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Charles Burney was born on December 4, 1757, in King's Lynn, Norfolk. He was the second surviving son of Charles Burney (1726-1814) and his first wife, Esther Sleepe (c.1725-1762). At the age of ten, he began attending the Charterhouse School through the recommendation of George Spencer, fourth duke of Marlborough.

Cambridge

In January 1777, at the age of nineteen, Charles was admitted to Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge. He was not, however, admitted as a 'scholar', but rather as a 'pensioner' or 'commoner' (a student who was required to pay for his own tuition and college fees).

Theft of Books

In October 1778, Charles was discovered to have stolen books from the university library. He had taken the Cambridge nameplate out of the front, replaced it with his own, and had sold the books to London book dealers. His sister Frances later tried to explain Charles' crime as an overly strong desire to possess his own library. It is more likely, however, that Charles was attempting to get some money without the knowledge of his family, in order to discharge his gambling debts. Whatever the cause, Charles was immediately sent down (expelled) after Cambridge University learned of his theft. His father was so angry that he considered both disowning his son and forcing him to change his last name.

Classical Studies at Aberdeen

After some time spent in Shinfield, Berkshire, Charles was admitted to King's College, Aberdeen. He pursued his interest in classical studies, and graduated MA in March 1781. Though he industriously applied himself to his studies, he still had time to gamble, drink heavily, and socialize with rakish friends (among which included the earls of Fife and Lindlater). During this time, he also suffered unrequited love for Jane Abernethie, a cousin of Fife's.

Schoolmaster

When Charles returned to London in July 1781, he attempted to obtain a position as a curate, but his dubious past made this difficult. Instead, he chose to become a schoolmaster. He first taught at Highgate School in London, then at William Rose's private academy in Chiswick, Middlesex. He fell in love with Rose's daughter, Sarah Rose (1759-1821), and the two were married on June 24, 1783. Their only child, Charles Parr Burney (1785-1864), was born two years later. William Rose died in 1786, and Charles became headmaster in his father-in-law's stead.

Classical Scholar

During his time as a schoolmaster, Charles continued to publish on Greek and Latin topics, including translations and commentaries. He was highly regarded as a classical scholar in his own time, but his reputation declined after his death.

Degrees and Promotion

In 1792, Charles obtained honorary doctorates in law from both King's College, Aberdeen and the University of Glasgow. In 1807, he became a deacon of the Church of England. The same year, through the influence of his close friend Samuel Parr, Charles was reinstated at his former Cambridge college. In 1808, he was both ordained a priest and granted the degree of MA from Cambridge by royal mandate. After his scandalous past at Cambridge was redeemed, Charles continued to quickly advance in the church. He also continued to be lauded as a scholar; he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (1802), made professor of ancient literature at the Royal Academy (1810), and elected to the Literary Club(1810).

Final Years

Charles retired from his post as schoolmaster in 1813, allowing his son, Charles Parr, to take over his duties. On December 28, 1817, at the age of sixty, Charles died of an apoplectic stroke. He is buried in St Paul's Churchyard, Deptford.

Legacy

During his life, Charles collected an immense private library. His collection included about 13,500 printed books and manuscript volumes, nearly 400 volumes of notes, cuttings, playbills and other material related to the history of the English theatre, and about 700 volumes of newspapers spanning the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. His library was purchased in 1818 by the British Museum for the sum of £13,500. The Burney Collection of Newspapers is now held by the British Library.

Frances Burney, also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay was born on June 13, 1752, in Lynn Regis, England, to the musician Dr. Charles Burney (1726–1814) and his first wife, Esther Sleepe Burney (1725–1762).

She was an English satirical novelist, diarist, and playwright. She began composing small letters and stories almost soon after learning the alphabet. She often joined her brothers and sisters in writing and acting in plays. She educated herself by reading from the family collection, including Plutarch's Lives, works by Shakespeare, histories, sermons, poetry, plays, novels, and courtesy books. A Burney family friend, the "cultivated littérateur" Samuel Crisp, encouraged Burney's writing by soliciting frequent journal letters from her that recounted to him the lives of her family members and social circle in London. The first entry in Frances Burney's journal was dated March 27, 1768, and addressed to "Nobody." The journal itself was to extend over 72 years. A talented storyteller with a strong sense of character, Burney kept the journal diary as a form of correspondence with family and friends, recounting her observations about life events. Burney's Evelina, or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World, was published anonymously in 1778. The novel was a critical success (four immediate editions) and admired for its comic view of wealthy English society and realistic portrayal of working-class London dialects. In 1779, she published a satirical comedy, The Witlings, followed by Cecilia, or Memoirs of an Heiress, in 1782. In 1786, she accepted the post "Keeper of the Robes" offered by the Queen, with a salary of £200 per annum. After the French Revolution began in 1789, Burney was among many literary figures in England who sympathized with its early ideals of equality and social justice. She became close to General Alexandre d'Arblay (1748-1818), an artillery officer and a hero of the French Revolution. Despite Burney's father disapproving of d'Arblay's poverty, Catholicism, and ambiguous social status as an émigré, they married in 1793 and had a son, Alexander Charles Louis (1794-1837). She continued writing, e.g., Camilla, or a Picture of Youth (1796), Love and Fashion, A Busy Day, and The Woman Hater (1797-1801). In 1811, she underwent a mastectomy due to breast cancer. In 1814, she published the novel The Wanderer: Or, Female Difficulties, set in the French Revolution, criticizing the English treatment of foreigners in the war years. In homage to her father, she published three volumes of the Memoirs of Doctor Burney in 1832. In 2002, the Burney Society of North America and the Burney Society UK unveiled a memorial panel in the new Poets' Corner window in Westminster Abbey in memory of Frances Burney.

She died on January 6, 1840, in Bath, England.

James Burney was born on June 13, 1750, in London, England, the son of the composer and music scholar Charles Burney (1726-1814) and his first wife, Esther Sleepe (c. 1725–1762), the brother of correspondent Susanna Burney (1755-1800), schoolmaster and scholar Charles Burney (1757-1817), the novelist and diarist Frances “Fanny” Burney (1752-1840) and half-brother of the novelist Sarah Burney (1772-1844).

He was an English Rear-Admiral and author. At the age of ten, he was sent to sea to act as a captain's servant on Princess Amelia. By the age of fifteen, he was a midshipman on the Aquilon. He spent most of his life sailing the seas on various ships. Burney accompanied Captain Cook on his last two voyages and witnessed Cook's killing in Hawaii in 1779. At the end of 1784, he fell seriously ill and departed for England. He became a prolific naval author. His first project was to edit an edition of William Bligh's A Voyage to the South Sea in HMS Bounty (1792). His major work was A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean, published in five volumes (1803-1817). In 1809, Burney was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

In 1785, he married Sarah "Sally" Payne (1752–1832). He died on November 17, 1821, in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England.

Sophia Elizabeth Burney was born on September 26, 1777, in Bath, Middlesex, England, the niece of Frances "Fanny" Burney (1752-1840), a novelist, and Susanna Elizabeth Burney (1755-1800), a letter and journal writer.

As a young girl, she received letters of encouragement to write from her celebrated aunt Frances who acted as mentor to a protégée who shared her sense of fun and was described as “a merry little thing” as a child. Sophia Elizabeth was the author of short pieces of poetry, drama, and prose, e.g., "The works of Sophia Elizabeth Burney, aged 13. Novels, plays and poems: Written for the instruction of young people and humbly dedicated without permission to Mrs. D'Arblay [Fanny Burney], Vol. I." and “The History of Walter Scarecrow.” Her work is similar to Frances Burney’s writing, as issues of gender and class predominate, and both show characters trying to rise above their class. Although Sophia Elizabeth is not known to have published any of her work, she continued writing into adulthood (some of her later poems survived in manuscript). Both she and her sister Frances were later employed as governesses and wrote for their pupils.

She died in September 1856 in London, England.

Susanna Elizabeth Burney, later known as Susan Phillips, was born on January 7, 1755, in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England, the daughter of Dr. Charles Burney (1726–1814), an organist and music historian who published books on the music of France, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany.

She was an English letter and journal writer. She grew up in London, where she was able to observe the musical life of the capital and to meet the many musicians, men of letters, and artists who visited the family home. In 1764, she went to France with her elder sister Esther Burney (1749-1832) to improve their French. In 1782, she married Molesworth Phillips (1755–1832), a Royal Marines officer who served with Captain Cook on his last voyage. They lived in Surrey and later in rural Ireland. The marriage was unhappy due to her husband's several extramarital affairs and his mistreatment of her. She was interested in music and writing journal letters to her older sister Frances "Fanny" Burney, later Madame d'Arblay (1752-1840). When Fanny secretly wrote and published anonymously her first novel “Evelina” (1778), they were both involved in the cover-up. Susan's letters captured vividly musical life and the personalities involved in it. Her extensive journals and letters provide a striking portrait of social, domestic, and cultural life in London, the Home Counties and Ireland in the late eighteenth century. They are of the great importance and interest to music and theatre historians and contain much significance and interest for Burney scholars, social historians of England and Ireland, women's historians, and historians of the family. Susan Burney Letters Project can be found at the University of Nottingham. Her writings are held by the New York Public Library, the British Museum and Yale University Library.

She died on January 6, 1800, in Parkgate, Cheshire, England.

Harold Burnham of Peterborough, Ontario received his Bachelor of Applied Science degree from McGill University in 1897. While a student at McGill, Burnham was a member of the Junior Rugby team (1894), the Intermediate Football Team (1896) and the Second XV Rugby Club (1897).