BURN

burn, richard (1700-1785), english legal writer, was born at winton, westmorland, in 1709. educated at queen's college, oxford, he entered the church, and in 1736 became vicar of orton in westmorland. he was a justice of the peace for the counties of westmorland and cumberland, and devoted himself to the study of law. he was appointed chancellor of the diocese of carlisle in 1765, an office which he held till his death at orton on the 12th of november 1785. burn's _justice of the peace and parish officer_, first published in 1755, was for many years the standard authority on the law relating to justices of the peace. it has passed through innumerable editions. his _ecclesiastical law_ (1760), a work of much research, was the foundation upon which were built many modern commentaries on ecclesiastical law. the best edition is that by r. phillimore (4 vols., 1842). burn also wrote _digest of the militia laws_ (1760), and _a new law dictionary_ (2 vols., 1792).