Burney, Charles (1757-12-04 - 1817-12-28)

Charles Burney was born on 4 December 1757; he was the son of the musician and music historian Charles Burney (1726-1814) and the younger brother of Frances Burney (1752-1840). Charles was baptised on 2 January 1758 at King's Lynn. After attending Charterhouse, he was admitted a pensioner at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge in January 1777, but left without a degree, having been caught stealing books from the University Library. Burney moved to Aberdeen to pursue classical studies and was awarded the degree of M.A. in 1781, proceeding LL.D. in 1792 (Glasgow and Aberdeen). After returning to Gonville and Caius, he was awarded the degree of M.A. by royal mandate in July 1808. It was during this time that he was ordained deacon and priest at Rochester. Over the course of the 1810s, Burney served as royal chaplain and held several livings, including Hinton Parva (Wiltshire), St Paul's (Deptford, Kent), and Cliffe (Kent). Prior to his ecclesiastical appointments, he taught at a private school in Hammersmith. In 1812, he was awarded the degree of D.D. His career also included a stint as Editor of the London Magazine. Charles Burney died of a stroke on 28 December 1817, and was buried at Deptford. He is remembered for his collection of manuscripts held today at the British Library, which constitutes one of the most significant gatherings of classical material and comprises over 500 volumes.