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Richard Shackleton

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Richard Shackleton
Born(1726-12-09)9 December 1726
Ballitore, County Kildare, Ireland
Died28 August 1792(1792-08-28) (aged 65)
Resting place
Ballitore Quaker Burial Ground
EducationTrinity College Dublin (didn't graduate)
Occupations
Spouses
  • Elizabeth Fuller
    (m. 1749; died 1754)
  • Elizabeth Carleton
    (m. 1755)
Children8 including,
FatherAbraham Shackleton

Richard Shackleton (9 December 1726 – 28 August 1792) was an Irish Quaker, schoolmaster of Ballitore Quaker School and poet.[1][2]

Early life and education

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Shackleton was born on 9 December 1726 in Ballitore, County Kildare to English Quaker parents Abraham Shackleton, the schoolmaster of Ballitore Quaker School, and Margaret Shackleton (née Wilkinson; 1688–1768).[2][3] Shackleton had at least one sister.[1][2]

Educated at his father's school, Shackleton was a classmate and friend of Edmund Burke.[2] Around 1745, Shackleton enrolled at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) where he studied Classics and Hebrew.[1][2] After learning enough to teach at the Ballitore Quaker School, Shackleton left TCD without graduating.[a][1]

Career

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Shackleton later began teaching at the Ballitore Quaker School, and succeeded his father as schoolmaster in 1756.[1][2] As schoolmaster Shackleton taught classics, mathematics, and subjects relating to commerce.[1] Shackleton resigned as schoolmaster in 1779. and was succeeded by his son Abraham Shackleton (1752–1818).[1]

In 1783, Shackleton wrote the poem On Travelling to Coalbrook Dale in the Night-Time for Abiah Darby in both English and Latin.[2] Seven short poems by Shackleton were published posthumously by his daughter Mary Leadbeater in her 1808 work "Poems".[2]

Personal life

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On 2 April 1749, Shackleton married Elizabeth Fuller (1726–1754) with whom he had four children.[1][2] The couple's eldest son was Abraham Shackleton, a schoolmaster, theologian and abolitionist.[1][2][5] Fuller died in 1754, nine days after the birth of their son Henry (1754–1756).[1] Shackleton married the Quaker Elizabeth Carleton (1726–1804) on 17 October 1755.[1][2][6] The couple had four children, including the author Mary Leadbeater.[1][2][6] In 1767, Shackleton inherited a small estate with a farm and mill.[2] Shackleton rented out the mill, whilst his wife Elizabeth Carleton ran the farm.[2]

On 28 August 1792, Shackleton died of a fever in Mountmellick, Queen's county (present-day County Laois) whilst traveling to the Queen's county Quakers' provincial school.[1][2] Shackleton was buried at the Ballitore Quaker Burial Ground.[2]

Notes

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  1. Shackleton is also cited as having graduated.[4]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Richey, Rose (October 2009). "Shackleton, Abraham". Dictionary of Irish Biography (online ed.). Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. doi:10.3318/dib.007986.v1. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Lamb, Peter (23 September 2004). "Shackleton, Abraham (1696–1771), schoolmaster". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25185. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  3. Brannigan, Cyril (1985). "Ballitore Quaker School and its unique curriculum, 1726–1836". Irish Educational Studies. 5 (2). doi:10.1080/0332331850050218. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  4. Stewart, Bruce (ed.). "Richard Shackleton". Ricorso. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  5. Lamb, Peter (23 September 2004). "Shackleton, Abraham (1752–1818), schoolmaster and theologian". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/68181. Retrieved 4 August 2026. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
  6. 1 2 Luddy, Maria (23 September 2004). "Leadbeater [née Shackleton], Mary (1758–1826), author". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/16232. Retrieved 4 August 2026. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)