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Frances BurneyÌý(circa 1784-1785)
By Edward Francisco Burney

Born:ÌýJune 13, 1752
Died:ÌýJanuary 6, 1840

Works:

• Evelina, or, A Young Lady's Entrance into the WorldÌý(1778)
• The WitlingsÌý(1779)
• Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an HeiressÌý(1782)
• Edwy and ElgivaÌý(1788-1795)
• Hubert de VereÌý(1790-1797)
• The Siege of PevenseyÌý(1790-1791)
• ElbertaÌý(1791-)
• Brief Reflections Relative to the Emigrant French ClergyÌý(1793)
• Camilla, or, A Picture of YouthÌý(1796)
• Love and FashionÌý(1798-1800)
• A Busy DayÌý(c. 1801-1802)
• The Woman-HaterÌý(c. 1801-1802)
• The Wanderer, or, Female DifficultiesÌý(1814)Ìý

Birth and Development as a Writer
Frances Burney was born on June 13, 1752, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. She was the daughter ofÌýCharles Burney (1726-1814)Ìýand his first wife, Esther Sleepe (c.1725-1762). From the time young Fanny learned her alphabet, she was a writer, composing odes, plays, songs, farces, and poems at an early age. She burned them all at age 15, most likely under the influence of her stepmother, who didn't think it appropriate for women to write. But Frances Burney's urge to write could not be stifled. At age 16, she began the diary that would chronicle personal and public events from the early reign of George III to the dawn of the Victorian age.

Early Literary Life
Frances knew luminaries such asÌý,Ìý,Ìý, andÌýÌýthrough her father, and her early diaries chronicle evenings spent in this circle at home. In 1778, when Frances was twenty-six, her first novel,ÌýEvelina, was published anonymously. It was written in secret and in a disguised hand because publishers were familiar with her handwriting through her work as an copyist for her father. WithÌýEvelina, Frances Burney created a new school of fiction in English, one in which women in society were portrayed in realistic, contemporary circumstances. The "comedy of manners" genre in which she worked paved the way forÌý,Ìý, and other 19th-century writers.ÌýEvelina's mix of social comedy, realism, and wit made it an instant success and led London society to speculate on the identity of the writer, who was universally assumed to be a man. The great success ofÌýEvelinaÌýreconciledÌýCharles BurneyÌýto his daughter's authorship. Frances was taken up by literary and high society and became the first woman to make writing novels respectable. Her second novel,ÌýCecilia, published in 1782, earned her more fame.

Plays
Frances' first theatrical comedy,ÌýThe Witlings, was, supressed by her father and by close family friend Samuel Crisp, even thoughÌýÌýhad agreed to produce it. Novel writing may have been deemed somewhat respectable for women, but writing for the theatre was out of bounds for Dr Burney's daughter. Frances Burney saw one tragedy,ÌýEdwy and Elgiva, produced during her lifetime. The rest of her plays would have to wait until the late 20th century before a critical assessment could be made of them. All but two of her plays were published for the first time only in 1995.

Court Life
Novel writing for Frances Burney ceased during the five years (1786-91) that she was Keeper of the Robes toÌý, and her diaries chronicle much detail about the royal family and court life, includingÌý's sanity crisis. She began a number of her tragedies during these years, but her health began to give way under the strain of court life. Eventually, in 1791, Queen Charlotte gave Frances special permission to resign her position.

Marriage
After her release from court life, Frances' health improved, and she was able to visit some family friends and her sister Susan atÌý. In October 1792, a group of French émigrés settled at nearbyÌý. Among the newcomers wasÌýÌý(1754-1818), a career soldier and former aide de campe to the marquis de La Fayette. After their initial connection made at Juniper Hall, d'Arblay courted Frances at Chelsea in the spring of 1793. Dr Burney was impressed by his appearance and manner, but was skeptical of d'Arblay's comparatively liberal political opinions. Though Dr Burney's objections were worn down, he still declined to attend their wedding. On July 28, 1793, the couple was married atÌýÌýwith a small group of friends and family in attendance. Two days later, the ceremony was repeated at theÌýÌýfor the Roman Catholic d'Arblay. The match proved to be a very happy one, and the two were extraordinarily devoted to each other throughout their lives. Their son, Alexander Charles Louis Pichard d'Arblay, was born on December 18, 1794.

Resumed Writing Career
After her marriage, Frances resumed her writing career. She began work onÌýCamillaÌýjust before the birth of her son. Her husband acted as copyist, and a fair copy exists in his hand.ÌýCamillaÌýwas published by subsciption in 1796. The 36-page subscription list reads like a who's who of late 18th-century English society. Among the subscribers was a Miss J. Austen,Ìý. The profits from this literary work enabled the d'Arblays to build their own house, which they called "Camilla Cottage."

Life Abroad
In 1802, in hopes of recovering property lost during the French Revolution, d'Arblay moved his family to France in 1802, a temporary arrangement that was to last 10 years as theÌýÌýended while the family was still in France. While there, Frances made medical history byÌý. During this time, she wrote her fourth and final novel,ÌýThe Wanderer, published in 1814 after the family returned to England. The next year, she remained near her husband, who was fighting with French Royalists against Napoleon, and refused to flee Brussels when rumours swept through that Napoleon had won at Waterloo. She stayed to help nurse the English wounded who streamed off the battlefield for weeks afterward.

Final Years
After her father's death in 1814 and her husband's death in 1818, Frances Burney d'Arblay wrote no more fiction. Her literary effort until the end of her life focused on theÌýMemoirs of Doctor Burney, published in 1832, and the editing of her own now monumental papers, which were first published as theÌýDiary and Letters of Madame d'ArblayÌýafter her death in 1840.Ìý

Death
On January 6, 1840, at the age of eighty-seven, Frances Burney, Madame d'Arblay, died in London. She is buried at St Swithin's, Walcot, Bath, alongside her husband and son.

Modern Scholarly Interest
Although heavily bowdlerized versions of the diaries and letters were published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it wasn't until Joyce Hemlow published her landmark biography,ÌýThe History of Fanny Burney, in 1958 that the full impact of Burney's contribution to literature and letters began to be better appreciated. Dr. Hemlow's 12-volumeÌýJournals and Letters of Fanny Burney (Madame d'Arblay), which covers the years from 1791 to 1840, also made a great contribution to the contemporary recognition of Burney's canonical status. The remainder of Frances Burney's journals, complete for the first time, are currently being published in two series. TheÌýEarly Journals and LettersÌý(1768-1783) is under the general editorship of Lars Troide and theÌýCourt Journals and LettersÌý(1786-1791) is under the general editorship of Peter Sabor. Critical appreciation of Frances Burney's novels and plays continues to grow, sparked by new interest in 18th-century women writers.

Further Reading

Online Resources

By Valerie Patten
Made available online by theÌý


By Pat Rogers
Available to online subscribers to theÌý


By Barbara Darby
Made available online by theÌý


Made available online by theÌýÌýproject atÌý

Texts by Frances Burney available online
Links compiled by the Burney Centre at À¦°óSMÉçÇø
Ìý

Print Resources

Chisholm, Kate.ÌýFanny Burney: Her Life.ÌýLondon: Chatto & Windus, 1998.

Davenport, Hester.ÌýFaithful Handmaid: Fanny Burney at the Court of King George III.ÌýLondon: Sutton, 2000.

Doody, Margaret Anne.ÌýFrances Burney: The Life in the Works.ÌýNew Brunswick, New Jersey:ÌýRutgers University Press, 1988.

Hemlow, Joyce.ÌýThe History of Fanny Burney.ÌýOxford: Clarendon Press, 1958.

Charles BurneyÌý(1781)
Ìý By Sir Joshua Reynolds

Ìý Born:ÌýApril 7, 1726
Ìý Died:ÌýApril 12, 1814

Works (musical):

• Six Sonatas for Two Violins, with a Bass for the Violoncello or HarpsichordÌý(1748)
• Six Songs with a Cantata op. 2
• Songs forÌýA Midsummer Night's DreamÌý(1763)
• The Cunning ManÌý(1766)
• I will Love thee, O Lord my StrengthÌý(1769)

For online recordings of Charles Burney's compositions, see Online Resources below.

Percy A. Scholes listsÌýand discussesÌýCharles Burney's musical compositions on pp 340-353 of Vol 2 ofÌýThe Great Dr Burney, 1948. (Thanks to Tony Woolrich for this resource and many of the musical links below)

Works (literary):

• An Essay towards a History of CometsÌý(1769)
• The Present State of Music in France and ItalyÌý(1771)
• The Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands and United ProvincesÌý(1773)
• A General History of Music, 4 volsÌý(1776-1789)
• Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Abate MetastasioÌý(1796)Ìý

Birth
Charles Burney was born on April 7, 1726 in Raven Street, Shrewsbury. He was the fourth child of James Macburney (1678-1749) and his second wife, Anne (née Cooper) (c.1690-1775). The family name of Macburney was changed to Burney about the time that Charles was born.

Youth and Education
Charles, along with his elder brother Richard, attended Shrewsbury Free School from 1737-1739. In 1739, Charles went to his father in Chester and began studies at Chester Free School. He had already showed musical ability and continued to learn. By 1742, he returned to Shrewsbury to be an assistant to his half-brother James, who was an organist at St Mary's Church. Charles enjoyed his exposure to musical performances at St Mary's. The following year he returned to Chester and continued to devote himself to further musical study.

Musical Apprenticeship
In 1744, Charles was introduced to Thomas Arne (one of London's top composers) and became his apprentice. As an apprentice, Charles gave lessons to Arne's students, copied out musical scores and parts, and occasionally played in the orchestra at Drury Lane Theatre. Burney was not personally fond of Arne: he felt that his master was selfish and immoral. In 1746, Charles encountered Fulke Greville, an aristocrat who engaged Burney in the capacity of a musical companion. Burney accompanied Greville to Bath and to Wilbury, Greville's country home. Greville paid Thomas Arne £300 in 1748 to release Burney from his apprenticeship. In early 1749, Greville was preparing for a lengthy stay in Europe and expected Burney to accompany him. Burney, however, had fallen in love with Esther Sleepe (c.1725-1762), and didn't wish to leave her, as she was pregnant with their first child. Burney requested, and was granted, leave to be released from Greville's employ so that he could marry Esther.

Marriage
Charles and Esther were married on June 25, 1749. Since his release from Greville's employ, Charles had no money or home to offer his wife, so he applied for the post of organist at St Dionis Backchurch, London. This position paid him £30 per year and also helped him to find music students. During this time Charles made his reputation as a performer on the organ, giving concerts and networking with London musicians. He and Esther became parents to a growing family, which included daughter Esther and sonÌýJames (1750-1821).

Musical Composition
Though Charles Burney has not been remembered for his composition skills, he did write music consistently from the late 1740s through the 1760s, and occasionally after that. In addition to stand-alone compositions, he composed some songs for the stage. Much of his work was done in conjunction with his friend James Oswald (1711-1779), a violinist and publisher.

Move to King's Lynn
In 1751, Charles contracted a severe fever which made him bed-ridden for thirteen weeks. During his convalescence, the Burney family moved out of London, to King's Lynn, Norfolk, in the hopes of further improving his health. Charles found a position there as organist for St Margaret's Church. A number of the Burney children were born in King's Lynn, includingÌýFrances (1752-1840),ÌýSusanna (1755-1800), andÌýCharles (1757-1817). Though Charles found friends in King's Lynn, he visited London every winter, and clearly missed life in the metropolis. In 1760, the Burney family moved back to London.

Remarriage
In September 1762, Esther Burney died after a long illness, and Charles remained a widower for five years. In October 1767, he married Elizabeth Allen (1728-1796), the widow of Stephen Allen, a wealthy merchant from King's Lynn. The couple eventually had two children: Richard Thomas (1768-1808) andÌýSarah Harriet (1772-1844).Ìý

European Tours andÌýA General History of Music
In 1769, Charles received the degree of DMus from Oxford University. The following year, he went on a tour of Europe, during which he visited France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. His tour was motivated by a desire to collect material for what was to become the four-volumeÌýA General History of MusicÌý(1776-1789), but some of which was first published asÌýThe Present State of Music in France and ItalyÌý(1771) andÌýThe Present State of Music in Germany, the Netherlands and United Provinces(1773). After the success of these books, Charles invited readers to subscribe to his forthcomingÌýA General History of Music. The first volume was originally scheduled for 1774, but was actually published in 1776, and the fourth and final volume was issued in 1789. His history was praised for its elegant writing style and for the fact that its author was in fact a practising professional musician.

Other Endeavours
While much of Charles' intellectual life was devoted toÌýA General History of MusicÌýduring this period, he did continue to give music lessons, present a paper to the Royal Society, and deepen a friendship with Samuel Johnson. In 1783, Charles was appointed organist at Chelsea College. He also had ambitions to succeed at the royal court. He dedicated the first volume ofÌýA General History of MusicÌýto Queen Charlotte, and was very pleased when his daughterÌýFrancesÌýwas appointed keeper of the robes to the queen in 1786.

Further Works
After the publication of the final volumes ofÌýA General History of MusicÌýin 1789, Charles turned his attention to other literary endeavours. He was a contributor to the Monthly Review and to Abraham Rees'sÌýCyclopaedia, and published theÌýMemoirs of the Life and Writings of the Abate Metastasio(1796).Ìý

Final Years and Death
In 1793, a serious attack of rheumatism sent Charles to Bath. In 1807, he visited Bath again, this time due to a stroke which paralysed his left hand. From 1813 onwards, he was largely confined to his rooms at Chelsea College. On April 12, 1814, Charles died. He was buried in the grounds of the College, along with his second wife, who had died in 1796. A memorial in Westminster Abbey was later installed, which has a glowing epitaph from his daughterÌýFrances.

Further Reading

Online Resources

Audio

Made available online byÌý


On the rivalry between Charles Burney and Sir John Hawkins. Featuring Simon Callow as Burney and John Fortune as Hawkins, with contributions from Alvaro Ribeiro, Rosemary Sweet, William 'Bill' Weber, and Kate Chisholm.

Text

Made available online by theÌý

Dr Charles Burney DNB entry
By John Wagstaff
Available to online subscribers to theÌý


By Peter Sabor
Available online at theÌý

Texts by Dr Charles Burney available online
Links compiled by the Burney Centre

TheÌýÌý(HathiTrust)

A contemporary parody:Ìý.ÌýThird edition onÌýHathiTrust.

Print Resources

Bander, Elaine.ÌýÌýJournal for Eighteenth-Century StudiesÌý(21 July 2021): 1-18.

Brofsky, Howard.ÌýÌý65.3 (July 1979): 313-345.

Burney, Charles. "The Cunning Man: A Musical Entertainment in Two Acts."Ìý.ÌýEd. Noel Chevalier. Peterborough, ON: BroadviewÌýPress, 1995. 165-185.

---.ÌýMusic, Men, and Manners in France and Italy 1770.ÌýEd. H. Edmund Poole. London: Eulenburg Books, 1969.

---.ÌýDr. Burney's Musical Tours in Europe: An Eighteenth-Century Musical Tour in France and Italy.ÌýEd. Percy A. Scholes. London: Oxford University Press, 1959.

---.ÌýDr. Burney's Musical Tours in Europe: An Eighteenth-Century Musical Tour in Central Europe and the Netherlands.ÌýEd. Percy A. Scholes. London: Oxford University Press, 1959.

Burney, Frances.ÌýMemoirs of Doctor Burney: Arranged from his own Manuscripts, from FamilyÌýPapers, and from Personal Recollections, by his Daughter, Madame d'Arblay.ÌýLondon:ÌýEdward Moxon, 1832.

Grant, Kerry S.ÌýDr Burney as Critic and Historian of Music.ÌýAnn Arbor: UMI Research Press, 1983.

Highfield, Philip H. Jr., Kalman A. Burmin and Edward A. Langhand, (eds).ÌýA Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers,and other Stage Personnel in London, (1660-1800): Vol. 2, Belfort to Byzand. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1973, pp. 425-427 [Charles Burney], 427-428 [ Charles Rousseau Burney], 428-429 [Esther Burney].

Klima, Slava, Garry Bowers, and Kerry S. Grant.ÌýMemoirs of Dr. Charles Burney, 1726-1769.ÌýLincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988.

Lonsdale, Roger.ÌýÌýOxford: Oxford University Press, 1986.

Ribeiro, SJ, Alvaro. "The 'Chit-Chat way': The Letters of Mrs. Thrale and Dr. Burney."ÌýTradition inÌýTransition: Women Writers, Marginal Texts, and the Eighteenth-Century Canon.ÌýEd. AlvaroÌýRibeiro, SJ and James G. Basker. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996, pp. 25-40.

---. "Real Business, Elegant Civility, and Rhetorical Structure in Two Letters by Charles Burney."ÌýSent as a Gift: Eight Correspondences from the Eighteenth Century.ÌýEd. Alan T. McKenzie.ÌýAthens and London: U of Georgia P, 1993, pp. 90-108.

---. "Prattling upon Paper: The Correspondence of Hester Lynch Thrale and Dr. Charles Burney."ÌýStudies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth CenturyÌý304 (1992): 934-37.

---.ÌýThe Letters of Dr Charles Burney, Volume I (1751-1784).ÌýNew York: Oxford University Press,Ìý1991.

Rogal, J. Samuel.ÌýÌýThe Hymn. New York: Hymn Society of America, 1975-76, pp. 50-56.

Sands, Mollie. "An Oxford Companion to Eighteenth Century Music" [Review ofÌýThe Great Doctor Burney]ÌýThe Musical Times, vol 89, No. 1267, (Sept 1948): 265-268.

Scholes, P. A.ÌýThe Great Dr Burney: his life, his travels, his works, his family and his friends.ÌýLondon: Oxford University Press, 1948.

Image by National Portrait Gallery.Ìý

Charles Burney [Jr] (published 1 December 1821)
Ìý By William Sharp

Ìý

Ìý Born:ÌýDecember 4, 1757
Ìý Died:ÌýDecember 28, 1817

ÌýÌý

ÌýÌýÌý

Works:

• Appendix ad lexicon Graeco-Latinum a Joan. Scapula constructumÌý(1789)
• Remarks on the Greek Verses of MiltonÌý(1790)
• Richardi Bentleii et doctorum virorum epistolaeÌý(1807)
• Tentamen de metris ab Aeschylo in choricis cantibus adhibitisÌý(1809)
• Philemonos lexikon technologikonÌý(1812)

Birth and Early Life
Charles Burney was born on December 4, 1757, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. He was the second surviving son ofÌýCharles Burney (1726-1814)Ìýand his first wife, Esther Sleepe (c.1725-1762). At the age of ten, he began attending theÌýÌýthrough the recommendation of George Spencer, fourth duke of Marlborough.

Cambridge
In January 1777, at the age of nineteen, Charles was admitted toÌýÌýat Cambridge. He was not, however, admitted as a 'scholar', but rather as a 'pensioner' or 'commoner' (a student who was required to pay for his own tuition and college fees).Ìý

Theft of Books
In October 1778, Charles was discovered to have stolen books from the university library. He had taken the Cambridge nameplate out of the front, replaced it with his own, and had sold the books to London book dealers. His sisterÌýFrancesÌýlater tried to explain Charles' crime as an overly strong desire to possess his own library. It is more likely, however, that Charles was attempting to get some money without the knowledge of his family, in order to discharge his gambling debts. Whatever the cause, Charles was immediately sent down (expelled) after Cambridge University learned of his theft. HisÌýfatherÌýwas so angry that he considered both disowning his son and forcing him to change his last name.

Classical Studies at Aberdeen
After some time spent in Shinfield, Berkshire, Charles was admitted to King's College, Aberdeen. He pursued his interest in classical studies, and graduated MA in March 1781. Though he industriously applied himself to his studies, he still had time to gamble, drink heavily, and socialize with rakish friends (among which included the earls of Fife and Lindlater). During this time, he also suffered unrequited love for Jane Abernethie, a cousin of Fife's.

Schoolmaster
When Charles returned to London in July 1781, he attempted to obtain a position as a curate, but his dubious past made this difficult. Instead, he chose to become a schoolmaster. He first taught atÌýÌýin London, then atÌýÌýin Chiswick, Middlesex. He fell in love with Rose's daughter, Sarah Rose (1759-1821), and the two were married on June 24, 1783. Their only child, Charles Parr Burney (1785-1864), was born two years later. William Rose died in 1786, and Charles became headmaster in his father-in-law's stead.

Classical Scholar
During his time as a schoolmaster, Charles continued to publish on Greek and Latin topics, including translations and commentaries. He was highly regarded as a classical scholar in his own time, but his reputation declined after his death.

Degrees and Promotion
In 1792, Charles obtained honorary doctorates in law from both King's College, Aberdeen and the University of Glasgow. In 1807, he became a deacon of the Church of England. The same year, through the influence of his close friend Samuel Parr, Charles was reinstated at his former Cambridge college. In 1808, he was both ordained a priest and granted the degree of MA from Cambridge by royal mandate. After his scandalous past at Cambridge was redeemed, Charles continued to quickly advance in the church. He also continued to be lauded as a scholar; he was elected aÌýÌý(1802), made professor of ancient literature at theÌýÌý(1810), and elected to the Literary Club(1810).

Final Years
Charles retired from his post as schoolmaster in 1813, allowing his son, Charles Parr, to take over his duties. On December 28, 1817, at the age of sixty, Charles died of an apoplectic stroke. He is buried inÌý.

Legacy
During his life, Charles collected an immense private library. His collection included about 13,500 printed books and manuscript volumes, nearly 400 volumes of notes, cuttings, playbills and other material related to the history of the English theatre, and about 700 volumes of newspapers spanning the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. His library was purchased in 1818 by the British Museum for the sum of £13,500. TheÌýÌýis now held by the British Library.
Ìý

Further Reading

Online Resources

By Lars Troide
Available to online subscribers to theÌý


Available toÌý
Ìý

Print Resources

Brink, C. O.ÌýEnglish Classical Scholarship: Historical Reflections on Bentley, Porson, and Housman.ÌýNew York: Cambridge University Press, 1986.

Clarke, M. L.ÌýGreek Studies in England, 1700-1830.ÌýCambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1945.

Goodwin, Arthur. "Charles Burney, DD (1757-1817)."ÌýDictionary of National Biography, Volume III.ÌýEd. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. London: Smith, Elder, and Company, 1908.

Miller, Edward.ÌýThat Noble Cabinet: a History of the British Museum.ÌýLondon: Andre Deutsch, 1973.

Walker, Ralph S. "Charles Burney's Theft of Books at Cambridge."ÌýTransactions of theÌýCambridge Bibliographical Society.Ìý3.4 (1962), 313-26.

Ìý Born:ÌýJune 13, 1750
Ìý Died:ÌýNovember 17, 1821

Works:

• With Captain James Cook in the Antarctic and PacificÌý(Burney's personal journal) (1772-1773)
• A Voyage to the South Sea in HMS Bounty, by William BlighÌý(edited) (1792)
• A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, 5 vols (1803-1817)
• A History of the Buccaneers of AmericaÌý(1816)
• A Treatise on the Game of WhistÌý(1821)

Birth and Early Life
James Burney was born on June 13, 1750, in London. He was the second child and first son ofÌýCharles Burney (1726-1814)Ìýand his first wife, Esther Sleepe (c.1725-1762). At the age of ten, he was sent to sea to act as a captain's servant on theÌýPrincess Amelia. By the age of fifteen, he was a midshipman on theÌýAquilon.

Voyages with Captain Cook
In 1772, John Montagu, fourth earl of Sandwich, arranged a post for James as an able seaman on Captain James Cook's ship, theÌý. James accompanied Cook on his second voyage of discovery to the south seas. During the voyage, he received his first commission, as second lieutenant of theÌý, the sister-ship of theÌýResolution. Upon his return to England in 1774, James acted as an interpreter forÌý. In 1776, he accompanied Cook on his third voyage of discovery, during which James witnessed the death of Captain Cook. At the very end of the voyage, upon the death of his immediate superior,Ìý, in 1779, James was promoted to commander of theÌý.Ìý

End of Naval Career
James was made captain of theÌýBristolÌýin June 1782. His task was to accompany a dozenÌýÌýships to Madras (now called Chennai). On June 20, 1783, theÌýBristolÌýwas involved in the Battle of Cuddalore against the French fleet. The following year, Burney became ill and was forced to return to England. Though he later petitioned for a new command, theÌýBristolÌýwas his final active naval position. His forced retirement was in part due to his insubordination (he had disobeyed orders in 1782) and in part due to his republican political stance. Only in July 1821, at the age of seventy-one, did he receive a promotion to rear-admiral on the retired list, due to the influence of the Duke of Clarence (later William IV), admiral of the fleet.Ìý

Personal Life
Over the course of his lifetime, James counted amongst his friends such major figures as Samuel Johnson, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, Sir Joseph Banks, and others. After his retirement from the navy, James married Sarah Payne (1759-1832) on September 6, 1785. They had two children. In 1798, James left his family for five years and lived with his younger half-sisterÌýSarrah Harriet Burney (1772-1844). He returned to his wife and children in 1803.Ìý

Literary Career
After his forced retirement, Burney began his second career as a writer on the topic of exploration. His first project was to edit an edition of William Bligh'sÌýA Voyage to the South Sea in HMS Bounty, published in 1792. His major work wasÌýA Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, published in five volumes from 1803 to 1817. In 1809, James was elected as aÌý.Ìý

Death
On November 17, 1821, at the age of seventy-one, Rear-Admiral James Burney died of an apoplectic stroke. He is buried the churchyard ofÌý.

Further Reading

Online Resources

By Lars Troide
Available to online subscribers to theÌý

Texts by James Burney available online
Links compiled by the Burney Centre.
Ìý

Print Resources

Burney, James.ÌýA History of the Buccaneers of America.ÌýEd. Malcolm Barnes. London:ÌýGeorge Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1949.

---.ÌýNew Method Proposed for Measuring a Ship's Rate of Sailing.ÌýLondon: Royal Society, 1809.

---.ÌýObservations on the progress of bodies floating in a stream: with an account of some Experiments made in the River Thames, with a view to discover a method for ascertaining the direction of Currents.ÌýLondon: Royal Society, 1809.

---.ÌýOn the Causes which Influence the Direction of the Magnetic Needle.ÌýLondon: Royal Society,Ìý1819.

---.ÌýA Treatise on the Game of Whist.ÌýLondon: Thomas and William Boone, 1823.

---.ÌýWith Captain James Cook in the Antarctic and Pacific: The Private journal of James Burney,ÌýSecond Lietenant of theÌýAdventureÌýon Cook's Second Voyage, 1772-1773.ÌýEd. BeverleyÌýHooper. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1975.

Manwaring, G. E.ÌýMy friend the admiral: the life, letters, and journals of Rear-Admiral JamesÌýBurney.ÌýLondon: George Routledge, 1931.

Sarah Harriet Burney

Born:ÌýAugust 29, 1772
Died:ÌýFebruary 8, 1844

Works:

• Clarentine (1796)
• Geraldine FauconbergÌý(1808)
• Traits of NatureÌý(1812)
• The ShipwreckÌý(1816) (published inÌýTales of Fancy)
• Country NeighboursÌý(1820) (published inÌýTales of Fancy)
• The RenunciationÌý(1839) (published inÌýThe Romance of Private Life)
• The HermitageÌý(1839) (published inÌýThe Romance of Private Life)Ìý

Birth
Sarah Harriet Burney was born on August 29, 1772, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. She was the youngest child ofÌýCharles Burney (1726-1814)Ìýand his second wife, Elizabeth (née Allen) (1728-1796). She was about twenty years younger than her six half-siblings.

Youth and Education
From the age of nine, Sarah Harriet was schooled for two years by a governess in Switzerland (1781-1783). She studied French, Italian, drawing, and music.Ìý

Personal Life
As the last remaining child in the Burney household, Sarah Harriet was left to act as a companion and caregiver to her mother. After her mother's death in 1796, Sarah Harriet kept house for her father, but became increasingly emotionally isolated from him. In 1798, she left her father's household to live with her half-brotherÌýJames, who had left his wife and family. James and Sarah Harriet kept house together for five years, moving between London and Bristol. In 1803, James returned to his wife and children. Sarah Harriet found a position as a governess for the Wilbraham family, in Cheshire. In 1807, she returned home to Chelsea to care for her father. After her father's death in 1814, Sarah Harriet found work, first as a companion to a young invalid and later as a governess for the granddaughters of Lord Crewe. In 1829, she left for Italy, where she spent time in Rome and Florence before coming back to England in 1833. She spent her final years at boarding houses in Bath and Cheltenham.Ìý

Literary Career
Sarah Harriet was widely read and had a particular regard for the works of Sir Walter Scott and Jane Austen (Sarah Harriet's copy ofÌýPride and PrejudiceÌýwas recentlyÌýput on sale by Simon Finch). Sarah Harriet, though now largely overshadowed by her more famous half-sisterÌýFrances, was a novelist in her own right. Her writing also provided her with a necessary source of income. Her first two novels,ÌýClarentineÌý(1796) andÌýGeraldine FauconbergÌý(1808) were published anonymously. Her third,ÌýTraits of NatureÌý(1812), was published under her own name and sold out within four months.ÌýTales of FancyÌýwas a three volume collection that includesÌýThe ShipwreckÌý(1816) andÌýCountry NeighboursÌý(1820). Her final work,ÌýThe Romance of Private LifeÌý(1839), includesÌýThe RenunicationÌýandÌýThe Hermitage.Ìý

Death
On February 8, 1844, at the age of seventy-one, Sarah Harriet Burney died at Belgrave House, the Promenade, Cheltenham. She is buried at St Mary's, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.Ìý

Further Reading

Online Resources

By Lorna J. Clark
Available to online subscribers to theÌý


By Claire Murley
Made available online by theÌýCorvey ProjectÌýatÌýSheffield Hallam University


Made available online by theÌýÌýproject atÌý


Made available online by theÌýÌýproject atÌý


Made available online by theÌýÌýproject atÌý
Ìý

Print Resources

Clark, Lorna J.ÌýÌýAthens: U of Georgia Press, 1997.Ìý

---.ÌýÌýLumenÌý20 (2001): 71-81.Ìý

---.ÌýÌýPersuasionsÌý17 (1995): 16-25.Ìý

---.ÌýÌýLumenÌý19 (2000): 121-34.Ìý

Morley, Edith J.ÌýÌýModern PhilologyÌý39.2 (Nov 1941): 123-158.

Title page to volume 1 of What Shall Be, Shall Be
By Elizabeth Meeke

Born: November 13, 1761
Died: unknown [1826?]

Works:

• Count St Blancard, or the Prejudiced JudgeÌý(1795)
• The Abbey of ClugnyÌý(1796)
• The Mysterious WifeÌý(1797)
• Palmira and ErmanceÌý(1797)
• The SicilianÌý(1798)
• HarcourtÌý(1799)
• EllesmereÌý(1799)
• Anecdotes of the Altamont FamilyÌý(1800)
• The Mysterious HusbandÌý(1801)
• Which is the Man?Ìý(1801)
• IndependenceÌý(1802)
• Midnight WeddingsÌý(1802)
• AmazementÌý(1804)
• The Nine Days’ WonderÌý(1804)
• The Old Wife and Young HusbandÌý(1804)
• Something Odd!Ìý(1804)
• The Wonder of the VillageÌý(1805)
• Something StrangeÌý(1806)
• "There is a Secret, Find it Out!"Ìý(1808)
• Langhton PrioryÌý(1809)
• Stratagems DefeatedÌý(1811)
• Matrimony, the Height of Bliss, or the Extreme of MiseryÌý(1812)
• ConscienceÌý(1814)
• The Spanish Campaign; or The JewÌý(1815)
• The Veiled Protectress; or, The Mysterious MotherÌý(1819)
• What Shall Be, Shall BeÌý(1823)

Birth
Elizabeth Allen was born on November 13, 1761, and baptised the same day in St Margaret’s Church, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. She was the youngest child of Stephen Allen (1724–1763) and Elizabeth (Eliza) Allen (1728–1796). Her parents were cousins.

Youth and Education
Elizabeth Allen became related to the Burneys when, following their father’s death, her mother married Dr Charles Burney in 1767. In December 1775, Elizabeth Allen was sent to Paris for education purposes, initially under the care of a family friend, Isabella Strange, and later as a boarder with a Mlle. Picot.

Personal Life
Eliza Burney travelled to Paris in August 1777, planning to accompany her daughter home. But the fifteen year-old Elizabeth Allen then left Paris with an ill-famed man named Samuel Meeke (c.1737–1802). They were married on October 12, 1777, at the Reformed Church at Ypres.Ìý Following this scandal, the Meekes are next recorded in 1781, living in Geneva. By this point they were sufficiently reconciled to their Burney relations that Elizabeth Meeke’s half-sister Sarah Harriet Burney and her half-brother Richard Burney were sent to be educated under their supervision. They moved to France in 1782, and Elizabeth Meeke subsequently made occasional visits to her family in Britain. By the mid-1780s, Samuel Meeke was working as an English tutor at Paris under the supervision of Mme. de Genlis. In 1787 the Meekes were legally separated, and it appears that Elizabeth Meeke left her husband for another man. She then seems to have continued to reside abroad, before returning to Britain in 1793.

Literary Career
Between 1795 and 1823, twenty-six novels by Elizabeth Meeke were published. This made her the most prolific novelist of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, outpublishing even Sir Walter Scott. Most of these works were published as 'Mrs Meeke', with six appearing under the pseudonym 'Gabrielli' and five appearing anonymously. All her novels were published through William Lane's Minerva Press and its successor ventures. She also worked extensively as a translator of novels and other works, mostly from French-language sources, and wrote a series of children’s books.

Final Years
Little isÌýknown about Elizabeth Meeke's later years. Around 1796, she was masquerading socially as 'Mrs Bruce'. Yet, even though Samuel Meeke died in 1802, she appears not to have remarried until late in life: legal documents from 1824 record her impending marriage with a man named Benjamin Rawlings. Her date of death is unknown, but her decease is referred to in an undated letter which may have been written in October 1826.

Further Reading

Print Resources

Macdonald, Simon. "."ÌýReview of EnglishÌýStudies, forthcoming 2013.Ìý