Samuel Burdy facts for kids

Samuel Burdy (born around 1760, died 1820) was an Irish writer. He is best known for writing the life story of another writer, Philip Skelton.

Early Life and Education

Samuel Burdy was born in a place called Dromore, in County Down, Ireland. This was around the year 1760. He was the only son of Peter Burdy, who was a merchant in the town.

Samuel was very smart. He earned a special scholarship called a sizarship at Trinity College, Dublin. He got this by passing a difficult exam on March 22, 1777. He continued to do well, earning another scholarship in 1780. He finished his main degree (B.A.) in 1781.

Career as a Priest

In 1783, Samuel Burdy became a priest. In the same year, he started working as a curate in Ardglass. This is a parish, or church area, also in County Down.

Burdy did not get many promotions in his career. After 1800, he became the perpetual curate of Kilclief. This was a small church position, also in County Down. He stayed there until he passed away in 1820.

His Writings

Samuel Burdy was a busy writer. His most famous work is a book about the life of Philip Skelton.

Biography of Philip Skelton

In 1781, Burdy met Reverend Philip Skelton. Skelton was an older man, and they became very good friends. They stayed friends for the last six years of Skelton's life. Skelton lived in Dublin. For three years, Burdy visited him often.

After Burdy left Dublin, they wrote letters to each other. Their last letter was on November 4, 1786. After Skelton died, Burdy started researching for a book about his life. He traveled to places like Tyrone, Monaghan, and Donegal. He wanted to collect stories and memories about Skelton.

In 1792, Burdy published his book in Dublin. It was called The Life of the late Rev. Philip Skelton, with some curious anecdotes. This book was printed again in London in 1816. It was part of a collection with the lives of other famous people. A third version of the book came out in 1824. It was included with a collection of Skelton's other works.

Other Books and Poems

Samuel Burdy also wrote several other books:

• A Short Account of the Affairs of Ireland during the years 1783, 1784, and part of 1785 (published in 1792). This book was about important events in Ireland during those years.
• Ardglass or the Ruined Castles, also the Transformation, with some other poems (published in 1802). This book was a collection of his poems. In his poems, he often mentioned a person named Belinda. She was probably the daughter of Bishop Thomas Percy. Burdy never got married. This was because the bishop did not allow him to marry his daughter.
• A History of Ireland (published in 1817). This book was about the history of Ireland.