Born on 9 July 1861 in Glasgow, Burrell was the third of nine children to shipowner William Burrell and Isabella Duncan. Burrell's grandfather, George Burrell, had founded a shipping firm; Burrell joined this business in 1875, at the age of 14, and took over the firm when his father died. Burrell and his brothers were successful in business by ordering ships during economic downturns, and using these modern vessels to full capacity when the economy recovered. Using this method the family became rich. This allowed Burrell to spend his time collecting antiques, and he managed this by his eye for a bargain. Burrell was a faithful patron of Scottish artists including Joseph Crawhall II, George Henry and John Lavery. He commissioned Lavery to paint a portrait of his sister Mary Burrell in 1896. This portrait was exhibited widely and is considered one of Lavery's finest works. In 1944 Burrell donated his collection to the city of Glasgow, with £250,000 to house it. The conditions of this include the request that the collection should be in a rural setting. This posed a problem until the council acquired Pollok Country Park. A custom-built museum, the Burrell Collection, was finally opened in 1983 – even this is large enough to display only a portion of Burrell's collection. Provand's Lordship in Glasgow also displays some of his collection of 17th century Scottish furniture.
Freemasonry
Burrell was a Scottish Freemason, initiated in Lodge "The Princes's", No.607, on 9 May, Passed on 7 November 1892 and Raised on 12 March 1893.
Burrell was knighted in 1927 for services to art and for his public work. The Freedom of the City of Glasgow was conferred upon him on 26 May 1944. He was the recipient of the 1946 St Mungo Prize, awarded to the individual who has done most in the previous three years to improve and promote the city of Glasgow.
Family
In 1901 Burrell married Constance Mary Lockhart Mitchell, the daughter of another ship owner. Constance suffered from poor health, and ended her life mentally unwell. They had a daughter, Marion ; Constance resented the difficult labour she had experienced, and Sir William—devoted to his wife, and encouraged by her to treat Marion harshly—found his daughter's suitors wanting, breaking three of her engagements. A portrait of Constance painted by Lavery around this time shows some of her anguish. Marion, who in later life changed her name to Silvia, became estranged from her parents at the age of 47, and received no inheritance.
