William Brodie Gurney

William Brodie Gurney (1777–1855) was a famed English shorthand writer and philanthropist of the 19th century.

Gurney was the younger son of Joseph Gurney, shorthand writer, who died at Walworth, Surrey, in 1815, by a daughter of William Brodie of Mansfield. He was the grandson of Thomas Gurney (1705–1770), the shorthand writer, and brother of Sir John Gurney (1768–1845),

Born at Stamford Hill, London, on 24 December 1777, he was taught by Mr. Burnside at Walworth in 1787, and afterwards by a Mr. Freeman. He received adult baptism at Maze Pond Chapel, Southwark on 1 August 1796. Adopting the profession of his father and his grandfather, he commenced practice as a shorthand writer in 1803, and between that date and 1844 he took down in shorthand many of the most important appeals, trials, courts-martial, addresses, speeches, and libel cases, a number of which were printed as volumes from his notes. In pursuit of his calling he frequently visited Ireland and Scotland and many parts of England. He reported the impeachment of Lord Melville in 1806, the proceedings against the Duke of York in 1809, the trials of Lord Cochrane in 1814 and of Arthur Thistlewood in 1820, and the proceedings against Queen Caroline. In 1802, in conjunction with his father, he was appointed to take notes of evidence before the committees of the Houses of Lords and Commons, and in May 1813 he was formally appointed shorthand writer to the houses of parliament, his emolument being two guineas a day for attendance, and one shilling a folio for the transcript of his notes. He is mentioned as a famous shorthand writer in Byron's Don Juan, canto i. st. clxxxix.

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