1 archaic or humorous a citizen of a town or city, typically a member of the wealthy bourgeoisie:the poem is not the sort of thing the sturdy burghers of Manchester would wish to read
2 historical (in southern Africa) an Afrikaans citizen of a Boer Republic.
(in southern Africa) a civilian member of a local militia unit.
3 (Burgher) a descendant of a Dutch or Portuguese colonist in Sri Lanka.