Walter Harris (historian) facts for kids

Walter Harris was an important Irish historian and writer who lived from 1686 to 1761. He was born in Ireland but had English family roots.

His Life and Work

Walter Harris went to school at Kilkenny College and later studied at Trinity College in Dublin. In 1716, he married Elizabeth Ware. Her great-grandfather was Sir James Ware, who was also a famous historian.

In 1753, Walter Harris became a special helper to the Archbishop of Meath. This was an important role in the church. In 1748, the government gave him money regularly. This helped him focus on writing history books and religious texts.

In the 1740s, Walter Harris joined a group called the Physico-Historical Society. This group was a bit like the Royal Dublin Society, which helps with science and farming. He worked with other important people. These included Robert Jocelyn, who was a politician (someone involved in government). He also worked with Dr. Samuel Madden, who was a philanthropist (someone who helps others). Other members were Thomas Prior, who started the Royal Dublin Society, and John Rutty, a doctor and naturalist (someone who studies nature). John Lodge, who wrote a book about Irish noble families, and Charles Smith, a historian and topographer (someone who describes places), were also part of the group.

Walter Harris passed away at his home in Dublin in 1761.

His Writings

In the 1730s, Walter Harris and others wanted to write and publish histories of all the counties in Ireland. He also started to update and republish the historical writings of Sir James Ware. He translated these books from Latin into English. The first book he published was Historiographorum Aliorumque Scriptorum Hiberniae Commentarium: or, a history of the Irish writers in Dublin in 1736. To make these books more interesting, he asked Jonas Blaymire to draw pictures of buildings and their contents.

In 1752, a book by Walter Harris was published in Dublin. In it, he disagreed with a book written by John Curry in 1747. Curry's book, Brief Account from the most authentic Protestant writers of the Irish Rebellion, 1641, was published in London. It presented a different view of the 1641 Irish Rebellion. John Curry later wrote Historical Memoirs as a response. This book was later made bigger and published in 1775 as An Historical and Critical Review of the Civil Wars in Ireland.

In 1766, after his death, Walter Harris's work called The History and Antiquities of the City of Dublin was published.

See also

• John Rutty
• Mervyn Archdall