Entries for 1798 and 1799 in James Burton's notebook

James Burton was born in London, the son of a Scottish builder who shared a common ancestor with Sir Walter Scott. His original surname was Haliburton which was shortened to Burton in the 1790s after a family dispute.
There is a notebook in the Hastings Museum outlining events in his life between 1783 and 1811.

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Elevation, section and plan of a Bridewell by James Burton, c. 1785

After being articled for 6 years to the surveyor, Mr. Dalton, Burton set up on his own and worked on bridewells at Reading, Winchester, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich.
A design for one of these buildings survives in the Museum collection.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.7
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Plan of intended improvements on the Duke of Bedford's estate, 1800, particulars from Mr Burton

In 1786 Burton was commissioned to build the Leverian Museum in High Holborn and went on to contract for small scale housing developments in the City of London and around Clapham Common. In 1791 he began work on the Veterinary College and started his first major building project, the development of the Foundling Hospital Estate around Brunswick Square. Between 1792 and 1823 he developed five further estates stretching from Bloomsbury to St. Johns Wood.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 903.2.8
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Engraving of Quarry Hill, seat of James Burton, Esq. 1807

In 1804 Burton acquired as a family home, Quarry Hill near Tonbridge in Kent. He re-named the house Mabledon and had it re-modelled in the Gothic style. In 1811 he set up the nearby Ramhurst mills to provide gunpowder for the Napoleonic wars. The business was run in partnership with his eldest son, William until 1824.

Museum Accession No: HASMG 957.2
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