WCP3251

[1]

14 Prospect Terrace

Telford, York

21st May 1907

Dear Sir,

I hasten to acknowledge & to thank you for your very interesting letter received this morning. At various times & from a variety of sources I have collected much important information bearing on the life and literary of Borrow¹, 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 30th January 1869, aged 73. [2] Borrow was buried by her side in West Brompton cemetery on 4th August 1881 (he being 78 at the time of his death). I have a system of newspaper search[?] — books, I have turned up a cutting from "The Sphere" of 6th 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 Dr. McAubrey. Mrs McAubrey some years ago sold the greater part of Borrow's papers, which in this manner came into the hands of Dr Knapp², the biographer of Borrow, who utilised them largely in his well-known book. Mrs McAubrey was buried by her husband in the churchyard at Oulton, Norfolk, Dr Stanley the rector of Oulton officiating. The inscription of the coffin ran: — Henrietta McAubrey: 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 vat [?] 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 it in the booklet you mention. I am [4] much interested in occult phenomena I have read the books by Andrew Lang³, W. T. Stead⁴ and others. By the bye, I believe it is Andrew Lang who assigns Lytton's⁵ letters — "The Haunted and the Haunters" 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 "Bladewood". I have also another excellent G.story[?] "Blackwood" story dealing with the ghost of Castle Gowice. Of course it is fictitious, but is well told.⁶

Again thanking you | I beg to remain | Your obedient servant | F.C. Owlett [signature]

Dr. A.R. Wallace⁷