George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of
travel
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel c ...
based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the
Romani people
The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic Itinerant groups in Europe, itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have Ro ...
of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. His best-known books are ''
The Bible in Spain'' and the novels ''
Lavengro'' and ''
The Romany Rye'', set in his time with the English ''
Romanichal
Romanichal Travellers ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies or English Travellers) are a Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. There are an estimated 200,000 Romani in the United Kingdom; ...
'' (Gypsies).
Early life
Borrow was born at
East Dereham
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parish in the Breckland District of the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city of Norwich and 25 miles (40&n ...
, Norfolk, the son of Thomas Borrow (1758–1824), an army recruiting officer,
and Ann Perfrement (1772–1858), a farmer's daughter, .
His father, a lieutenant with the
West Norfolk Militia
The Norfolk Militia was formed under the Militia Act of 1757, replacing earlier less formal arrangements. From this date, better records were kept, and the men were selected by ballot to serve for longer periods. Proper uniforms and better weapo ...
, was quartered at the prisoner-of-war camp at
Norman Cross from July 1811 to April 1813, and George spent his ninth and tenth years in the barracks there. He was educated at the
Royal High School of Edinburgh
The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder prim ...
and
Norwich Grammar School
Norwich School (formally King Edward VI Grammar School, Norwich) is a selective English independent day school in the close of Norwich Cathedral, Norwich. Among the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, it has a traceable history to 1096 ...
.
Borrow studied law, but languages and literature became his main interests. In 1825, he began his first major European journey, walking in France and Germany. Over the next few years he visited Russia, Portugal, Spain and
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...
, acquainting himself with the people and languages of countries he visited. After his marriage on 23 April 1840,
he settled in
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...
, Suffolk, but continued to travel inside and outside the United Kingdom.
Borrow in Ireland
Having a military father, Borrow grew up at various army posts. In the autumn of 1815, he accompanied the regiment to
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Drogheda and Wexford. With the exception of the townla ...
in Ireland, where he attended the Protestant Academy and learned to read
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
and
Greek "from a nice old clergyman". He was also introduced to the
Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
by a fellow student named Murtagh, who tutored him in return for a pack of
playing cards. In keeping with the political friction of the time, he learned to sing "the glorious tune '
Croppies Lie Down {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022
"Croppies Lie Down" is an Irish folk song, dating from the 1798 rebellion in Ireland, that celebrates the defeat of the Irish rebels. The author has been reported as George Watson-Taylor.WATSON TAYLOR, George (1771- ...
'" at the military barracks. He was introduced to horsemanship and learned to ride without a saddle. The regiment moved to
Templemore
Templemore () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
The 2011 Cens ...
early in 1816, and Borrow began ranging around the country on foot and later on horseback.
After less than a year in Ireland, the regiment returned to Norwich. As the threat of war receded, the strength of the unit was greatly reduced.
Early career
Borrow's precocious linguistic skills as a youth made him a protégé of the Norwich-born scholar
William Taylor, whom he depicted in his autobiographical novel ''
Lavengro'' (1851) as an advocate of German
Romantic literature
Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...
. Recalling his youth in Norwich some 30 years earlier, Borrow depicted an old man (Taylor) and a young man (Borrow) discussing the merits of German literature, including
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as t ...
's ''
The Sorrows of Young Werther
''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (; german: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is a 1774 epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which appeared as a revised edition in 1787. It was one of the main novels in the '' Sturm und Drang'' period in Ge ...
''. Taylor confessed himself to be no admirer of either ''
The Sorrows of Young Werther
''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' (; german: Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is a 1774 epistolary novel by Johann Wolfgang Goethe, which appeared as a revised edition in 1787. It was one of the main novels in the '' Sturm und Drang'' period in Ge ...
'' or its author, but he stated, "It is good to be a German
orthe Germans are the most philosophical people in the world."
With Taylor's encouragement, Borrow embarked on his first translation,
Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's version of the
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540).
The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
legend, entitled ''Faustus, his Life, Death and Descent into Hell'', first published in
St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1791. In his translation, Borrow altered the name of one city, so making one passage of the legend read:
They found the people of the place modelled after so unsightly a pattern, with such ugly figures and flat features that the devil owned he had never seen them equalled, except by the inhabitants of an English town, called Norwich, when dressed in their Sunday's best.
For this lampooning of Norwich society, the Norwich public subscription library burned his first publication.
Russian visit
As a linguist adept at acquiring new languages, Borrow informed the
British and Foreign Bible Society
The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.
The So ...
, "I possess some acquaintance with the Russian, being able to read without much difficulty any printed Russian book."
He left
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
for St Petersburg on 13 August 1833. Borrow was charged by the Bible Society with supervising a translation of the Bible into
Manchu
The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...
. As a traveller, he was overwhelmed by the beauty of St Petersburg: "Notwithstanding I have previously heard and read much of the beauty and magnificence of the Russian capital.... There can be no doubt that it is the finest City in Europe, being pre-eminent for the grandeur of its public edifices and the length and regularity of its streets."
During his two-year stay in Russia, Borrow called upon the writer
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
, who was out on a social visit. He left two copies of his translations of Pushkin's literary works and later Pushkin expressed regret at not meeting him.
Borrow described the Russian people as "the best-natured kindest people in the world, and though they do not know as much as the English, they have not the fiendish, spiteful dispositions, and if you go amongst them and speak their language, however badly, they would go through fire and water to do you a kindness."
Borrow had a lifelong empathy with nomadic people such as the Romany (or Gypsy) people, especially
Romany music, dance and customs. He became so familiar with the
Romany language as to publish a dictionary of it. In the summer of 1835, he visited Russian Roma camped outside Moscow. His impressions formed part of the opening chapter of his ''
The Zincali
''The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain'' is a book written by George Borrow. The first edition was published in 1841. Nine editions were published until 1901 at which time the last (definitive) edition was published, but the book is sti ...
: or an account of the Gypsies of Spain'' (1841). With his mission of supervising a
Manchu translation of the Bible completed, Borrow returned to
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
in September 1835. In his report to the
Bible Society
A Bible society is a non-profit organization, usually nondenominational in makeup, devoted to translating, publishing, and distributing the Bible at affordable prices. In recent years they also are increasingly involved in advocating its credibi ...
he wrote:
I quitted that country, and am compelled to acknowledge, with regret. I went thither prejudiced against that country, the government and the people; the first is much more agreeable than is generally supposed; the second is seemingly the best adapted for so vast an empire; and the third, even the lowest classes, are in general kind, hospitable, and benevolent.
Spanish mission
Such was Borrow's success that on 11 November 1835 he set off for Spain, once more as a Bible Society agent. Borrow said that he stayed in Spain for nearly five years. His reminiscences of Spain were the basis of his travelogue ''
The Bible in Spain'' (1843). He wrote:
e huge population of Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, with the exception of a sprinkling of foreigners... is strictly Spanish, though a considerable portion are not natives of the place. Here are no colonies of Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
, as at Saint Petersburg; no English factories, as at Lisbon; no multitudes of insolent Yankees lounging through the streets, as at the Havannah, with an air which seems to say, the land is our own whenever we choose to take it; but a population which, however strange or wild, and composed of various elements, is Spanish, and will remain so as long as the city itself shall exist.
Borrow translated the
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascensi ...
into the
Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
and
Basque languages. These were published in 1838, but both translations were banned for personal sale, with only public libraries being permitted copies.
Later life
In 1840 Borrow's career with the British and Foreign Bible Society came to an end, and he married Mary Clarke, a widow with a grown-up daughter called Henrietta, and a small estate at
Oulton, Suffolk near
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...
. There Borrow began to write his books. ''The Zincali'' (1841) was moderately successful and ''The Bible in Spain'' (1843) was a huge success, making Borrow a celebrity overnight, but the eagerly awaited ''Lavengro'' (1851) and ''The Romany Rye'' (1857) puzzled many readers, who were not sure how much was fact and how much fiction – a question debated to this day. Borrow made one more overseas journey, across Europe to Istanbul in 1844, but the rest of his travels were in the UK: long walking tours in Scotland, Wales, Ireland,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
and the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
. Of these, only the Welsh tour yielded a book, ''
Wild Wales
''Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery'' is a travel book by the English Victorian gentleman writer George Borrow (1803–1881), first published in 1862.
The book recounts Borrow's personal experiences and insights while touring Wales ...
'' (1862).
Borrow's restlessness, perhaps, led to the family, which had lived in
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
, Norfolk, in the 1850s, moving to London in the 1860s. Borrow visited the
Romanichal
Romanichal Travellers ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies or English Travellers) are a Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. There are an estimated 200,000 Romani in the United Kingdom; ...
encampments in
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan
The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...
and
Battersea
Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park.
History
Batter ...
, and wrote one more book, ''Romano Lavo-Lil, a wordbook of the
Anglo-Romany
Angloromani or Anglo-Romani (literally "English Romani"; also known as Angloromany, Rummaness, or Pogadi Chib) is a mixed language of Indo European origin involving the presence of Romani vocabulary and syntax in the English used by descendants of ...
dialect'' (1874). Mary Borrow died in 1869, and in 1874 he returned to Lowestoft, where he was later joined by his stepdaughter Henrietta and her husband, who looked after him until his death there on 26 July 1881. He is buried with his wife in
Brompton Cemetery
Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Estab ...
, London.
Borrow was said to be a man of striking appearance and deeply original character. Although he failed to find critical acclaim in his lifetime, modern reviewers often praise his eccentric and cheerful style – "one of the most unusual people to have written in English in the last two hundred years" according to one.
Museum and memorials
In 1913, the
Lord Mayor of Norwich
This is a list of mayors and the later lord mayors of the city of Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north ...
bought Borrow's house in Willow Lane. It was renamed Borrow House, presented to the City of Norwich, and for many years open to the public as the Borrow Museum. The museum was closed and the house sold in 1994, but the proceeds went to establish a George Borrow Trust that aims to promote his works.
There are memorial
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
s marking his residences at 22
Hereford Square
Hereford Square is a garden square in South Kensington, London SW (postcode area), SW7. It lies to the west of Gloucester Road, London, Gloucester Road, which forms the east side of the square. Wetherby Place is the western continuation, running ...
,
South Kensington
South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...
, Fjaerland Hotel, Trafalgar Road, Great Yarmouth, and the former museum in Willow Lane, Norwich. In December 2011, a plaque was unveiled on a house, 16, Calle Santiago, Madrid, where he lived from 1836 to 1840. George Borrow Road, a residential crescent in the west of Norwich, is named after him. There is a ''George Borrow Hotel'' in
Ponterwyd
Ponterwyd is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies in the Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales, approximately east of Aberystwyth on the A44 road.
Historical background
Ponterwyd's rich history is evident throughout the village. At the village's ...
near
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
. A pub in
Dereham
Dereham (), also known as East Dereham, is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of the England, English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the A47 road, about 15 miles (25 km) west of the city ...
is named ''The Romany Rye'' after one of his principal works.
A
ketch
A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...
, the FV ''George Borrow'' (LT956), was named after him. Built in 1902, the ''George Borrow'' sailed until 1915, when it was destroyed by a German U-boat (the
SM ''UB-10'').
The skipper of the ''George Borrow'' was
Thomas Crisp, who, in 1917, would go on to be awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
.
Principal works
*''
The Zincali
''The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain'' is a book written by George Borrow. The first edition was published in 1841. Nine editions were published until 1901 at which time the last (definitive) edition was published, but the book is sti ...
'' (1841)
*''
The Bible in Spain'' (1843)
*''
Lavengro'' (1851)
*''
The Romany Rye'' (1857)
*''
Wild Wales
''Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery'' is a travel book by the English Victorian gentleman writer George Borrow (1803–1881), first published in 1862.
The book recounts Borrow's personal experiences and insights while touring Wales ...
'' (1862)
*''
Romano Lavo-lil'' (1874) A dictionary of the language of the English Romanichal people.
Notes
References
*W. I. Knapp: ''Life, Writings and Correspondence of George Borrow'', London, 1899
*
R. A. J. Walling''George Borrow: The Man and His Work'' London, 1908
*
T. H. Darlow (ed.): ''Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign Bible Society'', London, 1911
*
H. G. Jenkins: ''The Life of George Borrow'', London 1924, 2nd edition (first edition 1912)
*M. D. Armstrong: ''George Borrow'', London, 1950
*M. Collie: ''George Borrow, Eccentric'', Cambridge, 1982
*David Williams: ''A World of his Own. The Double Life of George Borrow'', Oxford, 1982
*
External links
*
*
*
*
''Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery''at A Vision of Britain Through Time (visionofbritain.org.uk) – full text with links to the places Borrow mentions
''George Borrow: The Man and His Books'' by Edward Thomas (1912) – full text at Project Gutenberg
''The Life of George Borrow''by Herbert Jenkins (1912) – full text (fulltextarchive.com)
*
George Borrow and His Circle:Wherein May Be Found Many Hitherto Unpublished Letters of Borrow and His Friends'' (1913), by
Clement King Shorter
Clement King Shorter (19 July 1857 – 19 November 1926) was a British journalist and literary critic.
After editing the ''Illustrated London News'', Shorter founded and edited ''Sketch'', ''The Sphere'', and ''Tatler''.
Biography
Clement Sho ...
, 1857–1926 – full text at Project Gutenberg
*
The George Borrow TrustThe George Borrow SocietyGeorge Borrow Studies*Archival material at
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borrow, George
1803 births
1881 deaths
19th-century British novelists
19th-century English non-fiction writers
British expatriates in the Russian Empire
Burials at Brompton Cemetery
English evangelicals
English male novelists
English travel writers
People educated at Norwich School
People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh
People from Dereham
People from Lowestoft
Translators of the Bible into China's tribal languages
Victorian novelists
Translators of the Bible into Basque