Thomas Burnet (judge) facts for kids
Thomas Burnet (1694–1753) was an English lawyer and judge. He was known for his cleverness and came from a Scottish and Dutch family background.
Early Life and Education
Thomas Burnet was the grandson of a Scottish judge named Robert Burnet, Lord Crimond. His father was Gilbert Burnet, a famous bishop. Thomas's mother, Mary Scott, was a wealthy Dutch lady. She passed away when Thomas was young. Two years later, his father married Elizabeth Berkeley, who was a kind stepmother to Thomas and his siblings.
Thomas was educated at home first. Later, he studied at Merton College, Oxford. In 1706, he went to the University of Leyden in the Netherlands for two years. After his studies, he traveled around Europe, visiting Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. When he returned, he began studying law at Middle Temple in 1709.
As a young man, Thomas was very interested in politics. He supported the Whig party. He was known in London for his cleverness and sharp wit. His father was sometimes worried about his son's reputation. However, they remained close, and Thomas was very sad when his father died in 1715. He called his father "the best of fathers."
In 1716, Thomas Burnet worked as the King's Secretary at a meeting called the Diet of Regensburg. He wrote many short books, called pamphlets, supporting the Whig party. Because of his writings, the Whigs gave him a job as a consul in Lisbon, Portugal. He worked there from 1719 to 1728.
Becoming a Judge
Thomas Burnet came back to England in 1728. In 1729, he officially became a lawyer, which is called being "called to the bar". He worked hard and was able to get important legal jobs. In 1736, he became a Serjeant-at-Law, which was a senior lawyer position. Then, in 1740, he became a King's Serjeant.
In October 1741, Thomas Burnet was appointed a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. This was a very important court in England. In November 1745, he was knighted, which means he received the title "Sir." He also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, a group that promotes science.
Thomas Burnet never married. He passed away at his home in Lincoln's Inn Fields on January 8, 1753. He was buried near his father at St. James's Church, Clerkenwell.
Thomas Burnet's Writings
Thomas Burnet wrote many different things. He helped prepare his father's book, History of my own Time, for publication. He wrote a section about his father's life for the book.
Here are some of his other works:
- Our Ancestors as Wise as we, published in 1712.
- Essays Divine, Moral, and Political, published in 1714.
- The True Character of an Honest Man.
- Truth if you can find it.
- A Letter to the People.
- Some New Proofs by which it appears that the Pretender is truly James III, published in 1713 and 1714.
- A Second Tale of a Tub, published in 1715.
- British Bulwark, published in 1715.
- The Necessity of impeaching the late Ministry, published in 1715.
- Homerides, which was an attack on the famous poet Alexander Pope. He wrote this with George Ducket.
- The True Church of Christ, published in 1753.
A collection of his poems was published after he died in 1777. He also wrote for a publication called The Grumbler.
