Montagu Burrows
Encyclopedia
Montagu Burrows was an officer in the Royal Navy and subsequently the first Chichele Professor of Modern History
at Oxford University. He was probably the very first academic to lecture on naval history at Oxford or at any university in Britain.
under Henry Ducie Chads
and was decorated for his service at the bombardment of Acre in 1840. Burrows became an instructor in gunnery in HMS Excellent
for six years from 1846. Promoted to Commander
in 1852, he decided to study at Oxford and was placed on half pay.
In September 1849, he married Mary Anna, third daughter of Sir James Whalley Smythe Gardiner, third baronet
, of Roche Court, Fareham
.
. Obtaining a 'first' in 1856, he continued his studies and in 1857 obtained another 'first' in the newly established School of Law and History. He is believed to have been the first person, as well as the oldest, to obtain a 'double first' at Oxford in these subjects. For the following five years, he tutored students preparing for their examinations and published a popular guide to Oxford undergraduate examinations called Pass and Class.
In 1862, All Souls College, Oxford
established the post of Chichele Professor of Modern History
. Burrows competed for it and was selected as its first occupant over younger competitors, including William Stubbs
, Edward Freeman
, and James Anthony Froude
. From 1862 until his retirement in 1900, Burrows regularly lectured on the history of the Royal Navy. His most important books on naval history were his biography of Admiral Edward Hawke (1886). His other works included his memoir of his former commander, Sir Henry Ducie Chads
(1869), a study of the Cinque Ports
(1883), and a contribution to the Memoirs of Sir Astley Cooper Key
by Vice-Admiral Philip Howard Colomb
(1898).
Burrows was active in Oxford church affairs as chairman of the Oxford branch of the English Church Union until 1866, secretary of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa
, a founder of the Church of Sts Philip and James in North Oxford
, president of the Church Schools Managers and Teachers Association, and a member of the group that founded Keble College, Oxford
. He contributed often to the Church and State Review, The Churchman, and The Guardian.
Burrows was chairman of the school of modern history from 1889 to 1893. Due to increasing deafness, he retired from active lecturing in 1900, but remained active in Oxford faculty, city, and church affairs. In 1905, Charles Oman
was appointed the Deputy Chichele Professor of Modern History
, and, on Burrows' death in 1905, Oman was elected Burrows successor. Burrows was given a university funeral with the distinction of having his naval sword displayed on his coffin, while naval flags at Portsmouth were dipped for a Fellow of All Souls.
Chichele Professor of Modern History
The Chichele Professorship of Modern History is one of the several Chichele Professorships established from the mid-19th century onwards at All Souls College, Oxford University. The position of Chichele Professor of Modern History was established in 1862...
at Oxford University. He was probably the very first academic to lecture on naval history at Oxford or at any university in Britain.
Early Life and Naval Career
The son of a Lieutenant-General Montagu Burrows (1775–1848) of the British Army and his wife, Mary Ann Pafford, daughter of Captain Joseph Larcom, Royal Navy, Montagu Burrows attended Kingsmills' Boys School in Southampton and entered the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth in 1832. In 1834, he joined HMS Andromache as a midshipman, and then returned to the College as a mate in 1842. He served on anti-piracy patrols on the East Indies StationEast Indies and China Station
The East Indies and China Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1831 to 1865.-History:The Station was formed in 1831; it ceased to exist when it was separated into the East Indies Station and the China Station in 1865. Its area covered the Indian Ocean and the coasts of China and...
under Henry Ducie Chads
Henry Ducie Chads
Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, GCB was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw action from the Napoleonic Wars to the Crimean War....
and was decorated for his service at the bombardment of Acre in 1840. Burrows became an instructor in gunnery in HMS Excellent
HMS Excellent (1787)
HMS Excellent was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched at Harwich on 27 November 1787. She was the captaincy of John Gell before he was appointed an Admiral.Excellent took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797....
for six years from 1846. Promoted to Commander
Commander (Royal Navy)
Commander is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is immediately junior to captain and immediately senior to the rank of lieutenant commander...
in 1852, he decided to study at Oxford and was placed on half pay.
In September 1849, he married Mary Anna, third daughter of Sir James Whalley Smythe Gardiner, third baronet
Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner Baronets
The Whalley-Gardiner, later Whalley-Smythe-Gardiner Baronetcy, of Roche Court in the County of Southampton, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 14 January 1783 for John Whalley-Gardiner, Member of Parliament for Westbury. Born John Whalley, he was the cousin and heir...
, of Roche Court, Fareham
Fareham
The market town of Fareham lies in the south east of Hampshire, England, between the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth, roughly in the centre of the South Hampshire conurbation.It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area...
.
Academic career
While on half pay, Burrows matriculated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and read for the final school of literae humanioresLiterae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
. Obtaining a 'first' in 1856, he continued his studies and in 1857 obtained another 'first' in the newly established School of Law and History. He is believed to have been the first person, as well as the oldest, to obtain a 'double first' at Oxford in these subjects. For the following five years, he tutored students preparing for their examinations and published a popular guide to Oxford undergraduate examinations called Pass and Class.
In 1862, All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
established the post of Chichele Professor of Modern History
Chichele Professor of Modern History
The Chichele Professorship of Modern History is one of the several Chichele Professorships established from the mid-19th century onwards at All Souls College, Oxford University. The position of Chichele Professor of Modern History was established in 1862...
. Burrows competed for it and was selected as its first occupant over younger competitors, including William Stubbs
William Stubbs
William Stubbs was an English historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in...
, Edward Freeman
Edward Augustus Freeman
Edward Augustus Freeman was an English historian. His reputation as a historian rests largely on his History of the Norman Conquest , his longest completed book...
, and James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude
James Anthony Froude , 23 April 1818–20 October 1894, was an English historian, novelist, biographer, and editor of Fraser's Magazine. From his upbringing amidst the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, Froude intended to become a clergyman, but doubts about the doctrines of the Anglican church,...
. From 1862 until his retirement in 1900, Burrows regularly lectured on the history of the Royal Navy. His most important books on naval history were his biography of Admiral Edward Hawke (1886). His other works included his memoir of his former commander, Sir Henry Ducie Chads
Henry Ducie Chads
Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, GCB was an officer in the Royal Navy who saw action from the Napoleonic Wars to the Crimean War....
(1869), a study of the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
(1883), and a contribution to the Memoirs of Sir Astley Cooper Key
Astley Cooper Key
Admiral Sir Astley Cooper Key, GCB, ADC, FRS was a Royal Navy officer who became First Naval Lord.-Naval career:Born the son of Charles Aston Key , a well-known surgeon, Key joined the Royal Navy in 1833...
by Vice-Admiral Philip Howard Colomb
Philip Howard Colomb
Vice-Admiral Philip Howard Colomb, RN . Born in Knockbrex, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, he was a Royal Navy officer, historian, critic and inventor. He was the son of General GT Colomb...
(1898).
Burrows was active in Oxford church affairs as chairman of the Oxford branch of the English Church Union until 1866, secretary of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa
Universities' Mission to Central Africa
The Universities' Mission to Central Africa was a missionary society established by members of the Anglican Church within the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and Dublin. It was firmly in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church, and the first to devolve authority to a bishop in the...
, a founder of the Church of Sts Philip and James in North Oxford
North Oxford
North Oxford is a suburban part of the city of Oxford in England. It was owned for many centuries largely by St John's College, Oxford and many of the area's Victorian houses were initially sold on leasehold by the College....
, president of the Church Schools Managers and Teachers Association, and a member of the group that founded Keble College, Oxford
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
. He contributed often to the Church and State Review, The Churchman, and The Guardian.
Burrows was chairman of the school of modern history from 1889 to 1893. Due to increasing deafness, he retired from active lecturing in 1900, but remained active in Oxford faculty, city, and church affairs. In 1905, Charles Oman
Charles Oman
Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman was a British military historian of the early 20th century. His reconstructions of medieval battles from the fragmentary and distorted accounts left by chroniclers were pioneering...
was appointed the Deputy Chichele Professor of Modern History
Chichele Professor of Modern History
The Chichele Professorship of Modern History is one of the several Chichele Professorships established from the mid-19th century onwards at All Souls College, Oxford University. The position of Chichele Professor of Modern History was established in 1862...
, and, on Burrows' death in 1905, Oman was elected Burrows successor. Burrows was given a university funeral with the distinction of having his naval sword displayed on his coffin, while naval flags at Portsmouth were dipped for a Fellow of All Souls.
Published works
- Pitcairn's island: a lecture (1853)
- Pass and class, an Oxford guide-book through the courses of Literæ humaniores [&c.]. (1860, 1866)
- The Manchester Church congress and its probable results, a lecture. (1863)
- The relations of Church and State historically considered, 2 lectures (1866)
- Memoir of Admiral Sir Henry Ducie Chads, by an old follower (M.B.) (1869)
- Constitutional progress, 7 lectures. (1869)
- Worthies of All Souls; four centuries of English history illustrated from the college archives. (1874)
- Parliament and the Church of England. (1874)
- History of the family of Burrows of Sydenham and Long Crendon (1877)
- Imperial England. (1880)
- The register of the Visitors of the University of Oxford, from ... 1647 to ... 1658, with some account of the state of the University during the Commonwealth. (1881)
- Wiclif's place in history, 3 lectures. (1882)
- History of the families of Larcom, Hollis, and McKinley. (1883)
- The life of Edward, lord Hawke. (1883, 1886, 1904)
- Cinque ports. (1888)
- Antiquarianism and history, a lecture. (1895)
- The family of Brocas of Beaurepaire and Roche court. (1886)
- The publication of the Gascon RollsGascon RollsThe Gascon Rolls are records from the English government of Aquitaine-Gascony and the surrounding area, lasting from to 1273 to 1468. Containing grants of land, oaths of treaties and other important documents, the rolls were originally stored in the Tower of London and Bodleian Library before the...
by the British and French governments, a paper (1892)
- Commentaries on the history of England ... to 1865. (1892)
- The history of the foreign policy of Great Britain. (1895, revised 1897)
- King Henry viii and the Reformation, an address. (1898)
- King Alfred the great. (1898)
- Biblical criticism, by William Stubbs, Bishop of Oxford, with preface by Montagu Burrows. (1905)
- Autobiography, ed. by Stephen Montagu Burrows (1908)