# Richard Burn > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Richard_Burn > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Richard_Burn.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burn > Source revision: 1345299352 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) English legal writer For indologist, see [Richard Burn (Indologist)](/source/Richard_Burn_(Indologist)). **Richard Burn** (1709 – 12 November 1785) was an English [legal writer](/source/Legal_writer). ## Education and career Burn was born in [Winton](/source/Winton%2C_Cumbria), [Kirkby Stephen](/source/Kirkby_Stephen), [Westmorland](/source/Westmorland). He matriculated at [The Queen's College, Oxford](/source/The_Queen's_College%2C_Oxford) in 1729. He was not awarded his B.A. until 1735, three years after he left the university to accept a position as schoolmaster at [Kirkby Stephen](/source/Kirkby_Stephen) in Westmorland. Burn then entered the [Church of England](/source/Church_of_England), and in 1736 became [vicar](/source/Vicar) of Orton in Westmorland. He was a [justice of the peace](/source/Justice_of_the_peace) for the counties of Westmorland and [Cumberland](/source/Cumberland), and devoted himself to the study of law. In 1762, after Burn had attained notoriety as a legal scholar, the [University of Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford) awarded him an honorary [LL.D](/source/LL.D). He was appointed chancellor of the [diocese of Carlisle](/source/Diocese_of_Carlisle) in 1765, an office which he held until his death. He died, aged 86, in [Orton](/source/Orton%2C_Eden).[1] ## Writings Burn's *Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer*, first published in 1755, was for many years the standard authority on the law relating to justices of the peace. It has passed through some 30 editions, half of which appeared after Burn's death. His *Ecclesiastical Law* (1760), a work of much research, was the foundation upon which were built many modern commentaries on ecclesiastical law.[1] Burn's other publications include: *Digest of the Militia Laws* (1760), *History of the Poor Laws: with observations* (1764),[2] and *A New Law Dictionary* (2 vols., 1792). The last-named work, published after the author's death by his son, was an update of [William Blackstone](/source/William_Blackstone)'s *[Commentaries on the Laws of England](/source/Commentaries_on_the_Laws_of_England)*.[1] Burn was a noted [antiquarian](/source/Antiquarian). He collaborated with [Joseph Nicolson](/source/Joseph_Nicolson_(antiquarian)) to compile *The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland*, published in 1777. The two-volume work relates information concerning the families, customs, architecture, and political and religious history of the two counties, and continues to be of great interest to family and local historians.[3] ## Personal life In July 1736 Burn married 1736 Eleanor Nelson (d. October 1739) four days after the death of her father, who preceded Burn as incumbent of Orton. In August 1740 he married Anne (d. 1772), widow of John Kitchen of Cowper House, near Kendal.[4] Their son John, born in 1744, published his father's New Law Dictionary 'continued to the present time' in 1792 and the 18th edition of The Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer (1797–1801).[5] ## Notes [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has the text of the [1911 *Encyclopædia Britannica*](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition) article "[Burn, Richard](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Burn,_Richard)". 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECooper1886_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECooper1886_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTECooper1886_1-2) [Cooper 1886](#CITEREFCooper1886). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [*The History of the Poor Laws: with Observations*](https://archive.org/details/b30507066). Strand: Printed by H. Woodfall and W. Strahan Law Printers to the King's most Excellent Majesty; For A. Millar. 1764. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Winchester, Angus J.L. (1997). "Cumberland and Westmorland". *A Guide to English County Histories* (paperback ed.). p. 97. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Simmons, Jack, ed. (1978). *English County Historians*. p. 172. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Allibone, Samuel Austin (1859). *A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors*. p. 296. ## References - Cooper, Thompson (1886). ["Burn, Richard"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Burn,_Richard). In [Stephen, Leslie](/source/Leslie_Stephen) (ed.). *[Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography)*. Vol. 7. London: [Smith, Elder & Co](/source/Smith%2C_Elder_%26_Co). - [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Burn, Richard"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Burn,_Richard). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)* (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. - B. C. Jones, "Introduction," in Joseph Nicolson and Richard Burn, *The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland* (West Yorkshire, England: EP Publishing, 1976), xiv-xxiii. - Jones, Bruce (1978). "Joseph Nicolson and Richard Burn". In [Simmons, Jack](/source/Jack_Simmons_(historian)) (ed.). *English County Historians: first series*. Wakefield: EP Publishing. pp. 161–86. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7158-1309-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7158-1309-9). ## External links - [Works by or about Richard Burn](https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28%28subject%3A%22Burn%2C%20Richard%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Richard%20Burn%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Burn%2C%20Richard%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Richard%20Burn%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Burn%2C%20R%2E%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Richard%20Burn%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Burn%2C%20Richard%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Richard%20Burn%22%29%20OR%20%28%221709-1785%22%20AND%20Burn%29%29%20AND%20%28-mediatype:software%29) at the [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive) Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Italy Netherlands Greece Israel People Trove DDB Other IdRef Open Library SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Richard Burn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burn) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Burn?action=history)). 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