William Burdon (1764–1818) was an English academic, mineowner and writer.

Life

Burdon was born at

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

, the son of George Burdon, was educated at

Newcastle grammar school , motto_translation = Let us be judged by our actions , location = Newcastle, Hunter Region, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Austral ...

, and went to

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

in 1782. He graduated B.A. 1786, and M.A. 1788, when he was elected a Fellow of his college. In the early times of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, Burdon's views were

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, but he later modified them. He resigned his fellowship in 1806, on declining to take holy orders, and moved to London; it is thought he had suffered a crisis of faith. He was later an associate of George Cannon, and published in his ''Theological Enquirer'' as W.B. A wealthy man, Burdon owned coalmines at Hartford, near

Morpeth Morpeth may refer to: *Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia ** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales * Morpeth, Ontario, Canada * Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK ** Morpeth (UK ...

, where he lived for part of each year. Hartford Hall was built there for him around 1807 by William Stokoe. Alterations were later made to the house, about 1875. Burdon died at his London house in

Welbeck Street Welbeck Street is a street in the West End, central London. It has historically been associated with the medical profession. Location The street runs approximately north–south between New Cavendish Street at the northern end, crossing Wigm ...

, Cavendish Square, on 30 May 1818. He was a patron of the writer

Hewson Clarke Hewson Clarke (1787 – 1845 or later) was an English author, known for historical works. In literary circles he became unpopular by satirising Lord Byron. Life Clarke was born in Maryport, Cumberland, and went to work for a Mr. Huntley, a chemis ...

Works

Burdon wrote extensively on political and literary topics. His major works were: * ''Examination of the Merits and Tendency of the Pursuits of Literature'', 1799. Against

Thomas James Mathias Thomas James Mathias, FRS (c.1754 – August 1835) was a British satirist and scholar. Life Mathias was educated in Kingston upon Thames and Trinity College, Cambridge. He held some minor appointments in the royal household (sub-treasurer, 1782 a ...

. * ''A Vindication of Pope and Grattan from the Attacks of an anonymous Defamer'', 1799. * ''Various Thoughts on Politicks, Morality, and Literature'', 1800. Based on letters published in the ''

Cambridge Intelligencer The ''Cambridge Intelligencer'' was an English weekly newspaper, appearing from 1793 to 1803, and edited by Benjamin Flower. The historian J. E. Cookson called it "the most vigorous and outspoken liberal periodical of its day". Flower suffered ...

''. * ''Materials for Thinking'', 1803, 1812. A work of advocacy for

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

, in a broad sense. The ''Lacon'' of Charles Caleb Colton was thought to draw on this work, as well as '' Bacon's Essays''. * ''The Life and Character of Buonaparte'', 1804. Burdon had praised Napoleon in ''Various Thoughts'', but this was a critical biography. * ''Letters on the Affairs of Spain'', 1809. * ''Cobbett and the Reformers impartially examined'', 1813, in which he proposed a moderate reform programme. In private Burdon wrote in more extreme terms, and was an atheist. In 1795 Burdon wrote letters in the ''

'' against Richard Watson,

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (the site of a ...

, the absentee Cambridge Regius Professor of Divinity, claiming his deputy

Thomas Kipling Thomas Kipling (1745 or 1746 – 28 January 1822) was a British churchman and academic. He entered St John's College, Cambridge University in 1764 at age 18 and was senior wrangler in 1768. He received an M.A. in 1771, a B.D. in 1779, and ...

was incompetent. These were then published in book form by

Benjamin Flower Benjamin Flower (1755 – 17 February 1829) was an English radical journalist and political writer, and a vocal opponent of his country's involvement in the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars. Early life He was born in London, the son of a pro ...

as ''Three Letters Addressed to the Bishop of Llandaff'', later in the same year. In 1807 he wrote on reform in Flower's ''Political Review and Monthly Register''. Burdon wrote pamphlets on political questions of the day, and translated in 1810, from the Spanish of Álvaro Flórez Estrada, ''A Constitution for the Spanish Nation'', and an ''Introduction to the History of the Revolution in Spain'', besides circulating an ''Examination of the Dispute between Spain and her Colonies''. He was the editor of the ''Memoirs'' of

Józef Boruwłaski Józef Boruwłaski (November 1739–September 5 1837) was a Poland, Polish-born court dwarf, dwarf and musician who toured in European and Turkish courts. Early life Józef Boruwłaski was born near Halych, Halicz in Poland in November 1739. ...

(1820).

Family

Burdon married in 1798 Jane Dickson, a daughter of Lieutenant-general Dickson, coalmine owner; they had five children, one of which was William Burdon. She died in 1806. Their daughter Hannah Burdon (born 1800) achieved fame as a writer of novels.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Burdon, William 1764 births 1818 deaths Fellows of Emmanuel College, Cambridge English writers Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne