William de Burgh (MP) facts for kids

William de Burgh (1741 – 1808) was an important politician and writer from Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for a town called Athy from 1769 to 1776. He was also a strong supporter of William Wilberforce, who worked to end slavery. William de Burgh himself actively campaigned to stop the slave trade.

Who Was William de Burgh?

William Burgh, also known as de Burgh, was born in 1741 in County Kildare, Ireland. His father was Thomas Burgh of Bert, who was also a Member of Parliament. His mother was Anne Downes.

William came from a well-known family. His grandfather, William de Burgh, was an important government official in Ireland. His great-uncle, Colonel Thomas de Burgh, was a famous architect who designed buildings like the library at Trinity College, Dublin. The de Burgh family first came to Ireland way back in 1185.

His Education

William de Burgh went to college at Trinity College, Dublin. This was a very respected university in Ireland.

His Work in Politics

William de Burgh started his political career by representing Athy in the Irish parliament. This was from 1769 to 1776. He believed strongly in people being able to speak their minds freely in politics.

He became a key person in a group in York that wanted to make parliament fairer. However, he did not like the ideas of the French Revolution from the very beginning. This made him unpopular at first, even though his friend Edmund Burke agreed with him. Later, when the French Revolution became violent, more people understood why de Burgh had been against it.

William de Burgh was also against the war in America. His brother-in-law, Walter Hussey Burgh, felt the same way.

Fighting for What's Right

William de Burgh was a close friend of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was a leader in the movement to end slavery in the United Kingdom. William de Burgh was very enthusiastic and helped a lot with this important campaign. He believed that slavery was wrong and fought to stop it.

His Ideas on Religion

William de Burgh was also a theologian, which means he studied religion. He is best known for defending the idea of the Trinity. This is a Christian belief about God being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

He wrote books to explain his views. Two of his most famous books were A scriptural confutation... (published in 1774) and An inquiry into the belief of the Christians... (published in 1778). Many important people, including his friend Edmund Burke, supported his religious writings. Because of his strong religious studies, he received a special degree called a DCL from the University of Oxford in 1788.

His Family Life

William de Burgh married Mary Warburton in 1768. She came from another landowning family in Ireland. Mary lived for 11 years after William passed away.

Even though William de Burgh owned a lot of land in Ireland, he lived most of his life in York, England. He was buried in York Minster, a famous church in York. When he died, he left 328 books to the library at York Minster.

William had a brother named Thomas de Burgh, who was also a Member of Parliament. Thomas later became the Accountant-General for Ireland. Thomas's son, Ulysses de Burgh, became a well-known general. He fought in important wars and worked closely with the Duke of Wellington.

William de Burgh also had two sisters who married important politicians. His sister Margaret Amelia married John Foster, who was the speaker of the Irish House of Commons. His other sister, Anne, married Walter Hussey Burgh, who was a judge and also worked for Irish independence.