Author: BURGES, George
Biography:
BURGES, George (1785/6-1864: ODNB)
The name of his mother is not known but his father was Thomas Burges of Calcutta who may have been a watchmaker. George Burges was born in Bengal likely in about 1786. His father’s will (proved 12 Oct. 1799) stated that his two “natural children,” Elizabeth and George, had already been provided for. He studied at Charterhouse school and Trinity College, Cambridge (admitted 10 July 1802, Scholar 1804, BA 1807, MA 1810). He was an excellent classical scholar and tutored students at Cambridge. He moved to London where his financial resources were swiftly depleted by his unsuccessful inventions and schemes; these included a machine for aerial transportation, a new “Venus” model of stays, and an invention for horse carriages (patented 1827). His play, The Son of Erin, was printed by “G. Burges, Kenton Street” and incurred Byron’s (q.v.) wrath by being dedicated to him. He married Jane Isaacs in about 1823 (no record has been located) and they had five—or possibly six—children while living at a succession of London addresses: Baker Street (1827), Gower Street (1834), and Bayham Terrace in Marylebone (1841). In 1834 he lectured on ancient and modern literature—one review described a three-hour lecture delivered at speed without the aid of notes—and in 1837 he promoted the beneficial use of manure (that is, London sewage) in agriculture. He contributed to A. J. Valpy’s Classical Journal but his editions of classical texts were seen by other scholars, including Charles James Blomfield (later Bishop of London), as flawed by rash conjectural emendations. Blomfield later helped him by ensuring the award of a civil list pension of £100 in 1841. In 1839 Burges applied to the RLF and was granted £50. Another supporter was John Kenyon (q.v.) who gave him money in his lifetime and £1000 in his will (proved 19 Dec. 1856). Burges and his wife moved to Ramsgate where they purchased property to run as lodgings. Burges’s mental state declined and he suffered a paralytic stroke. He died at 28 Hardres Street, Ramsgate, on 11 Jan. 1864; his will, proved on 27 Feb. 1864, left an estate of under £100. (ODNB 11 July 2023; ancestry.co.uk 11 July 2023; National Archives UK PROB 11/1331/118, PROB 11/2243/331; RLF file 988; Literary Gazette 11 Jan 1834, 1 Feb. 1834; A. B. Granville, The Great London Question [1865]; R. J. Schrader, The Reminiscences of Alexander Dyce [1972]) SR