Burgess, Thomas, Bishop of Salisbury (1756 -1837)

Born at Odiham in Hampshire, Thomas Burgess was educated at Robert May's School, Odiham, Winchester College, and at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Before graduating, he edited a reprint of John Burton's Pentalogia. In 1781 he published an annotated edition of Richard Dawes's Miscellaneci Critica (reprinted, Leipzig, 1800). In 1783 he became a fellow of his college, and in 1785 was appointed chaplain to Shute Barrington, Bishop of Salisbury, through whose influence he obtained a prebendal stall, which he held till 1803. In that year he was appointed to the vacant bishopric of St David's, which he held for twenty years, with great success. During his tenure he founded the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in the diocese, and also St David's College (now the University of Wales, Lampeter), which he liberally endowed, and to which his large library was donated after his death. In 1820 he was appointed first president of the recently founded Royal Society of Literature; and three years later he was promoted to the see of Salisbury, over which he presided for twelve years. At Salisbury he founded a Church Union Society for the assistance of infirm and distressed clergymen. He strenuously opposed both Unitarianism and Catholic emancipation.