John Burk, John Daly Burk, 1794
( Bibliography ) John Burk was placed in Dublin University at a young age by an uncle , though this bare statement tells us little. He was tried for heresy at Dublin University in 1794 aged 22 or 23 (his birth date is not certain). The only account of Burk’s trial I have found is his self-published defence: The Trial of John Burk, Late of Trinity College, for heresy and Blasphemy, Before the Board of Senior Fellows. 1794 Page numbers relate to this text. (R eproduction, Making of Modern Law print edn, BiblioLife) Perhaps a fuller account (and from another perspective) survives somewhere in the archives of the University. I believe the first public accusation was made in the Belfast Journal or the Dublin Evening Post of 1794. _________________________________________ Trial On April 15 1794, a Saturday, one Dr Hall formally interrogated three undergraduates of the University. He wanted to know what Burk had told them of his views and the arguments he had made. Burk was consequently