WCP3251

[1]

14 Prospect Terrace

Fulford, York

21^st May 1907

Dear Sir,

I hasten to acknowledge & to thank you for your very interesting letter¹ received this morning.

At various times & from a variety of sources I have collected much important information bearing on the life & literary of Borrow,² and I find I have a note (though, in this particular instance I am not certain of its source) to the effect that his wife pre-deceased him — dying at Brompton on the 30^th.. January 1869, aged 73. [2] Borrow was buried by her side in West Brompton cemetery on 4^th.. August 1881 (he being 78 at the time of his death).

I have a system of newspaper scrap-books, & have turned up a cutting from "The Sphere" of 6^th.. January 1904. The following extract may interest you:

"An interesting link with George Borrow has just been snapped by the death of his step-daughter, the Henrietta of his books! She has lived since Borrow's death in 1881 at Great Yarmouth, and was always ready to talk about her favourite step-father, for whom she had great admiration and devotion. It will be remembered that Borrow married a widow, Mrs Clarke by name. Miss Clarke married D^r M^cOubrey. Mrs M^cOubrey some years ago [3] sold the greater part of Borrow's papers, which in this manner came into the hands of D^r Knapp,³ the biographer of Borrow, who utilised them largely in his well-known book. Mrs McOubrey was buried by her husband in the churchyard at Oulton, Norfolk, D^r Stanley the rector of Oulton officiating. The inscription of the coffin ran: — Henrietta M^cOubrey: Born May 18th 1818, died Decr. 23rd 1903"

I certainly will read Knapp's "Life" on the first opportunity that offers. There must be a great mass of interesting details contained within it.

I am greatly obliged to you for your note on the G. Story from "All the Year Round", and will make an effort to get itⁱⁿ the booklet you mention. I am [4] much interested in occult phenomena & have read the books by Andrew Lang,⁴ W. T. Stead⁵ and others. By the bye, I believe it is Andrew Lang who assigns Lytton's⁶ Story — "The Haunted and the Haunters"⁷ a very high place in the literature of ghosts. Have you read that story? If you have not I can lend it to you. It appeared in "Blackwood".

I have also another excellent G. story "Blackwood" story dealing with the ghost of Castle Gowrie. Of course it is fictitious, but is well told.

Again thanking you | I beg to remain | Your obed^t. Servant | F. C. Owlett⁸ [signature]

Dr. A. R. Wallace