1715 – 31 October 1774) was a British peer. Early life Edward Noel was born on 30 August 1715. Wentworth was the eldest son (of six sons and a daughter) of Sir Clobery Noel, 5th Baronet, of Kirkby ...

in 1777 produced no children. His second marriage to Anne, third daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Charles Montolieu, Baron of St Hippolite produced the following children. * Charles Montolieu (1785–1864), 2nd Baronet. * Wentworth Noel (b. 30December 1792), an

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, he was killed at the 1812

Siege of Burgos At the siege of Burgos, from 19 September to 21 October 1812, the Anglo-Portuguese Army led by General Arthur Wellesley, Marquess of Wellington tried to capture the castle of Burgos from its French garrison under the command of General of ...

during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. * Somerville Waldemar (b. 7March 1794), an ensign in the

1st Foot Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, lost a leg at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

in 1815. In 1821 he married Mademoiselle Melanie-Marianne Meray, daughter of Capt. Meray, of the French Army. * Clara Maria (d. 4February 1821). * Emilia Charlotte, who married Major-General Sir

Hugh Halkett General Baron Hugh Halkett, Royal Guelphic Order, GCH, Order of the Bath, CB, (30 August 1783 in Musselburgh – 10 December 1863 in Hanover, Germany) was a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars and later a general of infantry in the Kingdom ...

on 25May 1810. * Caroline Eliza Anne (d. 20November 1863). * Sophia Anne (d.11October 1858), who married Warburton Davies on 21December 1821. * Julia Octavia (d. 28October 1826). In 1812, he was married for the third time to Lady Margaret Fordyce, widow of

Alexander Fordyce Alexander Fordyce (7 August 1729-8 September 1789) was an eminent Scottish banker, centrally involved in the bank run on Neale, James, Fordyce and Downe which led to the credit crisis of 1772. He used the profits from other investments to cov ...

and daughter of

James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres James Lindsay, 5th Earl of Balcarres (14 November 1691 – 20 February 1768) was a Scottish peer, the son of Colin Lindsay, 3rd Earl of Balcarres and Lady Margaret Campbell, daughter of the Earl of Loudoun. He became the 5th Earl of Balcarres on ...

. The couple had no children. Major & Murden. A Georgian Heroine: The Intriguing Life of Rachel Charlotte Williams Biggs
/ref> On 25 October 1821 his name was legally changed to James Bland Lamb by Royal Licence.

Works

*Heroic epistle from Serjeant Bradshaw to John Dunning. 1780. *Considerations on the law of insolvency. 1783. *A letter to the Earl of Effingham. 1783. *Address to the country gentlemen of England. 1789. *Letters on the Spanish aggression at Nootka. 1790. *Narrative of the negotiation between France and Spain in 1790. 1790. *Alfred's letters: a review of the political state of Europe. 1792.
The birth and triumph of love. 1796.
*Richard the first: a poem in eighteen books. 2 vols, 1801. *The exodiad

Richard Cumberland Richard Cumberland may refer to: * Richard Cumberland (philosopher) (1631–1718), bishop, philosopher * Richard Cumberland (dramatist) (1732–1811), civil servant, dramatist * Richard Cumberland (priest) (1710–1737), Archdeacon of Northa ...

]. 1807, 1808. *Riches, or the wife and brother: a play. 1810. *Songs, duets, etc. in Tricks upon travellers, a comic opera. 1810. *Dramas. 2 vols, 1817. *The dragon knight: a poem in twelve cantos. 1818. *Reasons in favour of a new translation of the holy scriptures. 1819. *An inquiry into the procrastination attributed to the House of Lords. 1824. *Selections from the letters and correspondence, ed. Hutton. 1885.

References

;Bibliography * *

External links

Catalogue of the papers of Sir James Bland Burges, mainly 1772-1824, with papers of the Burges and Head families, 18th-20th cent., Bodleian Library, University of Oxford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, James Bland 1752 births 1824 deaths Alumni of University College, Oxford Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain English dramatists and playwrights People educated at Westminster School, London Gibraltarians English male dramatists and playwrights English male poets Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Helston British MPs 1784–1790