Beaufort's father, Daniel Cornelius de Beaufort, was a French Huguenot refugee, who became pastor of the Huguenot church inSpitalfields, London in 1728, and of that in Parliament Street, Bishopsgate, in 1729. He entered the Church of England in 1731. He married Esther Gougeon in London on 11 June1738, and was rector of East Barnet from 1739 to 1743. Esther was the sister of Denise Gougeon, the mother of Sir William Neville Hart. Taking his family with him to accompany Lord Harrington to Ireland, de Beaufort became rector of Navan in 1747. He was provost and archdeacon of Tuam from 1753 to 1758. He was rector of Clonenagh from 1758 until his death thirty years later. In 1788, he published A Short Account of the Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome, divested of all Controversy. In 1738 his brother, Louis de Beaufort, published a work on the uncertainty of Roman history.
Education and calling
Daniel Augustus was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, of which he was elected a scholar in 1757. He became B.A. in 1759, M.A. in 1764, and LL.D. in 1789. He was ordained by the Bishop of Salisbury, and, in succession to his father, was rector of Navan, co. Meath, from 1765 to 1818. In 1790 he was presented by the Right Hon. John Foster to the vicarage of Collon, co. Louth. He afterwards built the church at Collon, where he remained until his death in 1821. He was successively collated to the prebendal stalls of Kilconnell, in the diocese of Clonfert,, and of Mayne, in the diocese of Ossory.
Life
Beaufort took a prominent part in the foundation of Sunday schools, and in the preparation of elementary educational works. He helped found the Royal Irish Academy. His most important work was his map of Ireland, published in 1792. He accompanied it by a memoir of the civil and ecclesiastical state of the country. All the places marked on the map are systematically indexed in the memoir and assigned to their respective parishes, baronies, etc. In the preface, the author stated his map was prepared from original observations to remedy the defects of existing maps of Ireland. Competent authorities pronounced it and the memoir to be valuable contributions to geography. The publication of this work was encouraged by the Marquis of Buckingham, lord-lieutenant of Ireland. As well as being the architect of Collon Church, he is also responsible for the design for a new church at Ardbraccan, County Meath.
