History

Sir John Burland, judge, was buried in the south choir aisle of Westminster Abbey, near Sir Thomas Richardson's monument, but the grave is now unmarked. A marble monument with profile portrait of Sir John was formerly on the wall near his grave but this was moved to the Abbey's triforium, so cannot now be viewed. The inscription says:

"Near this place are deposited the remains of the Honble. Sir JOHN BURLAND Knt. [Knight] L.L.D. one of the Barons of his Majesty's Court of Exchequer; as a man valued and beloved, as a judge honoured and revered. He died suddenly, on the 29th of Feb. 1776, aged fifty one years; having left one son by his Lady Laetitia, the only daughter of William Berkeley Portman Esqr.[Esquire] of Orchard-Portman and Pylle in the county of Somerset, and Ann his wife, only daughter of Sir Edward Seymour, of Maiden Bradley in the county of Wiltshire, Bart.[Baronet] formerly Speaker of the House of Commons".

Sir John was born at Wells in Somerset on 10 July 1724 a son of John Burland (d.1746) and his wife Elizabeth (Morris). The family held the manor of Steyning. He attended Oxford university and became a successful lawyer. In 1747 he married Laetitia Portman (d.1779) and in 1774 was knighted. His only child was John Burland (1754-1804) who became a Member of Parliament for Totnes.

A black and white photo of the monument can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library.

Further reading:

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004