BURN, Richard. L West Derby, Liverpool 1.2.1871 — Oxford 26.7.1947 (when 76). British Civil Servant in India, Historian of Islamic and Colonial India, Numismatist. Son of Richard Burn and Harriet Tinsley. School in Liverpool, studies at Oxford (Christ Church). In 1891 joined the I.C.S., served in U.P. In 1900 Superintendent of the Census, then Gazetteer, from 1905 editor of the Imperial Gazette. In 1926 retired and returned to England, settled down in Oxford. In 1899 married Grace Irene Cargill (d. 1918), two sons and two daughters. Deafening had already then impeded his work, and in his last years his eye-sight, too, was deteriorating. He was also interested in earlier history and knew well Hindu religion, but published very little. Founder of the Numismatic Society of India.
Publications: Census report of the United Provinces. 1902.
– Edited the 3rd ed. of Imperial Gazetteer of India. 1-26. Oxford 1908-09.
– “The Mints of the Mughal Emperors”, JASB 73:1, 1904, 75-107.
– Notes on numismatics in Annual Bibl. of Indian Arch. 1931-38 and NC 1910ff.
– Edited: Cambridge History of India. Vol. 4. The Mughal Period. 693 p. Cambridge 1937. Wrote himself chapters to vols. 3-4 and 6. With Atul Chatterjee: British Contributions to Indian Studies. 52 p. London 1943.
Sources: P. Cadell, JRAS 1948, 102f.; Who Was Who 1941-50; Wikipedia with photo.
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