Transcribed from the 1927 Norwich Public Libraries Committee edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org
A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF
GEORGE BORROW AND HIS NORWICH HOME WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHY
by
GEO. A. STEPHEN, F.L.A.
City Librarian
NORWICH:
Norwich Public Libraries Committee
1927
George Borrow was born on the 5th July, 1803, at Dumpling Green, East Dereham, in his grandfather’s house. He was the second son of Thomas Borrow, a middle-class Cornishman, who died Captain and Adjutant of the West Norfolk Militia; his mother, Anne Perfrement, of Huguenot descent, was a native of Norfolk, and was married to Thomas Borrow in 1793. Captain Borrow’s family moved about with the regiment through various parts of England, Ireland and Scotland, and made a stay of fifteen months at Edinburgh, where Borrow received the rudiments of his education at the High School. In 1816 the regiment returned to Norwich where it was disbanded, and Captain Borrow settled at Norwich in the small house off Willow Lane, now the Borrow House Museum.
George Borrow was sent to the Norwich Grammar School where he remained until the year 1818, being a contemporary of Dr. James Martineau and “Rajah” Brooke of Sarawak. While at school Borrow renewed the acquaintance, first made at Norman Cross, of the immortal Jasper Petulengro, at his gypsy encampment on Mousehold Heath, where he speedily learned the Romany language. At this time he had a liking for horses, boxing, fishing and shooting. He was afterwards articled to Messrs. Simpson and Rackham, Solicitors, of Tuck’s Court, St. Giles Street, Norwich, but he gave less attention to the law than to the study of languages, for which he evinced a peculiar talent. In pursuit of his studies Borrow used the City Library (now housed at the Central Public Library), and, with a reprehensible disregard of civic property, he made marginal notes in some of the volumes, including the Danica literatura antiquissima of Olaus Wormius, 1636, and Archæologica Britannica of Edmund Lhuyd, 1707, which are still preserved.
Norwich, at the time when Borrow lived there, was the centre of an influential literary coterie, which included John Taylor and his wife Susannah, and their daughter Sarah, afterwards Mrs. Austin; William Taylor, the savant and p. 4enthusiast for German literature; Amelia Alderson, who afterwards became the wife of John Opie the painter; Dr. Frank Sayers, who, said Sir Walter Scott, “united the patience of the antiquarian with the genius of the poet”; and Harriet Martineau. It was the practice of these people to meet together to discuss literature and life; they had ample leisure, they were one and all of an original turn of mind, had travelled widely, and were singularly free from that narrowness so often attributed to provincialism. That famous Quaker family, the Gurneys of Earlham, were intimately associated with the group, and other familiar faces included Sir James Smith, the botanist, Miss Cecilia Brightwell, Dr. John Aitkin and his sister, Mrs. Barbauld, and Dr. Samuel Parr.
During the same period there lived in Norwich a group of artists who were destined to make the City famous as the centre of the first provincial school of painters to be established in England. The founder and chief ornament of the world-famous “Norwich School of Painting” was John or “Old” Crome, who in 1803 formed the Norwich Society “for the purpose of an Enquiry into the Rise, Progress and present State of Painting, Architecture and Sculpture, with a view to point out the best Methods of Study to attain the Greater Perfection in these Arts.” The brilliant company which gathered round him included John Sell Cotman, James Stark, George Vincent, Robert Ladbrooke, John Thirtle, Joseph and Alfred Stannard, Thomas Lound, Miles Edmund and John Joseph Cotman, and many lesser lights. From 1805 to 1833, with few exceptions, annual exhibitions were held by the Norwich Society, and the catalogues are proof of the prolific output of the members of the Society during those years.
In this literary and artistic society George Borrow appears to have had little part during his Norwich years. We know, however, that he was quicker than most of his contemporaries to appreciate the genius of “Old” Crome, for in Lavengro we find the following prophetic tribute: “A living master? why, there he comes! . . . the little stout man whose face is very dark, and whose eye is vivacious; that man has attained excellence, destined some day to be acknowledged, though not till he is cold, and his mortal part returned to its kindred clay . . . the little dark man with the brown coat and the top-boots, whose name will one day be considered the chief ornament of the old town, and whose works will at no distant period rank among the proudest pictures of England—and p. 5England against the world! thy master, my brother, thy, at present, all too little considered master—Crome.” From the same book we learn of his meeting with that famous old Quaker, Joseph John Gurney, on the banks of the river Yare bordering Earlham Hall, a favourite haunt of Borrow. It was whilst he was fishing there one day in Summer that he heard “a voice, clear and sonorous as a bell”, asking “Canst thou answer to thy conscience for pulling all those fish out of the water and leaving them to gasp in the sun?” An amicable discussion followed, but the shaft apparently hit the mark for Borrow tells us, “Whether from the effect of his words or from want of inclination to the sport, I know not, but from that day I became less and less a practitioner of that ‘cruel fishing’”.
It was William Taylor, more than any other, who influenced Borrow while in Norwich. They first became acquainted in 1820, and Taylor, recognising Borrow’s wonderful gift for languages undertook gratuitously to teach him German. In 1821 he wrote to a correspondent: “George Henry Borrow . . . has learnt German with extraordinary rapidity; indeed, he has the gift of tongues, and though not yet eighteen, understands twelve languages—English, Welsh, Erse, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, Danish, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.” At William Taylor’s house Borrow met various intellectuals of Norwich, and also those who came from greater distances to visit the famous German scholar.
The death of Borrow’s father in 1824 almost coincided with the expiration of his articles with Messrs. Simpson and Rackham, and, abandoning all thoughts of a legal career, Borrow decided to go to London to earn a living by his pen. His only credentials were some translations from Danish and Welsh Ballads, and an introduction from William Taylor to Sir Richard Phillips, author, editor, and publisher. For some time he existed on starvation wages by doing hackwork for Sir Richard, and was associated with the Celebrated Trials, 6 volumes, published by Phillips in 1825. It is now generally accepted that Borrow had no part in the actual writing of this compilation—not even the Introductions—but that he simply collected the material and used the scissors where necessary.
It was in 1825, too, that his first work, a translation of Klinger’s Faustus, was published, and in the following year p. 6his Romantic Ballads appeared. Being unable to make a living in London he took to the road in May, 1825, wandering through the country as tinker and ostler, and fraternising with gypsies; during these wanderings he was almost fatally poisoned by a gypsy crone, he fought and defeated Anselo Herne, “The Flaming Tinman,” and he encountered Isopel Berners, with whom he tented in Mumper’s Dingle. These extraordinary adventures and associations with gypsies provided him with staple subject-matter for his fascinating autobiographic romance, Lavengro, and its sequel, The Romany Rye.
Only fragmentary details exist of the seven years of his life from 1825-32, the “veiled period”, as it has been termed. His principal biographer, Dr. Knapp, says “The interval was passed either at Norwich or in London ‘doing common work for booksellers’; but whether at Norwich or in the boro’ foros, suffering untold difficulties to gain his daily bread. So distasteful to him was the memory of this period, that in all the biographical sketches authorised by him, he put off the public with the summary declaration, that from 1823 to his engagement with the Bible Society, ten years later, ‘he lived a life of roving adventure’.”
In 1832 he obtained an introduction from the Rev. Francis Cunningham, of Lowestoft, to the British and Foreign Bible Society, and walked to London for his interview, covering the whole distance of 112 miles in twenty-seven hours. He was favourably received by the secretaries, and he undertook to learn the Manchu-Tartar language within six months, on the understanding that he would receive employment. At the end of the specified period, Borrow, having given satisfactory proof of his mastery of the language, was sent by the Society to St. Petersburg to superintend the printing of a manuscript translation of the entire New Testament into Manchu. He remained there from 1833-5, during which time he published Targum and The Talisman, collections of translations.
He returned to London in September, 1835, and after a brief stay in England was sent by the Society to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, where he travelled as a colporteur from 1835 to 1839 and attended to the publication of the Spanish New Testament, his translation of St. Luke into the Spanish gypsy tongue, and his edition of a Basque translation of the same Gospel. During these wanderings he wrote numerous p. 7graphic and unconventional letters to the Bible Society, which formed the basis of his Bible in Spain, and which were published in 1911.
His association with the Society ended in 1840, when he returned to England, married Mrs. Clarke, and with his wife and step-daughter went to live at Oulton Broad. Here for the next twenty years he lived in comparative retirement, rarely journeying abroad, and composing from his accumulated notes, gypsy vocabulary and collection of Romany songs, his Zincali, or Gypsies of Spain, published in 1841. This was followed in 1842 by The Bible in Spain, which met with instantaneous success and secured for him a worldwide reputation. By the end of the year 1843, six editions of the book had been issued in London, thousands of copies had been sold in America, and in the following year it was translated into French, German and Russian. The Bible in Spain was followed in 1851 by Lavengro, which, contrary to the anticipation of the author and the publisher, was unfavourably received by the public and the critics, chiefly because of Borrow’s hatred of convention and his avowed opposition to the “gentility-nonsense” of his time; this racy book of the open air offended the sentiment of the people of his day, and it was described as an “epic of ale.” To-day the literary critics are unanimous in their high praises of the charms of Lavengro, and the prophecy of Dr. T. Gordon Hake (made in 1851) that “Lavengro’s roots will strike deep into the soil of English letters” is fulfilled. Especial praise has been accorded the “Dingle Episode” in which is graphically related his encamping with the peerless Isopel Berners, and his fight with “The Flaming Tinman” in the Dingle has been proclaimed by Francis Hindes Groome—a candid critic of Borrow—as “the finest fight in the whole world’s literature.” Romany Rye (published in 1857), a sequel to Lavengro, received a still more hostile reception.
Borrow’s mother remained at the Willow Lane house until 5th October, 1849, when after a residence of thirty-three years, she went to live near her son at Oulton. While she was at Willow Lane, and during all the years of his sojourn at Oulton, Borrow was a frequent visitor to Norwich. Some interesting glimpses of these visits are to be found in the manuscript diary of Miss Cecilia Lucy Brightwell, the Norwich authoress and etcher, who was an intimate friend of the Borrows. One entry in this Diary (13th March, 1851) p. 8records that Borrow called on Miss Brightwell after he had been “to see the Bosjemans (or Bushmen) exhibiting at Assembly Rooms, men about 4½ ft. high, strange and disgusting creatures, with a strange inarticulate language full of clicks.” On the same day Borrow accompanied Miss Brightwell to the Norwich Museum, where they “looked at the casts[8] and were much struck with one which he said appeared alive. It proved to be Pitt. Next it being that of Oliver Cromwell, a wonderful huge unhewn, rugged, astounding visage. He declared it reminded him of Stonehenge. ‘The nose is a wonderful thing, and after all strength is always shewn in the nose. They talk of forehead and all that, but the nose is the thing.’”
In 1853 Borrow moved with his family to Yarmouth, whence for the next three years he departed on a series of excursions to Cornwall, Wales and the Isle of Man. He moved to London in 1860, taking possession of a house in Brompton, where he remained for fourteen years.
His book Wild Wales, containing an account of his Welsh tour in 1854, was published in 1862, and met with a cold reception, though it is now regarded as one of his best works. For the next twelve years Borrow published nothing save some translations for the periodical Once a Week and his Romano Lavo Lil (1874), a hastily compiled glossary of English gypsy words and phrases, which proved to be his last published work and did not enhance his reputation as a Romany scholar.
Borrow’s wife died in 1869, and in 1874 he returned to the old cottage at Oulton, which was his home for the remainder of his days. During these last years he was frequently at Norwich, where he stayed at a house in Lady Lane, and was a familiar figure in the streets of the old City. He died on 26th July, 1881, and was buried beside his wife in the cemetery at West Brompton, London.
It is not easy, even at this comparatively distant time, to assess the permanent place of George Borrow in English literature. By some he has been pronounced the greatest among the intellectual children of Norwich; by others he is regarded as dull, ponderous, flippant, bigoted and unimaginative. The truth of the matter is probably best summed up p. 9in the dictum that one is either born a Borrovian or one is not. In the words of Mr. M. M. Pattison Muir—who published a series of articles on “Norwich a Hundred Years Ago”—“Borrow is Borrow. There is nothing more to be said. If one is a Romany Chal one revels in Borrow’s books; if one is not of the tribes of Egypt one may read the books with interest, sometimes with pleasure; but despite the weird invocation—Ducdame, ducdame, ducdame—one remains ouside the magic circle.”
Although a great linguist, Borrow was not a scientific philologist, and as Professor Saintsbury says, “the results of his life-long philological studies appear to much better advantage from the literary than from the scientific point of view.” It is not, however, by his reputation as a scholar that Borrow’s name will go down to posterity. It is rather as the “Walking Lord of Gypsy Lore” that Borrow is remembered and revered, and as one who unfolded in a new and delightful way the manifold joys of Nature. He was supremely the writer of the open-air, of the sun, moon and stars, the high road and of the wind on the heath. “No man’s writing,” says Theodore Watts-Dunton, “can take you into the country as Borrow’s can: it makes you feel the sunshine, see the meadows, smell the flowers, hear the skylark sing and the grasshopper chirrup.”
The centenary of the birth of George Borrow, which occurred in 1903, passed almost unnoticed in the literary world, but the occasion was observed in Norwich, where the late Mr. Clement K. Shorter delivered an excellent address on Borrow, in which he chided Norwich folk for their neglect of their famous citizen.
By 1913 ardent Borrovians were strongly of the opinion that the time had come to do adequate honour to the genius of George Borrow by establishing a permanent memorial to him, and practical expression of this feeling was made in the press by Mr. Frank J. Farrell, M.Sc., of Great Yarmouth. As a result, a most influential committee was formed, and they unanimously decided that there should be in Norwich a public celebration of Borrow’s birthday in that year, and that the city was the most fitting place in which to establish a memorial to Borrow.
p. 10There is abundant evidence of the high place which Norwich held in Borrow’s affections. In Lavengro he wrote of it: “A fine old city, truly, is that, view it from whatever side you will; but it shows best from the east, where the ground, bold and elevated, overlooks the fair and fertile valley in which it stands. Gazing from those heights, the eye beholds a scene which cannot fail to awaken, even in the least sensitive bosom, feelings of pleasure and admiration. At the foot of the heights flows a narrow and deep river, with an antique bridge communicating with a long and narrow suburb, flanked on either side by rich meadows of the brightest green, beyond which spreads the city, the fine old city, perhaps the most curious specimen at present extant of the genuine old English town. Yes, there it spreads from north to south, with its venerable houses, its numerous gardens, its thrice twelve churches, its mighty mound, which, if tradition speaks true, was raised by human hands to serve as the grave heap of an old heathen king, who sits deep within it, with his sword in his hand and his gold and silver treasures about him. There is a grey old castle upon the top of that mighty mound; and yonder, rising three hundred feet above the soil, from among those noble forest trees, behold that old Norman master-work, that cloud-encircled cathedral spire, around which a garrulous army of rooks and choughs continually wheel their flight. Now, who can wonder that the children of that fine old city are proud of her, and offer up prayers for her prosperity? I, myself, who was not born within her walls, offer up prayers for her prosperity.”
Borrow was particularly attached to his old home in Willow Lane, and when his mother finally left it, after having lived there thirty-three years, he felt the parting from it far more keenly than she did. In a letter to her daughter-in-law, she wrote “I wish my dear George would not have such fancies about the old house; it is a mercy it has not fallen on my head before this.”
It is thus evident that the Committee’s proposal to acquire the Willow Lane home of George Borrow and to preserve it as a Museum of objects of Borrovian interest was a singularly appropriate one.
Mr. Arthur Michael Samuel, M.P., then Lord Mayor of Norwich, most generously came forward with an offer to purchase the freehold of the house and to present it as a gift to the City, for the purpose of a Borrow Museum.
p. 11The Committee then issued an appeal for funds to convert the house to its original condition, to furnish it suitably, and to secure by gift, loan, or purchase, books, manuscripts, letters, portraits and other objects for exhibition in the Museum.
On Saturday, July 5th, the Deed of Borrow House was formally presented to the Corporation by Mr. Samuel, and a most distinguished company assembled to do honour to the name of George Borrow, including the Right Hon. Augustine Birrell, K.C., Sir Robertson Nicoll, Sir Sidney Lee, Mr. Clement K. Shorter, two members of the Borrow family (Mr. Edward Borrow, a grand nephew, and Miss Winifrede Borrow, a grand niece), and Mrs. Knapp, the widow of Borrow’s chief biographer.
The celebrations included pilgrimages to Borrow’s favourite haunts in the city, a reception by the Lord Mayor, a programme of Gypsy songs and dances under the auspices of the Gypsy and Folk Lore Club, London, and a banquet in the evening, when the chief speeches were made by Mr. Birrell, Mr. Herbert Jenkins, Sir Sidney Lee, and Mr. James de Rothschild. On the Sunday, a special service was held at the Cathedral, when the Dean of Norwich (the late Very Rev. H. C. Beeching, D.D., D.Litt.) preached a commemorative sermon.
The Title Deed of Borrow House states that the donor was born in the city and educated at the same school as George Borrow, that the gift was made by way of showing his affection towards the citizens, and of paying tribute to the memory of Borrow, and that it was given to the Corporation “upon trust to maintain the same for ever for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of Norwich and the public generally as a museum for the collection, preservation, exhibition, and study of the writings and work of the said George Borrow, and other material objects connected with or tending to perpetuate his memory or to throw light upon his life and work, subject to and in accordance with such bye-laws or regulations as the Corporation, their successors or assigns, may from time to time think fit to make for securing the furtherance of the objects aforesaid, and the preservation and seemly ordering of the said museum and premises.”
Borrow House, in Willow Lane, is well hidden from the world, and the devoted Borrovian, eager to do homage at his hero’s one-time home is grateful for the guidance provided p. 12by a white stone plaque, set in a red brick wall, which contains a bronze medallion of the head of Borrow in relief, and underneath the words “George Borrow, 1803-1881, Author of ‘The Bible in Spain,’ ‘Lavengro,’ ‘Romany Rye,’ ‘Wild Wales,’ etc.”
Thus directed, the attention of the visitor is drawn to a narrow arched opening, above which is the name “Borrow’s Court”—until 1897 it was known as “King’s Court.” This stone-paved passage leads to a tiny garden, bounded on the right-hand side by a high brick wall. The house is now in full view, a quaint, stuccoed building, looking very much the same as it must have appeared to Borrow a hundred years ago. We know, however, that when the Borrows lived there the house was ivy-clad and confronted with trees. At one time the house was divided into two, and at the time of its presentation there were two front doors, but it was immediately restored as nearly as possible to its original condition.
The visitor can hardly fail to be struck by the extraordinary quietude which enfolds him as soon as he passes through the courtyard, an impression which remains all the time he is surveying the house. A more secluded and silent dwelling so near the heart of a busy industrial city, could hardly be imagined. Nothing will here disturb the pilgrim who would fain revive in imagination the scenes of bygone days when Borrow as a youth would sally forth, perhaps unwillingly, to school, and later to the lawyer’s office.
The wide, glass-paned front door, with its picturesque brass knocker, admits one to a narrow hall with a door on the left with old-fashioned bulbous glass, leading to the front parlour, and a characteristic staircase winding to the rooms above. To the right of the front door, as one enters, is a most interesting exhibit—Borrow’s death mask. This was discovered and identified by Mr. Farrell among a collection of death masks at the Castle Museum, his discovery being corroborated by subsequent reference to the records at the Castle. The features closely resemble those displayed in the portrait of Borrow by Henry Wyndham Phillips, and reveal that youthfulness of flesh and complexion which was one of Borrow’s most remarkable characteristics. In the Hall is also hung an oil portrait of George Borrow, copied by the late Miss C. M. Nichols, R.E., from the painting by John Borrow in the National Portrait Gallery. To the left of p. 13this is a portrait of the donor of Borrow House, and to the right a flashlight photograph of the banquet held during the Borrow Celebrations on July 5th, 1913, bearing underneath it the autographs of all those present. The Title Deed of Borrow House, framed, also hangs in the Hall.
The front parlour is a comparatively small room, with panelling about three feet high round the walls, a polished wood floor, and a large window overlooking the garden. It is sparely furnished with two tables, three chairs, and a bureau bookcase, whilst in the wall facing the window is a large iron fireplace. In this room are displayed most of the Borrovian treasures which have been obtained, either by purchase or gift, or sent on loan. The walls are hung with portraits of Borrow and of those associated with him, and also with illustrations from some of the editions of his works. On the left, behind the door is a large portrait in oils of John P. Hasfeld in 1835—Borrow’s great friend whom he met in St. Petersburg—painted by C. P. Maxin of St. Petersburg. On the same wall, to the right of the window, is a lithograph (by J. M. Johnson, of Norwich) of Borrow’s intimate friend, Roger Kerrison, who was articled to Simpson and Rackham a year previous to Borrow. Beneath this, and on the adjoining wall are a series of forty-five illustrations of Borrow’s Lavengro by Edmund J. Sullivan, A.R.W.S. Next these are two more portraits: an engraving of Ned Painter, the famous Norwich pugilist, after Sharples, engraved by W. M. Fellows; and a portrait of the Rev. Francis Cunningham, Vicar of Lowestoft, 1830-1863, who gave Borrow his introduction to the Bible Society. The large bureau bookcase, presented to the Museum by a few subscribers, contains a collection of various editions of Borrow’s works, and the biographies of him. To the right of this is a portrait of Joseph John Gurney, the Quaker, from a pencil sketch by Mrs. Amelia Opie.
In this corner of the room is a “grandfather” clock made by Henry Britton, a Norwich clock-maker in the early years of the nineteenth century.
On the wall facing the window are hung reproductions of the only existing paintings of Borrow: one by his brother, John Borrow, a pupil of “Old” Crome; and one by Henry Wyndham Phillips. An exhibition case on the mantelshelf contains some interesting Borrovian relics. Here may be seen a copy of Borrow’s articles of clerkship to Simpson and Rackham; a silk scarf worn by Borrow, given by Henrietta p. 14MacOubrey to Miss Bunn of Great Yarmouth, and by her to the Borrow Museum; a purse made from a silk sash worn by a non-commissioned officer in Captain Borrow’s regiment, and given to the Museum by his son, Mr. A. E. Jackson; the manuscripts of Borrow’s early metrical translations of “Glendower’s Mansion,” “Ode to the Comet,” and “Ode to Glendower” by the Welsh poet Iolo Goch, presented by Mr. Gerard H. Gurney; fragments of the manuscripts of Wild Wales, Lavengro, Songs of Norfolk, The Song of Suffolk and Jockey of Norfolk, given by the late Mr. Clement K. Shorter, whose gifts also include Borrow’s marriage certificate, a letter from Borrow to the Bible Society (dated July 20th, 1837), a letter from Borrow to his wife (dated August 5th, 1844), a notebook in the handwriting of Henrietta Clarke, a small New Testament which belonged to Henrietta Clarke, with an inscription and quotation in Borrow’s writing, a notebook in Mrs. Borrow’s writing, inscribed “From Henrietta Mary to her dear Mamma”; and a bound collection of miscellaneous papers in Borrow’s hand, showing how “Lavengro” learned languages.
To the left of the fireplace is a photograph of Borrow—the only one extant—taken by Mr. Pulley in the garden of a house in Surrey Street, Norwich, in 1848. In this corner of the room is a small glazed wall-cupboard, containing further interesting exhibits. Three of these, presented to the Museum by Mrs. Thomas of Old Colwyn, recall the visit of Borrow to Wales in 1854, afterwards described by him in his Wild Wales (1862). There is a “Daily Lesson Book” which Mrs. Thomas used as a child, and in which she has recorded that she “as a little girl (Ellen Jones) read from this book to George Borrow at Dafarn Goch (sometimes called Ty Gronwy) in Anglesey, in 1854, as described in Wild Wales, and afterwards wrote in his pocket-book the words, “Ellen Jones yn perthyn o bell i Gronow Owen” (“Ellen Jones belonging from afar to Gronwy Owen”)”. Another scene in Wild Wales is recalled by a photograph of the old home of Mrs. Thomas, a cottage at Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf, Anglesey, where the Welsh poet, Gronwy Owen, was born. Hither Borrow came, anxious to pay homage to the memory of one whom he described as “the greatest British poet of the last century,” and found to his delight that the house was still inhabited by his descendants. In this cupboard, too, may be seen a copy of the edition of the Gospel of St. p. 15John in Manchu, the printing of which was supervised by Borrow at St. Petersburg, where he was sent by the Bible Society in 1833; a fragment of the first proof, with corrections in Borrow’s handwriting, of his translation of the Gospel of St. Luke into the Spanish Gypsy language; the manuscript of an unpublished story entitled “Christmas Eve at the Old Manor House,” by Borrow’s step-daughter, Mrs. MacOubrey; Borrow’s Prayer Book inscribed with his name in his wife’s handwriting, and dated November, 1850; and a pencil sketch of Borrow’s cottage at Oulton Broad by Hayten.
The next wall is hung with portraits of Borrow’s friends and associates, recalling many interesting events in his life. These include the Rev. Whitwell Elwin, editor of the Quarterly Review, who knew Borrow all his life; John “Old” Crome, the founder of the Norwich School of Painting, of whom Borrow has given an appreciative picture in Lavengro; W. P. Nichols, F.R.C.S., a schoolfellow of Borrow, and afterwards senior consulting surgeon of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, and on one occasion at least a doctor to Borrow, for in a letter to his mother he refers to an occasion when “I had been so physicked by Nichols that I could scarcely stand”; Sir Richard Phillips, the publisher, under whom Borrow first ventured on his literary career; William Ireland Knapp, Borrow’s principal biographer; Cecilia Lucy Brightwell, authoress and etcher, who was an intimate friend of the Borrow family, and was deeply attached to “dear, dear George”; Thomas Brightwell, her father; Sir John Bowring, with whom Borrow was associated in his earliest literary projects, but who later proved an unreliable friend; Theodore Watts-Dunton, who knew Borrow intimately, and who edited editions of Lavengro, Romany Rye and Wild Wales; and, finally, John Murray II. (“Glorious John”) and John Murray III., Borrow’s publishers and friends, with whom he always maintained cordial and loyal relations. On this wall also hangs Borrow’s holograph letter to the Highland Society.
Leaving at length this parlour, with its multitude of associations, the visitor next ascends to Captain Borrow’s bedroom. Mounting the staircase he passes a framed chronology of the chief events in Borrow’s life, and a map of Norwich dated 1807, showing the city as it appeared during the years when Borrow knew it. This bedroom, above the parlour, is unfurnished save for a quaint old wooden desk, sent from the offices of Simpson and Rackham in St. Giles p. 16where Borrow passed five years, filled with an ever-growing distaste for the work. It requires little imagination on the part of the enthusiastic visitor to picture Borrow seated at this desk, in the office where, according to his own confession, he and others like him “not unfrequently utterly spoiled the greater part of the work entrusted to our hands.”
The walls of this room are hung with prints, paintings, and photographs of some of the chief places having Borrovian associations, and recalling incidents and events from his childhood to his old age. Here may be seen views of East Dereham—“pretty, quiet D---, thou pattern of an English country town,” where Borrow first saw the light; of Edinburgh, particularly its High School, to which John and George Borrow were sent in 1813; and of Norwich, including the Crown and Angel Inn, St. Stephen’s, where the Borrows lodged when they first arrived to take up their residence in the city, the Grammar School at which Borrow continued his education, Bowling Green Inn (now the Orphan’s Home), the famous rendez-vous of the bruisers of England, and a number of prints illustrating various places in Norwich as they appeared in Borrow’s time. The Oulton period of Borrow’s life is recalled by three pencil sketches of the Hall, the cottage, and the famous summer house, by Henrietta Mary Clarke, afterwards Mrs. MacOubrey. There is also a photograph of the summer-house, and a water-colour of Oulton Church by Walter Dexter, R.B.A., whose work is also represented by water-colours of East Dereham, and of Norwich Grammar School. Borrow’s wanderings abroad are illustrated by two etchings of Toledo and Segovia.
Two other pictures of interest in the room are an oil painting, “The Judgment of Solomon,” by John Borrow, and A. J. Munnings’ charcoal drawing of “The Wind on the Heath,” drawn for the souvenir brochure published in 1913. Also of interest is a photograph of a page of the register of Mr. Carson’s class at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, 1814, showing the name of George Borrow.
One other room yet remains to be visited, a room which, though empty, is perhaps for the Borrovian invested with a greater atmosphere of romance than any of the others, for it was Borrow’s own bedroom. Approached by a narrow winding staircase, it is directly above Captain Borrow’s room—a fact which recalls that moving chapter in Lavengro where the hero describes the horror he experienced on the p. 17night of his father’s death. The room is unfurnished, with plain tinted walls, bare, boarded floor, and low, slanting roof. On one wall are hung four original pen and ink sketches by the late Miss C. M. Nichols, R.E., three of Borrow’s bedroom and one of the White Hart Inn, Norwich, of which the landlord from 1823-1835 was Ned Painter, the famous pugilist of Lavengro.
There is a fine view from the window, which looks out over the western part of the “fine old city” of which its one-time occupant was such an illustrious adornment.
The pilgrim who is unwilling, on leaving the House, to abandon at once the spell of precious associations of the past might well repair for a while to Mousehold Heath, beloved by Borrow, where he may still find to his comfort that “Life is sweet, brother; there’s night and day, sun, moon and stars; there is likewise the wind on the heath. Life is very sweet, brother; who would wish to die?”
(Arranged chronologically by date of first publication)
1841 The Zincali; or, an account of the Gypsies of Spain, with an original collection of their songs and poetry, and a copious dictionary of their language, 2v. London: John Murray. 1841. (N.P.L.)
New editions of The Zincali were published in 1843 (second and third), 1846, 1870, 1882, 1888 and 1893. There is a copy of the fourth edition (in Murray’s Colonial and Home Library) at Borrow House, inscribed in George Borrow’s handwriting as follows: “Mary Borrow with her Husband’s love, 1 Jan. 1846.”
Definitive edition. London: John Murray. 1901. (B.H.)
Thin paper edition, 1908.
Another edition. (Pocket library). London: Lane. 1901. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New universal library). London: Routledge. 1906.
Another edition with introduction by Edward Thomas. (Everyman’s library). London: Dent. [1914]. (B.H.)
p. 181843 The Bible in Spain; or, the journeys, adventures, and imprisonments of an Englishman, in an attempt to circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsular. 3v. London: John Murray. 1843. (N.P.L.)
By the end of the year 1843, six editions of The Bible in Spain had been issued, and in 1896 the eighteenth authorised edition was published. A copy of the fourth edition is at Borrow House.
Another edition with a biographical introduction [by G. T. Bettany]. (Minerva library). London: Ward, Lock and Co. 1889. (N.P.L.)
Another edition. London: Nelson. 1893 [1892].
—Reprint, n.d. (B.H.)
Another edition, with notes and a glossary, by U. R. Burke [and H. W. Greene]. 2v. London: John Murray. 1896.
New one volume edition, with the notes and glossary of Ulick Ralph Burke. Map, illus., gloss. London: John Murray. 1899. (N.P.L.)
Another edition. (The Oxford library). London: Walter Scott. 1900.
Another edition, with a biographical introduction. London: W. P. Nimmo. 1900.
Another edition with introduction by Edward Thomas. (Everyman’s library). London: Dent. 1906. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Another edition. (World’s classics). London: Henry Frowde. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New pocket library). London: Lane. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (People’s library). London: Cassell. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. Thin paper. London: John Murray. 1908.
Another edition. (New universal library). London: Routledge. 1908.
Another edition. (Illus. pocket classics). London: Collins. [1913].
1851 Lavengro: the Scholar—the Gypsy—the Priest. 3v. Port. London: John Murray. 1851. (N.P.L.)
Second, third, and fourth (miscalled third, fourth, and fifth) editions of Lavengro appeared in 1872, 1888, and 1896 respectively. A copy of the second edition (1872), called on the title-page “Third Edition,” is at Borrow House.
Another edition with introduction by Theodore Watts [i.e. Watts-Dunton]. (Minerva library). London: Ward, Lock and Co. 1893. (N.P.L.)
Another edition, with introduction by Augustine Birrell, illustrated by E. J. Sullivan. London: Macmillan. 1896. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New library). London: G. Newnes. 1897.
Another edition. (The Oxford library). London: Walter Scott. 1898.
New edition, containing the unaltered text of the original issue; some suppressed episodes now printed for the first time; MS. variorum, vocabulary and notes by the author of “The Life of George Borrow” [W. I. Knapp]. Port. London: John Murray. 1900. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Reprinted in 1911. Thin paper edition. 1908.
Another edition with introduction by C. E. Beckett, illustrated by C. A. Shepperson. London: Gresham Publishing Co. [1900].
Another edition; with notes and introduction by F. Hindes Groome. (Little library). 2v. London: Methuen. 1901. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Another edition. (The world’s classics). London: Henry Frowde. 1904. (B.H.)
Another edition. London: Blackie. 1904.
Another edition. (New pocket library). London: Lane. 1905. (B.H.)
Another edition; with an intro. by Thomas Seccombe. (Everyman’s library). London: Dent. 1906. (N.P.L., B.H.)
p. 19Another edition. (New universal library). London: Routledge. 1906.
Another edition. (The people’s library). London: Cassell. 1909. (B.H.)
Another edition. London: Nelson. [1909]. (B.H.)
Another edition. (Illustrated pocket classics). London: Collins. [1910]. (B.H.)
Another edition, with introduction and notes by E. Maxwell. London: Milford. 1914. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Another edition, illustrated by E. J. Sullivan. Edinburgh: Foulis. 1915. (B.H.)
Another edition. London: Harrap. 1916.
1857 The Romany Rye; a sequel to “Lavengro.” 2v. London: Murray. 1857.
Four other editions of Romany Rye were published by Murray in 1858, 1872, 1888, and 1896.
Another edition. (The Oxford library). London: Walter Scott. 1899.
New edition containing the unaltered text of the original issue, with notes, etc., by the author of “The Life of George Borrow” [W. I. Knapp]. Illus. London: Murray. 1900. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Thin paper edition. 1908. (B.H.)
Another edition, with an introduction by Theodore Watts-Dunton. London: Ward, Lock and Co. 1900.
Another edition, with notes and introduction by John Sampson. (Little library). London: Methuen. 1903. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Another edition. (Everyman’s library). London: Dent. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (World’s classics). London: Henry Frowde. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New pocket library). London: Lane. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New universal library). London: Routledge. 1906.
Another edition. London: Nelson. [1910]. (B.H.)
Another edition. (Illustrated pocket classics). London: Collins. [1915].
1862 Wild Wales: its people, language, and scenery. 3v. London: John Murray. 1862. (N.P.L.)
The second, third and fourth editions appeared in 1865, 1888, and 1896 respectively. The fifth (definitive) edition was published in 1901 (B H.), and a thin paper edition in 1914 (B. H.)
Another edition. (New pocket library). London: John Lane. 1905. (B.H.)
Another edition with an introduction by Theodore Watts-Dunton. (Everyman’s library). London: Dent. 1906. (B.H.)
Another edition. (New universal library). London: Routledge. 1906.
Another edition. London: Nelson. [1911].
Another edition, abridged and adapted for school reading by P. W. Beynon. Map. (Masters of English literature). London: Blackie. [1912]. (B.H.)
Another edition. (The world’s classics). London: Milford. 1920.
1874 Romano Lavo-Lil: word-book of the Romany; or, English Gypsy language. With many pieces in Gypsy, illustrative of the way of speaking and thinking of the English Gypsies; with specimens of their poetry, and an account of certain Gypsyries or places inhabited by them, and of various things relating to Gypsy life in England. London: John Murray. 1874.
p. 20New edition. London: John Murray. 1888. (N.P.L.)
Third edition. London: John Murray. 1905.
Reprint. 1907. (B.H.)
Thin paper edition. 1908.
1911 Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society; published by direction of the Committee; edited by T. H. Darlow. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1911. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Contains over one hundred letters, as well as reports and other documents addressed by George Borrow to the Bible Society during his association with its work, 1833-1840.
1922-23 Borrow’s “Wild Wales,” suppressed chapters; edited by H. Wright. In “Welsh Outlook,” vol. 9, 1922, pp. 131-133, 161-164, 187-189, 208-211, 231-233, 256-260, 285-289; vol. 10, 1923, pp. 40-44, 78-79, 100-104, 153-155, 192-194, 219-221, 249-250. (N.P.L.)
When “Wild Wales” was published in 1862, a considerable part of the original book was suppressed by Borrow. The manuscripts of this portion passed into the possession of Mr. Clement Shorter and Mr. T. J. Wise, who permitted Professor H. Wright to publish in the Welsh Outlook such extracts as he thought fit.
1823 Danish poetry and ballad writing. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 56, 1823, pp. 306-309.
1824 Reviews of Fortsetzung des Faust von Goethe; Œlenschlager’s Samlede digte; Narrative of a pedestrian journey through Russia and Siberian Tartary. In “Universal Review,” vol. 1, 1824, pp. 391, 394, 491-513.
1824-25 Danish traditions and superstitions. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 58, 1824-1825, pp. 19-22, 498-500; vol. 59, 1825, pp. 25-26, 103-104, 308, 411, 507; vol. 60, 1825, pp. 296-297, 424-425.
1825 Reviews of The devil’s elixir, and Danske Folkesagn. In “Universal Review,” vol. 2, 1825, pp. 315-331, 550-566.
1832 The origin of the word “Tory.” In “Norfolk Chronicle,” August 18, 1832, p. 4. (N.P.L.)
1836 The gipsies in Russia and in Spain. In “Athenæum,” August 20, 1836, pp. 587-588. (N.P.L.)
1855 Ancient Runic stone, recently found in the Isle of Man. In “Illustrated London News,” December 8th, 1855, p. 685. (N.P.L.)
1861 The Welsh and their literature. In “Quarterly Review,” January, 1861, vol. 109, pp. 38-63. (N.P.L.)
1913 A supplementary chapter to “The Bible in Spain,” inspired by Ford’s “Handbook for Travellers in Spain.” London: Privately printed for T. J. Wise. 1913. (B.H.)
A reprint of Borrow’s review of Ford’s book written for the Quarterly Review, but withdrawn before publication.
1913 Letters to his wife, Mary Borrow, by George Borrow. London: Privately printed for T. J. Wise. 1913. (B.H.)
1913 Letters to his mother, Ann Borrow. London: Privately printed for T. J. Wise. 1913. (B.H.)
1915 Expedition to the Isle of Man: a hitherto unpublished diary by George Borrow. In “Mannin,” vol. 2, no. 4, Nov., 1914, and vol. 3, no. 5, May, 1915. (B.H.)
1825 Faustus: his life, death, and descent into Hell; translated from the German. London: Simpkin and Marshall. 1825.
1826 Romantic ballads; translated from the Danish, and miscellaneous pieces. Norwich: S. Wilkin. 1826. (N.P.L.)
Reprint. Norwich: Jarrold and Sons. 1913. (N.P.L.)
Appendix No. 1 is “A bibliographical note by Clement Shorter,” and Appendix No 2 gives a Facsimile of a Borrow manuscript then in the collection of Clement Shorter. 300 copies printed.
1835 Targum; or, metrical translations from thirty languages and dialects. St. Petersburg: Schulz and Beneze. 1835.
Reprint. Targum . . . and The Talisman . . . with other pieces London: Jarrold and Sons. [1892]. (N.P.L.)
1835 The Talisman; from the Russian of Alexander Pushkin; with other pieces. St. Petersburg: Schulz and Beneze. 1835.
The “other pieces” are translations of “The Mermaid” from the Russian of Pushkin, “Ancient Russian Songs,” “Ancient Ballad” from the Malo Russian, and “The Renegade” from the Polish of Mickiewicz.
1837 Embéo e Majaró Lucas . . . El Evangelio segun S. Lucas, traducido al Romaní, ó dialecto de los Gitanos de España. Madrid: 1837.
Borrow’s translation of the Gospel of St. Luke into the dialect of the Spanish Gypsies.
Second edition. London: William Clowes. 1871.
Third edition. London: William Clowes. 1872.
1860 The Sleeping Bard; or, visions of the world, death, and hell, by Elis Wyn; translated from the Cambrian British by George Borrow. London: John Murray. 1860. (N.P.L.)
1884 The Turkish jester; or, the pleasantries of Cogia Nasr Eddin Effendi; translated from the Turkish by George Borrow. Ipswich: W. Webber. 1884. (N.P.L.)
1889 The Death of Balder; from the Danish of Johannes Ewald (1773); translated by George Borrow. London: Jarrold and Sons. 1889. (N.P.L.)
Johannes Ewald was the greatest Danish lyrical poet of the 18th century, and his drama entitled The Death of Balder is one of his masterpieces.
1913 Marsk Stig: a ballad. (B.H.)
This and the following pamphlets were privately printed for Mr. T. J. Wise, the edition of each being limited to 30 copies. They are arranged in order of publication. The contents of these pamphlets are set out in Mr. Wise’s invaluable Bibliography of the writings in prose and verse of George Henry Borrow. (1914).
The Serpent Knight, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The King’s Wake, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The Dalby Bear, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The Mermaid’s prophecy, and other songs relating to Queen Dagmar. (B.H.)
Hafbur and Signe: a ballad. (B.H.)
The story of Yvashka with the Bear’s Ear; translated from the Russian. (B.H.)
The Verner Raven, The Count of Vendel’s daughter, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The Return of the Dead, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Axel Thordson and fair Valborg: a ballad. (B.H.)
p. 22King Hacon’s death, and Bran and the Black Dog: two ballads. (B.H.)
Marsk Stig’s daughters, and other songs and ballads. (B.H.)
The tale of Brynild, and King Valdemar and his sister: two ballads. (B.H.)
Proud Signild and other ballads. (B.H.)
Ulf Van Yern, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Ellen of Villenskov, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The song of Ranild. (B.H.)
Niels Ebbesen, and Germand Gladenswayne: two ballads. (B.H.)
Child Maidelvold, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Ermeline: a ballad. (B.H.)
The Giant of Berne and Orm Ungerswayne: a ballad. (B.H.)
Little Engel: a ballad; with a series of epigrams from the Persian. (B.H.)
Alf the Freebooter, little Danneved and Swayne Trost, and other ballads. (B.H.)
King Diderik and the fight between the lion and dragon, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The nightingale, The Valkyrie and raven, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Grimmer and Kamper, The end of Sivard Snarenswayne, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The fountain of Maribo, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Queen Berngerd, The bard and the dreams, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Finnish ballads; or, Sir Thor and Damsel Thure: a ballad. (B.H.)
Brown William, The power of the harp, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The song of Deirdra, King Byrge and his brothers, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Signelil, a tale from the Cornish, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Young Swaigder; or, The force of runes, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Emelian the Fool: a tale; translated from the Russian. (B.H.)
The story of Tim; translated from the Russian. (B.H.)
Mollie Charane, and other ballads. (B.H.)
Grimhild’s vengeance: three ballads. (B.H.)
The brother avenged, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The gold horns; translated from the Danish of Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger. (B.H.)
1914 Tord of Hafsborough, and other ballads. (B.H.)
The expedition to Birting’s Land, and other ballads. (B.H.)
1915 Welsh poems and ballads; with an introduction by Ernest Rhys. Fac. London: Jarrold and Sons. 1915. (N.P.L.)
1823 The Diver: a ballad translated from the German; by G. O. B. In “New Monthly Magazine,” vol. 7, 1823, pp. 540-542. (N.P.L.)
1824 Ode to a mountain torrent; Death; Mountain song; “Skion Middel”; Lenora; Chloe; Sea-song; The Erl King. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 56, 1824, pp. 244, 245, 246, 306-309, 334-336, 437, 438.
1824 Bernard’s address to his army; The singing mariner; The French princess; The nightingale. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 57, 1824, pp. 235, 335, 431, 526.
1824-25 Waldemar’s chase; War Song; Bear Song. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 58, 1824-5, pp. 19-22, 47, 432.
p. 231825 The deceived merman. In “Monthly Magazine,” vol. 59, 1825, pp. 143-144.
1830 [Sixteen translations from the Danish by Borrow]. In “Foreign Quarterly Review,” vol. 6, 1830, pp. 48-87. (In an article by Sir John Bowring).
1862 Ballads of the Isle of Man; translated from the Manx by George Borrow. In “Once a week,” vol. 6, 1862, pp. 37-39. (N.P.L.)
Translations in verse of the ballads of “Brown William” and “Mollie Charane.”
1862 Russian popular tales; translated from the Russian by George Borrow. In “Once a week,” vol. 6, 1862, pp. 289-294, 572-574, vol. 7, 1862, pp. 403-406. (N.P.L.)
Translations of “Emelian the Fool,” “The story of Yvashka with the bear’s ear,” and “The story of Tim.”
1862 Harald Harfagr: a discourse between a Valkyrie and a Raven about Harald Harfagr, King of Norway, his wars, his wives, his court and his company; translated from the ancient Norse. In “Once a week,” vol. 7, 1862, pp. 152-155. (N.P.L.)
This poem was composed by various skalds of the court of Harold, born circa 850.
1863 The Count of Vendel’s daughter, from the ancient Danish. In “Once a week,” vol. 8, 1863, pp. 35-36. (N.P.L.)
1863 The Hail-storm; or, the death of Bui; translated from the ancient Norse. In “Once a week,” vol. 9, 1863, p. 686. (N.P.L.)
1825 Celebrated trials and remarkable cases of criminal jurisprudence, from the earliest records to the year 1825. 6v. London: Knight and Lacey. 1825.
Regarding Borrow’s share in this work, Dr. Knapp says: “Borrow had edited the Celebrated Trials . . . but he wrote nothing, not even the introductions.”
1835 Mousei echen Isus Gheristos i tuta puha itche ghese. [Edited by Borrow]. St. Petersburg: Schulz and Beneze. 1835.
1837 El Nuevo Testamento, traducido al Español . . . Madrid: Joaquin de la Barrera. 1837.
1838 Evangelioa San Lucasen Guisssan. El Evangelio segun S. Lucas, traducido al Vascuence. [Edited by George Borrow]. Madrid: 1838.
The works of George Borrow; edited, with much hitherto unpublished manuscript, by Clement Shorter. (Norwich edition). 16v. London: Constable. 1923-24. (N.P.L.)
Edition limited to 775 sets.
1899 The mother [a short poem translated from the Chinese]. George Borrow and the publisher [from Lavengro]. In “International Library of Famous Literature,” vols. 1 and 18, 1899, pp. 64, 8700-8710.
1901 Isopel Berners; the text edited with introduction and notes by Thomas Seccombe. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1901. (N.P.L.)
This volume presents the central episode of Borrow’s autobiography—the settlement in the dingle with Isopel Berners—described in the latter portion of Lavengro and the first sixteen chapters of its sequel The Romany Rye.
p. 241905 Gipsy stones from “The Bible in Spain”; with an intro. (English texts). London: Blackie. [1905]. (N.P.L., B.H.)
1905 Selections from George Borrow. (The Arnold prose books, no. 16). London: Arnold. [1905]. (N.P.L.)
Selections from “Lavengro,” “The Romany Rye,” “Wild Wales,” and “The Bible in Spain.”
1905 The stories of Antonio and Benedict Mol, from Borrow’s “Bible in Spain”; with an intro. (English texts). London: Blackie. [1905]. (N.P.L., B.H.)
1905 The Irish cob. Madeira. In “The open road: a little book for wayfarers,” compiled by E. V. Lucas, 1905, pp. 125-6, 193-197.
1907 The fight in the bog. In “Nineteenth century prose,” edited by Mrs. Laurence Binyon, 1907, pp. 147-149.
1912 The Pocket George Borrow: passages chosen from the works of Borrow by Edward Thomas. London: Chatto and Windus. 1912.
1913 George Borrow: selections. (The Langham booklets). London: L. B. Hill. 1913. (B.H.)
1913 Selections from George Borrow. (The selected series). London: L. B. Hill. 1914. (B.H.)
1914 Wanderings in Spain: selections from The Bible in Spain; introduction and notes by F. A. Cavenagh. London: Macmillan. 1914.
1921 Readings from George Borrow; selected and edited by S. A. Richards. (King’s treasuries of literature series). London: Dent. 1921.
1921 G.B. at Tangier (from “The Bible in Spain”). In “An English anthology of prose and poetry,” compiled by Sir Henry Newbolt, 1921, pp. 806-810. (N.P.L.)
1924 Borrow: selections, with essays by Richard Ford, Leslie Stephen, and George Saintsbury; with an introduction and notes by Humphrey S. Milford. Port. (The Clarendon series of English literature). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1924. (N.P.L.)
1925 The wind on the heath. The prize fight. In “The Oxford book of English prose,” edited by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1925, pp. 664-669. (N.P.L.)
Black, G. F. Bibliography of Borrow. In “Gypsy Lore Society Monographs,” no. 1, 1914, pp. 21-25.
Knapp, William I. Chronological bibliography of the writings of George Borrow. In his “Life, writings and correspondence of George Borrow,” vol. 2, 1899, pp. 355-388. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Stephen, G. A. George Borrow: bibliography. In “Norwich Public Library Readers’ Guide,” vol. 2, 1913, pp. 81-85. (N.P.L.)
Thomas, Edward. Bibliography of George Borrow. In his “George Borrow: the man and his books,” 1912, pp. 323-333. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Wise, Thomas J. A bibliography of writings in prose and verse of George Henry Borrow. Facs. London: Privately printed by Richard Clay & Sons. 1914. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Hopkins, R. Thurston. George Borrow: lord of the open road; with illustrations, reproductions from etchings by C. M. Nichols, and a new portrait of George Borrow. London: Jarrolds. [1922]. (N.P.L.)
Jenkins, Herbert. Life of George Borrow, compiled from unpublished official documents, his works, correspondence, etc. Ports., illus. London: John Murray. 1912. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Gives in a concise form much of the information given in the biography by Dr. Knapp, and embodies material not accessible in his time, including Borrow’s numerous letters to the Bible Society and unpublished documents at the Public Record Office. Gives a list of Borrow’s works Reviewed in “Contemporary Review,” July, 1913, vol. 104, pp. 141-143; Nation, 17 Feb., 1912; New Age, March, 1912, by T. W. Thompson.
Knapp, William I. Life, writings and correspondence of George Borrow, derived from official and other authentic sources. Port., illus. 2V. London: John Murray. 1899. (N.P.L., B.H.)
The first biography of George Borrow, and the chief authority. The author states: “I made a collection of his printed books and magazines that contained his early fugitive pieces, and the articles that discussed him and his works. Eventually I also secured his papers, the correspondence of half a century and more, his notebooks of travel, his manuscripts, and the scattered remains of his library.” The work contains numerous selections from Borrow’s documents. Reviewed in “Athenæum,” March 25, 1899, by Theodore Watts-Dunton; in “Bookman,” May, 1899, by F. Hindes Groome; in “Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine,” vol. 165, 1899, pp. 724-734.
Shorter, Clement K. George Borrow and his circle, wherein may be found many hitherto unpublished letters of Borrow and his friends. Ports., illus. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Shorter, Clement K. The life of George Borrow. (Wayfarer’s library). Port. London: Dent. [1920]. (N.P.L.)
Originally published with the title “George Borrow and his circle” (1913).
Thomas, Edward. George Borrow: the man and his books. Ports., illus. London: Chapman and Hall. 1912. (N.P.L., B.H.)
A personal and literary study, based on the published biographies of Borrow and his writings. Quotations form a large part of the book.
Walling, R. A. J. George Borrow: the man and his work. Port. London: Cassell. 1909. (N.P.L., B.H.)
In this biography the author has emphasised Barrow’s Celtic origin and his Cornish associations, and has incorporated some hitherto unpublished documents and oral traditions.
Adams, Morley. In the footsteps of Borrow and Fitzgerald. Map, ports., illus. London: Jarrolds. [1913]. (N.P.L.)
Annual Register for the year 1881, 1882. George Borrow. [Obituary notice], pp. 134-135. (N.P.L.)
Baldrey, S. H. George Borrow reminiscences: new biographical material. In “Eastern Daily Press,” July 31st, 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Beeching, H. C., Dean of Norwich. George Borrow: a sermon preached in Norwich Cathedral on July 6th, 1913. London: Jarrold and Sons. [1913]. (N.P.L., B.H.)
p. 26Beeching, H. C., Dean of Norwich. “Urbanus Sylvan,” pseud. The Borrow commemoration at Norwich. In “Cornhill Magazine,” vol. 35, no. 207, new series, 1913, pp. 330-335. (N.P.L.)
Bidwell, Alice Townsend, and Isabelle Denison Rosenstiel. George Henry Borrow. In their “The places of English literature,” 1924, pp. 125-6. (N.P.L.)
Birrell, Augustine. The office of literature. In “Obiter dicta,” second series, 1890, pp. 234-241. (N.P.L.)
—Res judicatæ. 1892. (N.P.L.)
pp. 105-127 deal with George Borrow.
Blaesing, Bernhard. George Borrow. Berlin: Emil Ebering. 1910.
Boynton, H. W. George Borrow. In “Atlantic Monthly,” vol. 93, 1904, pp. 244-253. (N.P.L.)
Browne, George. History of the British and Foreign Bible Society. 1859.
Button, H. Browning. Wild Wales. George Borrow’s tramp through Wales in 1854. In “Central Literary Magazine,” July, 1923, pp. 111-117.
Canton, William. The story of the Bible Society. 1904.
Cantrill, T. C., and J. Pringle. George Borrow’s second tour in Wales. (Cymmrodorion Society’s publications). [1911]. (N.P.L.)
Reprinted from “Y Cymmrodor,” vol. 22, 1910, pp. 160-170.
Carrow Works Magazine, vol. 1, no. 1, 1913, pp. 7-9. George Borrow. (N.P.L.)
Chancellor, E. Beresford. Borrow in London. In “The Outlook,” 5th July, 1913. (B.H.)
—George Borrow’s escape: adventure with an “heroic” artist [B. R. Haydon]. In “T. P.’s and Cassell’s Weekly,” vol. 8, no. 189, June 11th, 1927, p. 223. (N.P.L.)
Charnwood, Lady. Letters by ten literary men: from a collection of autographs. [Includes one by Borrow]. In “Cornhill Magazine,” Nov., 1918, pp. 492-502. (N.P.L.)
Church, W. E. George Borrow: a Norfolk celebrity. In “Eastern Daily Press,” Jan. 21st, 1885, p. 3. (N.P.L.)
Report of a lecture on “George Borrow, and the Bible in Spain: the history of a true protestant.”
Cumberland, Gerald. The George Borrow centenary: an ideal adventurer. In “Daily Citizen,” 4th July, 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Doyle, Sir A. Conan. Borrowed scenes. In his “Danger! and other stories,” 1918, pp. 127-144. (N.P.L.)
A parody of Borrow’s style.
—[George Borrow]. In his “Through the magic door,” 1907, pp. 91-103. (N.P.L.)
Dutt, William A. George Borrow and East Anglia; illustrated by L. Daviel. In “Good Words,” vol. 38, 1897, pp. 318-323. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow in East Anglia. 1896. (N.P.L.)
Contents.—East Anglia. Early days. The lawyer’s clerk. Days in Norwich. Life at Oulton. Borrow and pugilism. Borrow and the East Anglian gipsies.
—Some literary associations of East Anglia. Illus. 1907. (N.P.L.)
Contains numerous references to Borrow at Dereham, Norwich, Oulton and Great Yarmouth.
Eade, Sir Peter. George Henry Borrow. In his “Some account of the parish of St. Giles, Norwich,” 1886, pp. 347-348. (N.P.L.)
“Eastern Daily Press.” The Borrow centenary: to-day’s celebration, 10th Dec., 1903, p. 8. (N.P.L.)
p. 27“Eastern Daily Press.” The centenary of George Borrow: correspondence. 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th Dec., 1903, p. 8. (N.P.L.)
Also editorial note under “Local Topics,” p. 5, Dec. 9th, 1903.
—The Borrow Celebration. 7th July, 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Gives a full account of the Borrow celebration in Norwich, including the reception in St. Andrew’s Hall, when speeches were made by the Lord Mayor (A. M. Samuel), Sir Robertson Nicoll, and Clement Shorter, the banquet at the Maid’s Head Hotel, when speeches were made by Augustine Birrell, Herbert Jenkins, Sir Sidney Lee, and others, and the sermon on Borrow preached at the Cathedral by the Dean (the Very Rev. H. C. Beeching).
Elton, Oliver. Borrow. In his “A survey of English literature, 1830-1880,” vol. 1, 1920, pp. 319-329. (N.P.L.)
Elwin, W. Mr. Borrow [Obituary notice]. In “The Athenæum,” August, 1881, p. 177. (N.P.L.)
Euren, Henry F. Norwich notables, viii.: George Borrow. In “Norwich Mercury,” July 4 and 18, 1903, p. 3. (N.P.L.)
Farrell, Frank J. George Borrow. [1914]. (N.P.L.)
A review of the literature relating to George Borrow; reprinted from “Lowestoft: souvenir of the conference of the National Union of Teachers, Easter, 1914,” pp. 61-68.
—George Borrow. In “Gypsy and Folk-lore Gazette,” vol. 2, no. 2, 1913, pp. 56-57.
Findlater, Jane H. George Borrow. In “Cornhill Magazine,” vol. 80, 1899, pp. 596-603. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow. In her “Stories from a glass-house,” 1904.
Fisher’s Norwich and Eastern Counties Almanac for 1914. George Borrow, p. 23. Illus. (N.P.L.)
Flood, W. G. George Borrow: the Norwich scholar and Romany Rye: a sketch. In “‘B.P.’ Works Magazine,” vol. 2, pp. 287-294, vol. 3, pp. 14-21. 1918. (N.P.L.)
George Borrow Celebration. Programme. St. Andrew’s Hall, July 5th, 1913. (N.P.L.)
Gorman, Herbert S. George Borrow, friend of tinkers and gypsies. In “New York Times Book Review,” 23 Dec., 1923, p. 15.
Gosse, Edmund. George Henry Borrow. In his “English literature: an illustrated record,” vol. 4, 1903, pp. 270-1. (N.P.L.)
Groome, Francis Hindes. George Henry Borrow. In Chambers’s Encyclopædia, new edition, vol. 2, 1923, pp. 342-343. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow, etc. In “The Bookman,” vol. 3, 1893, pp. 147-148. (N.P.L.)
Hake, A. Egmont. George Borrow. In “Macmillan’s Magazine,” vol. 45, 1882, pp. 56-63. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow. In “Dictionary of National Biography,” vol. 5, 1886, pp. 407-408. (N.P.L.)
—Recollections of George Borrow. In “The Athenæum,” August, 1881, pp. 209-210. (N.P.L.)
Harper’s Monthly Magazine. The Editor’s Easy Chair, vol. 128, May, 1914, no. 768, pp. 958-961. (N.P.L.)
A review of Borrow’s works, prompted by Clement Shorter’s “Borrow and his circle,” by W. D. Howells.
Harvey, Elizabeth. George Borrow: personal recollections, by E. H. In “Eastern Daily Press,” October 1, 1892, p. 3. (N.P.L.)
Hearn, Lafcadio. George Borrow. In his “Life and literature,” 1917, pp. 181-187. (N.P.L.)
Henley, W. E. Borrow: his vocation; ideals and achievements; himself. In his “Views and Reviews: literature,” 1913, pp. 133-138. (N.P.L.)
p. 28Hermann, E. George Borrow. In “Everyman,” May 2, 1913, p. 73. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Herzfeld, Georg. George Borrow. In “Sonderabdruck ous dem Archiv für das Studium der Neueren Sprachen und Litteraturen,” Band 107, heft 1-2. 1901. (N.P.L.)
Hooper, James. George Borrow. In “The National Review,” vol. 26, 1896, pp. 670-684. (N.P.L.)
—Souvenir of the George Borrow celebration, Norwich, July 5th, 1913. Illus. 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
—Borrow’s forgotten ballads. In “Gypsy and Folk-lore Gazette,” vol. 1, no. 4, 1912, pp. 107-117.
Hopkins, R. T. Sidelights on George Borrow. In “Bookman’s Journal,” vol. 3, 1921, pp. 425-6, 445-6, vol. 4, 1921, pp. 7-8, 28, 42, 63, 77-8, 110, 132.
Hustvedt, S. B. George Borrow and his Danish ballads. In “Journal of English and Germanic Philology,” April, 1923, vol. 22, pp. 262-270.
Jenkins, Herbert (Herbert Ives, pseud.). George Borrow in Russia. In “National Review,” vol. 54, 1910, pp. 71-84. (N.P.L.)
Jenkins, Herbert. The home of George Borrow. In “T. P.’s Weekly,” 4th July, 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Jerrold, Walter. George Borrow’s ‘Joseph Sell.’ In “Cornhill Magazine,” vol. 50, n.s., no. 295, Jan. 1921, pp. 48-58. (N.P.L.)
Jessopp, Augustus. Lavengro. In “The Athenæum,” July 8, 1893, pp. 65-66. (N.P.L.)
Gives information regarding Borrow’s early life.
—Lights on Borrow. In “Daily Chronicle,” 30 April, 1900. (N.P.L.)
Jones, C. Sheridan. George Borrow, “Crime Specialist”; months of slavery for fifty pounds. In “John o’ London’s Weekly,” March 8th, 1924, p. 816. (N.P.L.)
Mackie, Charles. Scholar and Gipsy. In “East Anglian Handbook and Agricultural Annual,” 1883, pp. 178-196. (N.P.L.)
Reminiscences of George Borrow.
Montegut, Emile. Ecrivains modernes de l’Angleterre. Deuxième série: Mistress Gaskell, Mistress Browning, George Borrow, Alfred Tennyson. Paris: Conlommiers. 1889.
Muir, M. M. Pattison. A hundred years ago: men and women of letters in Norwich: George Borrow. In “Eastern Daily Press,” 21st Feb., 1924, p. 6, and 4th March, 1924, p. 8. (N.P.L.)
“The Nation,” 12th July, 1913. The scholar gypsy. (B.H.)
Nicoll, Sir William Robertson (pseud. Claudius Clear). Our “cherished and most respectable Borrow”: the correspondence of Claudius Clear. In “British Weekly,” 20th July, 1913. (B.H.)
Northup, George T. Carmen: influence of George Borrow upon Prosper Mérimée. In “Modern Philology,” July, 1915, pp. 143-56.
Norton, Philip. Personal religion of George Borrow. In “Eastern Daily Press,” 2nd July, 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
Norwich Castle Museum. Catalogue of the exhibition commemorative of George Borrow, author of “Lavengro,” etc., held at the Norwich Castle Museum, July, 1913. Norwich: Castle Museum. 1913. (N.P.L., B.H.)
“The Observer,” June 17th, 1923, p. 21. George Borrow as fighting man; from a correspondent. [Correspondence, June 24th].
p. 29Peake, Edward. The charms of Borrow. In “Norwich Mercury,” April 16th, 1904, p. 3. (N.P.L.)
Reprinted in “Norwich Public Library Readers’ Guide,” vol. 2, 1913, pp. 80-81. (N.P.L.)
Plane, Jack, pseud. (R. W. Cook). A Norfolk author: George Borrow, a sketch of his life and work. In “Eastern Daily Press,” September 17th, 1892, p. 3, and September 19th, 1892, p. 3. (N.P.L.)
Pringle, J. George Borrow and the Borders. In “The Border Magazine,” vol. 14, 1909, pp. 52-54, 72-75.
Ralli, Augustus. George Borrow. In “Fortnightly Review,” vol. 98, n.s., 1915, pp. 711-724. (N.P.L.)
Rhys, Ernest. Unpublished prose miscellanies of George Borrow. In “Cymmrodor,” vol. xxv, 1915, pp. 75-91.
Richmond, W. R. George Borrow in Norwich. In “Evening Standard and St. James’s Gazette,” 4th July, 1913. (B.H.)
Rickett, Arthur. George Borrow. In “The vagabond in literature,” 1906, pp. 57-85. (N.P.L.)
Ritchie, J. Ewing. East Anglia: personal recollections and historical associations. 1883. (N.P.L.)
Pages, 62-72 refer to Borrow’s associations with Oulton.
Robberds, J. W. Life and writings of William Taylor of Norwich. 2V. 1843. (N.P.L.)
Rye, Walter. The inaccuracies of George Borrow. In “History Teachers’ Miscellany,” vol. 2, 1923-24, p. 77. (N.P.L.)
Saintsbury, George. George Borrow. In “Macmillan’s Magazine,” vol. 53, 1886, pp. 170-183. (N.P.L.)
Salmon, A. L. George Borrow in Cornwall. In his “Literary rambles in the west of England,” 1906, pp. 30-50. (N.P.L.)
Salmon, David. George Borrow’s Welsh. In “Notes and Queries,” vol. 151, no. 10, Sept. 4th, 1926, pp. 165-166.
[Saunders, H. W.] A contribution towards the biography of George Borrow. [Commissions of Borrow’s father and brother in the West Norfolk Militia]. In “History Teachers’ Miscellany,” Nov., 1923, pp. 6-8. (N.P.L.)
See also correspondence in “Times Literary Supplement,” 15 Nov., 1923, p. 770; 29 Nov., 1923, p. 836. (N.P.L.)
Seccombe, Thomas. George Borrow. In “Bookman,” vol. 45, 1913, pp. 15-26. Illus. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow. In “New Witness,” 26th June, 1913. (B.H.)
—George Borrow. In “The Times Literary Supplement,” July 10th, 1903, pp. 213-14. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow: his homes and haunts. In “The Bookman,” vol. 21, 1902, pp. 156-162. Illus. (N.P.L.)
Shorter, Clement. George Borrow. In “Eastern Daily Press,” December 11, 1903, p. 9, and “Norwich Mercury,” December 12, 1903, p. 4. (N.P.L.)
Report of lecture by Clement Shorter on the occasion of the Borrow celebration in Norwich on December 10th, 1903. See also editorial note under “Local Topics,” p. 5.
—George Borrow in Scotland. In “Fortnightly Review,” April, 1913, pp. 680-688. (N.P.L.)
—To the immortal memory of George Borrow. In “Immortal memories,” 1907, pp. 61-93. (N.P.L.)
An address delivered in Norwich on the occasion of the Borrow centenary, 1903.
p. 30Small, Alex. George Borrow. In “Great thoughts,” vol. 8, fourth series, no. 433, July 13, 1901, pp. 232-234.
Speck, William A. George Borrow and Goethe’s Faust. In “Publications of the Modern Languages Association of America,” March, 1926, pp. 167-178.
Stephen, George A. George Borrow and Miss Brightwell: extracts from the diary of Miss Brightwell. In “Eastern Daily Press,” Oct. 25th, 1913, p. 5. (N.P.L.)
—George Borrow, the walking lord of gypsy lore. In “Norwich Public Library Reader’s Guide,” vol. 2, 1913, pp. 77-79. (N.P.L.)
Stone, J. H. George Borrow. In his “Caravaning and camping out,” 1913, chap. 28.
Symons, Arthur. In defence of Borrow. In “Literary Review,” 31 Mar., 1923, p. 574.
Tal-a-hen. George Borrow in Wales. In “The Red Dragon, the National Magazine of Wales,” vol. 3, 1883, pp. 353-358.
Tancock, O. W. George Borrow. In “The Norvicensian,” April, 1882, pp. 109-114. (N.P.L.)
Memoir of Borrow. “The Norvicensian” is the magazine of King Edward VI. Grammar School, at which Borrow attended in 1814 and from 1816 to 1818.
Thompson, T. W. Borrow’s Gypsies. In “Gypsy Lore,” vol. 3, new series, 1910.
Thomas, Edward. George Borrow. In his “Literary pilgrims in England,” 1917, pp. 244-253. (N.P.L.)
“Times Literary Supplement.” [Leading article on George Borrow]. 28 Aug., 1924, pp. 517-518. (N.P.L.)
Vechten, Carl van. From George Borrow to Mary Garden. In his “The music of Spain,” 1920, pp. 125-159. (N.P.L.)
Walker, Hugh. Critical and miscellaneous prose. In “Cambridge history of English literature,” vol. 14, 1916. (N.P.L.)
Pages 145-146 deal with Borrow.
—Literature of the Victorian era. 1910. (N.P.L.)
Pages 1042-1045 deal with Borrow.
Walker, T. J. The depot for prisoners of war at Norman Cross, Huntingdonshire, 1796-1816. London. 1913, pp. 32-34, 41-42, 71, 137, 143-144.
Waters, W. G. George Borrow. In his “Norfolk in literature,” [1923], pp. 113-116. (N.P.L.)
“Western Morning News,” 5th July, 1913. George Borrow. (B.H.)
Watts-Dunton, Theodore. George Henry Borrow. In Chambers’s Cyclopædia of English Literature, new ed., vol. 3, 1922, pp. 429-435. (N.P.L.)
—George Henry Borrow. In “Encyclopædia Britannica,” vol. 4, 1910, pp. 275-276. (N.P.L.)
—Reminiscences of George Borrow. In “The Athenæum,” September 3 and 10, 1881. (N.P.L.)
The articles are signed Theodore Watts. In 1897 Mr. Watts added to his surname his mother’s name, Dunton.
—George Borrow. In his “Old familiar faces,” 1916, pp. 25-68. (N.P.L.)
Reprint of his articles in “The Athenæum.”
Wright, H. G. George Borrow and Danes near Norwich. In “Times Literary Supplement,” 27th Dec., 1923, p. 909. (N.P.L.)
Wright, Herbert. Borrow’s “Celtic Bards, Chiefs, and Kings.” In “Quarterly Review,” July, 1924, pp. 21-40. (N.P.L.)
p. 31Wright, Herbert. The Forsaken Merman: source. [Borrow’s translation in “Romantic Ballads,” 1826, and article in “Universal Review,” 1825]. In “Modern Languages Review,” Jan., 1918, pp. 91-94.
“Yorkshire Weekly Post,” July 5th, 1913. A George Borrow celebration: the man and his books. Illus. (B.H.)
For further information, see also the introductions and prefaces to the various editions of Borrow’s works listed in Part 1. of this bibliography. There are also two press-cuttings books, one at the Central Public Library, and one at Borrow House, containing many newspaper cuttings relating to Borrow’s life, works, and the Borrow celebrations.
Athenæum, March 5, 1836, pp. 177-178. (N.P.L.)
Review of “Targum” and of Borrow’s edition of the “Manchu Bible” by J. P. H. [i.e. John P. Hasfeldt.]
Athenæum, April 24, 1841, pp. 318-320, May 1, 8, 1841, pp. 334-336, 362-364. (N.P.L.)
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 50, 1841, pp. 352-362. (N.P.L.)
British and Foreign Review, vol. 27, 1841, p. 468.
Edinburgh Review, vol. 74, 1841, pp. 45-67. (N.P.L.)
Monthly Review, new ser., vol. 2, 1841, pp. 107-122.
Athenæum, December 17, 24, 31, 1842, pp. 1080-1082, 1105-1107, 1128-1131. (N.P.L.)
Dublin Review, vol. 14, 1843, pp. 443-480.
Edinburgh Review, vol. 77, 1843, pp. 105-138. (N.P.L.)
Review by Richard Ford.
Quarterly Review, vol. 71, 1843, pp. 169-197. (N.P.L.)
Spectator, December, 1842.
Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, 2nd ser., vol. 10, 1843, pp. 75-84, 161-174.
Athenæum, Feb. 8, 15, 1851, pp. 159-160, 188-190. (N.P.L.)
Review of “Lavengro.”
Athenæum, May 23, 1857, pp. 653-655. (N.P.L.)
Review of “The Romany Rye.”
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 69, 1851, pp. 322-337. (N.P.L.)
Review of “Lavengro.”
Fraser’s Magazine, vol. 43, 1851, pp. 272-283.
Review of “Lavengro.”
New Monthly Magazine, vol. 91, 1851, pp. 290-298.
Reviews of “Lavengro” by W. H. Ainsworth and T. Gordon Hake.
Quarterly Review, vol. 101, 1857, pp. 468-501: Roving life in England. (N.P.L.)
A review by Whitwell Elwin of “Lavengro” and “The Romany Rye.”
Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, 2nd ser., vol. 18, 1851, pp. 270-276.
Review of “Lavengro” by W. B. Donne.
Quarterly Review, vol. 109, 1861, pp. 38-63. The Welsh and their literature. (N.P.L.)
A review by Borrow of his own work.
Watts-Dunton, Theodore. Borrow’s “Wild Wales.” In “Modern English essays,” ed. by Ernest Rhys, vol. 3, 1922, pp. 115-139. (N.P.L.)
Academy, June 13, 1874, pp. 665-667.
Review by F. Hindes Groome.
Athenæum, April 25th, 1874, pp. 556-557. (N.P.L.)
Seccombe, Thomas. The Borrow of the Welsh Ballads. In “The Bookman,” April, 1915, vol. 48, pp. 19-20. (N.P.L.)
Nichols, C. M. The haunts of George Borrow in and around Norwich: four etchings. London and Norwich: Jarrold and Sons. [1913]. (N.P.L.)
(1) Borrow’s House. (2) Borrow’s Court and House. (3) View of City from Borrow’s Window. (4) Staircase and Interior of Borrow’s House.
Roberts & Co., Printers, Ten Bell Lane, Norwich
1803 July 5th. Born at East Dereham, Norfolk, second son of Captain Thomas Borrow and his wife Ann.
1810 Left Dereham for Norman Cross.
1811-14 Sojourned in many parts of England and in Edinburgh.
1814 At Norwich. Resided at the Crown and Angel, St. Stephen’s Street.
1815-16 In various parts of Ireland.
1816 At Norwich Grammar School. Resided in Willow Lane.
1819 March 30th. Articled for five years to Messrs. Simpson and Rackham, Solicitors, Tuck’s Court, Norwich.
1824 February 28th. His Father died at Norwich.
1824 April 1st. Went to London and worked as a hack writer.
1825 Borrow’s first published work appeared—a translation of Klinger’s “Faustus.”
1825-32 The “Veiled Period” during which he lived a life of roving adventure.
1833 January. Introduction to the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1833 July 31st. Sailed from London for St. Petersburg.
1835 September. Returned to England from Russia.
1835 November 6th. Sailed from London for Lisbon.
1838 October. Returned to London from Spain.
1838 December 21st. Left London for Cadiz.
1840 April 16th. Arrived in London from Spain.
1840 April 23rd. Married Mrs. Mary Clarke at St. Peter’s Church, Cornhill, London.
1840 May. Estate at Oulton Broad purchased, where he resided with his family.
1841 The “Gypsies of Spain” published.
1843 The “Bible in Spain” published.
1849 October 5th. Borrow’s mother vacated the house in Willow Lane, after a residence of thirty-three years.
1851 “Lavengro” published and met with hostile reception.
1854 Tour in North and South Wales.
1857 “The Romany Rye” published and received unfavourably.
1858 August 16th. His mother died at Oulton.
1860 Removed from Oulton to 22, Hereford Square, Brompton, London.
1862 “Wild Wales” published.
1869 January 30th. His wife died at London.
1874 “Romano Lavo-Lil” published. Returned to Oulton.
1881 George Borrow died at Oulton, on 26th July, and was buried at Brompton Cemetery.
1903 December 10th. Borrow Centenary at Norwich.
1911 “Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society” published.
1913 July 5th. Borrow Commemoration at Norwich. Borrow House presented by Mr. A. M. Samuel (Lord Mayor of Norwich, 1912-13).
[8] The casts referred to are those included in the phrenological collection of Mr. Stark, presented to the Museum in 1839. The casts are now to be seen in one of the wall-cases in the dungeons at the Castle Museum.
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