author
William Brodie Gurney
1777–1855
Part of a family famed for shorthand writing, this 19th-century English reporter turned rapid note-taking into a serious public craft. He spent decades recording major legal and parliamentary proceedings and was also known for energetic religious and charitable work.
1 Audiobook
Trial of Pedro de Zulueta, jun., on a Charge of Slave Trading, under 5 Geo. IV, cap. 113, on Friday the 27th, Saturday the 28th, and Monday the 30th of October, 1843, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London A Full Report from the Short-hand Notes of W. B. Gurney, Esq.
by Pedro de Zulueta, William Brodie Gurney
About the author
Born in London in 1777, he came from a shorthand-writing family: his grandfather Thomas Gurney developed the system that made the family name well known, and his father Joseph Gurney also worked in the field. William Brodie Gurney followed that path early, learning shorthand and building a career as one of the best-known professional reporters of his day.
He became especially prominent through his work in the law courts and in Parliament, serving as shorthand writer for the House of Lords and taking notes in many important public cases and inquiries. His name appeared on published trial reports and legal proceedings, which helped preserve some of the era's most significant debates and courtroom moments.
Alongside that professional life, he was active in philanthropic and religious causes, particularly among Baptists, and was remembered as both a skilled shorthand writer and a generous public-spirited figure. He died in 1855.