among the many borrow manuscripts in my possession i find a page of unusual pathos. it is the inscription that borrow wrote for his wife’s tomb, and it is in the tremulous handwriting of a man weighed down by the one incomparable tragedy of life’s pilgrimage:
sacred to the memory of mary borrow,
the beloved and affectionate wife of
george borrow, esquire, who departed
this life on the 30th jan. 1869.
george borrow.
the death of his wife saddened borrow, and assisted to transform him into the unamiable creature of norfolk tradition. but it is well to bear in mind, when we are considering borrow on his domestic and personal side, that he was unquestionably a good and devoted husband throughout his married life of twenty-nine years. it was in the year 1832 that borrow and his wife first met. he was twenty-nine; she was a widow of thirty-eight. she was undeniably very intelligent, and was keenly sympathetic to the young vagabond of wonderful adventures on the highways of england, now so ambitious for future adventure in distant lands. her maiden name was mary skepper. she was one of the two children of edmund skepper and his wife anne, who lived at oulton hall in suffolk, whither they had removed from beccles in 1805. mary’s brother inherited the oulton hall estate of three hundred acres, and she had a mortgage, the interest of which yielded £450 per annum. in july, 1817, mary married, at oulton church, henry clarke, a lieutenant in the navy, who died eight months later of consumption. two months after his death their child henrietta mary, the “hen.” who was borrow’s life companion, was born. there is a letter among my borrow p. 141papers addressed to the widow by her husband’s father at this time. it is dated 17th june, 1818, and runs as follows:
i read your very kind, affectionate, and respectful letter of the 15th inst, with feelings of satisfaction and thankfulness—thankful that god has mercifully given you so pleasing a pledge of the love of my late dear, but lamented son, and i most sincerely hope and trust that dear little henrietta will live to be the joy and consolation of your life: and satisfyed i am that you are what i always esteemed you to be, one of the best of women; god grant! that you may be, as i am sure you deserve to be one of the happiest—his ways of providence are past finding out; to you—they seem indeed to have been truly afflictive: but we cannot possibly say that they are really so; we cannot doubt his wisdom nor ought we to distrust his goodness, let us avow, then, where we have not the power of fathoming—viz. the dispensations of god; in his good time he will show us, perhaps, that every painful event which has happened was abundantly for the best—i am truly glad to hear that you and the sweet babe, my little grand daughter, are doing so well, and i hope i shall have the pleasure shortly of seeing you either at oulton or sisland. i am sorry to add that neither poor l. nor myself are well.—louisa and my family join me in kind love to you, and in best regards to your worthy father, mother, and brother.
mary skepper was certainly a bright, intelligent girl, as i gather from a manuscript poem before me written to a friend on the eve of leaving school. as a widow, living at first with her parents at oulton hall, and later with her little daughter in the neighbouring cottage, she would seem to have busied herself with all kinds of philanthropies, and she was clearly in sympathy with the religious enthusiasms of certain neighbouring families of evangelical persuasion, particularly the gurneys and the cunninghams. the rev. francis cunningham was rector of pakefield, near lowestoft from 1814 to 1830. he married richenda, sister of the distinguished joseph john gurney and of elizabeth fry, in 1816. in 1830 he became vicar of st. margaret’s, lowestoft. his brother, john william cunningham, was vicar of harrow, and married a verney of the famous buckinghamshire family. this john william cunningham was a great light of the evangelical churches of his time, and was for many years editor of the christian observer. his daughter mary richenda married sir james fitzjames stephen, the well-known judge, and the brother of sir leslie stephen. p. 142but to return to francis cunningham, whose acquaintance with borrow was brought about through mrs. clarke. cunningham was a great supporter of the british and foreign bible society, and was the founder of the paris branch. it was speedily revealed to him that borrow’s linguistic abilities could be utilised by the society, and he secured the co-operation of his brother-in-law, joseph john gurney, in an effort to find borrow work in connection with the society.
we do not meet mary clarke again until 1834, when we find a letter from her to borrow addressed to st. petersburg, in which she notifies to him that he has been “mentioned at many of the bible meetings this year,” adding that “dear mr. cunningham” had spoken so nicely of him at an oulton gathering. “as i am not afraid of making you proud,” she continues, “i will tell you one of his remarks. he mentioned you as one of the most extraordinary and interesting individuals of the present day.” henceforth clearly mary clarke corresponded regularly with borrow, and one or two extracts from her letters are given by dr. knapp. joseph jowett of the bible society forwarded borrow’s letters from russia to cunningham, who handed them to mrs. clarke and her parents. borrow had proposed to continue his mission by leaving russia for china, but this mary clarke opposed:
i must tell you that your letter chilled me when i read your intention of going as a missionary or agent, with the manchu scriptures in your hand, to the tartars, that land of incalculable dangers.
in 1835 borrow was back in england at norwich with his mother, and on a visit to mary clarke and the skeppers at oulton. mrs. skepper died just before his arrival in england—that is, in september, 1835—while her husband died in february, 1836. her only brother died in the following year.
thus we see mary clarke, aged forty-three, left to fight the world with her daughter, aged nineteen, and not only to fight the world but her own family, particularly her brother’s widow, owing to certain ambiguities in her father’s will. it was these legal quarrels that led mary clarke and her daughter to set sail for spain, where mary p. 143had had the indefatigable and sympathetic correspondent during the previous year of trouble. borrow and mary clarke met, as we have seen, at seville and there, at a later period, they became “engaged.” mrs. clarke and her daughter henrietta sailed for spain in the royal tar, leaving london for cadiz in june, 1839. much keen correspondence between borrow and mrs. clarke had passed before the final decision to visit spain. his mother was one of the few people who knew of mrs. clarke’s journey to seville, and must have understood, as mothers do, what was pending, although her son did not. when the engagement is announced to her—in november, 1839—she writes to mary clarke a kindly, affectionate letter:
i shall now resign him to your care, and may you love and cherish him as much as i have done. i hope and trust that each will try to make the other happy.
there is no reason whatever to accept the suggestion that has been made that borrow married for money. and this because he had said in one of his letters, “it is better to suffer the halter than the yoke,” the kind of thing that a man might easily say on the eve of making a proposal which he was not sure would be accepted. nor can a casual remark of borrow’s—“marriage is by far the best way of getting possession of an estate”—be counted as conclusive. that borrow was all his life devoted to his wife i think is proved by his many letters to her that are given in this volume. borrow’s further tribute to his wife and stepdaughter in wild wales is well known:
of my wife i will merely say that she is a perfect paragon of wives, can make puddings and sweets and treacle posset, and is the best woman of business in eastern anglia. of my stepdaughter—for such she is, though i generally call her daughter, and with good reason, seeing that she has always shown herself a daughter to me—that she has all kinds of good qualities, and several accomplishments, knowing something of conchology, more of botany, drawing capitally in the dutch style, and playing remarkably well on the guitar—not the trumpery german thing so called, but the real spanish guitar.
borrow belonged to the type of men who would never marry did not some woman mercifully take them in hand. mrs. clarke, when she set out for spain, had doubtless p. 144determined to marry borrow. it is clear that he had no idea of marrying her. yet he was certainly “engaged,” as we learn from a letter to mr. brackenbury, when he wrote a letter from seville to mr. brandram, dated 18th march, in which he said: “i wish very much to spend the remaining years of my life in the northern parts of china, as i think i have a call to those regions. . . . i hope yet to die in the cause of my redeemer.” surely never did man take so curious a view of the responsibilities of marriage. possibly here also borrow was adapting himself to the language of the bible society. he must have known that his proposal would be declined—as it was.
very soon after the engagement borrow experienced his third term of imprisonment in spain, this time, however, only for thirty hours, and all because he had asked the alcalde, or mayor of the district in which he lived, for his passport, and had quarrelled with his worship over the matter. borrow gave up the months of this winter of 1839 rather to writing his first important book, the gypsies of spain, than to the concerns of the bible society, which fidgeted exceedingly, no doubt imaging heavy bills for expenses, with no corresponding reports of the usual character to be read out at meetings. finally borrow, with mrs. clarke and her daughter, sailed from cadiz on the 3rd april, 1840, as we have already related. he had with him his jewish servant, hayim ben attar, and his arabian horse, sidi habismilk, both of which were to astonish the natives of the suffolk broads. the party reached london on 16th april and stayed at the spread eagle inn, gracechurch street. the marriage took place at st. peter’s church, cornhill, on 23rd april, 1840.
there are only two letters from mrs. borrow to her husband extant. they were written in the hereford square days between the years 1860 and 1869—the last year of mrs. borrow’s life. the pair had been married some twenty-five years at least, and it is made clear by those letters alone that at the end of this period they were still a most happily assorted couple. mrs. borrow must have gone to brighton for her health on two separate occasions, each time accompanied by her daughter. borrow, who had enjoyed many a pleasant ramble on his own account, as we shall see—rambles which extended as far away as constantinople—is p. 145“keeping house” in hereford square, brompton, the while. it will be noted that mrs. borrow signed herself “carreta,” the pet name that her husband always gave her. it has been suggested that as “carreta” means a spanish dray-cart, “carita,” “my dear,” was probably meant. but, careless as was the famous word-master over the spelling of words in the tongues that he never really mastered scientifically, he could scarcely have made so obvious a blunder as this, and there must have been some particular experience in the lives of husband and wife that led to the playful designation. [145a] here are the two letters:
to george borrow, esq.
grenville place, brighton, sussex.
my darling husband,—i am thankful to say that i arrived here quite safe on saturday, and on wednesday i hope to see you at home. we may not be home before the evening about six o’clock, sooner or later, so do not be anxious, as we shall be careful. we took tea with the edwards at six o’clock the day i came; they are a very kind, nice family. you must take a walk when we come home, but remember now we have a young servant, and do not leave the house for very long together. the air here is very fresh, and much cooler than in london, and i hope after the five days’ change i shall be benefited, but i wish to come home on wednesday. see to all the doors and windows of a night, and let jane keep up the chain, and lock the back door by the hop plant before it gets dark. our love to lady soame.—and with our best love to you, believe me, your own
carreta.
sunday morning, 10 o’clock.
if i do not hear from you i shall conclude all is well, and you may do the same with regard to us. have the tea ready a little before six on wednesday. henrietta is wonderfully improved by the change, and sends dear and best love to you.
p. 146to george borrow, esq.
33 grenville place, brighton, sussex.
thursday morning.
my dear husband,—as it is raining again this morning i write a few lines to you. i cannot think that we have quite so much rain as you have at brompton, for i was out twice yesterday an hour in the morning in a bath chair, and a little walk in the evening on the marine parade, and i have been out little or much every day, and hope i feel a little better. our dear henrietta likewise says that she feels the better for the air and change. as we are here i think we had better remain till tuesday next, when the fortnight will be up, but i fear you feel very lonely. i hope you get out when you can, and that you take care of your health. i hope ellen continues to attend to yr. comfort, and that when she gives orders to mrs. harvey or the butcher that she shews you what they send. i shall want the stair carpets down, and the drawing-room nice—blinds and shutters closed to prevent the sun, also bed-rooms prepared, with well aired sheets and counterpane by next tuesday. i suppose we shall get to hereford square perhaps about five o’clock, but i shall write again. you had better dine at yr. usual time, and as we shall get a dinner here we shall want only tea.
henrietta’s kindest dear love and mine, remaining yr. true and affectionate wife.
carreta.
no reader can peruse the following pages without recognising the true affection for his wife that is transparent in borrow’s letters to her. arthur dalrymple’s remark that he had frequently seen borrow and his wife travelling—
he stalking along with a huge cloak wrapped round him in all weathers, and she trudging behind him like an indian squaw, with a carpet bag, or bundle, or small portmanteau in her arms, and endeavouring under difficulty to keep up with his enormous strides—
is clearly a travesty. “mrs. borrow was devoted to her husband, and looked after business matters; and he always treated her with exceeding kindness,” is the verdict of miss elizabeth jay, who was frequently privileged to visit the husband and wife at oulton.