BURGESS, THOMAS (1756 - 1837), bishop

Born 18 November 1756 at Odiham, Hants., and educated there and at Winchester and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he entered as a scholar in 1775. He took his B.A. in December 1778 and his M.A. in 1782. He was appointed Fellow of his college in 1783 and was ordained deacon and priest by bishop Cornwall of Winchester in 1784. In 1794 he became a prebendary of Durham cathedral, and he also held the living of Winston in the same diocese.

In June 1803 he was appointed bishop of S. Davids, and forthwith began to institute reforms in the diocese. He licensed four grammar schools from which he would be willing to ordain men after a seven years course; he founded a society to promote Christian learning and Church union, and he proceeded to collect subscriptions for founding a college in Wales to prepare men for holy orders. He was manifestly successful in this work, and in 1822 he laid the foundation stone of S. David's College at Lampeter. He took a great interest in Welsh life and gave his patronage to the group of Welsh literary clergy who were active during the early part of the 19th century, and to the Carmarthen eisteddfod of 1819.

He was translated to Salisbury in 1825 and died there 19 February 1837.

Author

• Thomas Iorwerth Ellis, (1899 - 1970)

Sources

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Harford, The Life of Thomas Burgess, D. D. late Bishop of Salisbury (1840)

Further Reading

• Wikipedia Article: Thomas Burgess

Images

• James Thomson, T. St. David's
• Thomas Woolnoth, William Owen, The Rt. Revd. Thomas Burgess D.D. Lord Bishop of Salisbury
• Esgob Ty Ddewi

Additional Links

• VIAF: 10082142
• Wikidata: Q2422789

Published date: 1959

Article Copyright: http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/