Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington

The Right Honourable The Earl of Burlington KG PC
3rd Earl of Burlington
Lord High Treasurer of Ireland
In office 25 August 1715 – 3 December 1753
Preceded by	The Lord Carleton
Succeeded by	Marquess of Hartington
Personal details
Born	25 April 1694 Yorkshire, England
Died	15 December 1753(1753-12-15) (aged 59)
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Savile, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork
Children	Lady Dorothy Boyle, Charlotte Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington

The Rt Hon. Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork, KG PC (25 April 1694 – 15 December 1753), born in Yorkshire, England, was the son of The 2nd Earl of Burlington and 3rd Earl of Cork and Juliana Noel (1672-1750). Burlington was called 'the Apollo of the Arts' and 'the architect Earl', never taking more than a passing interest in politics despite his position as a Privy Counsellor and a member of both the British House of Lords and the Irish House of Lords.

He is remembered for bringing Palladian architecture to Britain and Ireland. His major projects include Burlington House, Westminster School, Chiswick House and Northwick Park.

Lord Burlington was born in Yorkshire into a wealthy Anglo-Irish family. Often known as 'the architect Earl', he was instrumental in the revival of Palladian architecture in both Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland. He succeeded to his titles and extensive estates in Yorkshire and Ireland at the age of nine, after his father's death in February 1704. During his minority, which lasted until 1715, his English and Irish lands and political interests were managed on his behalf by his mother and guardian, the dowager countess Juliana. He showed an early love of music. Georg Frideric Handel dedicated two operas to him, while staying at Burlington House: Teseo and Amadigi di Gaula. According to Hawkins, Francesco Barsanti dedicated the six recorder sonatas of his Op. 1 to Lord Burlington, although the dedication must have appeared on the manuscript copies sold by Peter Bressan, before Walsh & Hare engraved the works c. 1727. Three foreign Grand Tours 1714 – 1719 and a further trip to Paris in 1726 gave him opportunities to develop his taste. His professional skill as an architect (always supported by a mason-contractor) was extraordinary in an English aristocrat. He carried his copy of Andrea Palladio's book I quattro libri dell'architettura with him in touring the Veneto in 1719, and made notes on a small number of blank pages. In 1719 he was one of main subscribers in the Royal Academy of Music, a corporation that produced baroque opera on stage.