William Copeland Borlase
Encyclopedia
William Copeland Borlase FSA
(5 April 1848 – 31 March 1899) was an antiquarian and Liberal
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1887 when he was ruined by bankruptcy and scandal.
Borlase was born at Castle Horneck
, near Penzance
in Cornwall, the only son of Samuel Borlase and his wife Mary Anne Copeland, daughter of William Copeland of Chigwell, Essex. A member of a wealthy Cornish family, Borlase's early life was much influenced by the archaeological work of his great-great-grandfather, Dr. William Borlase
the Cornish historian. Young Borlase visited many of the ancient sites in Cornwall and in 1863 and supervised the excavations of the re-discovered prehistoric settlement and fogou
at Carn Euny
. Although Borlase produced many sketches he commissioned fellow Cornish antiquarian John Thomas Blight
to do the engravings for the report. Borlase was educated at Winchester College
and Trinity College, Oxford
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
in 1882 and was J.P.
for Cornwall and a Deputy Warden of the Stannaries of Cornwall and Devon
.
In the 1880 general election
, Borlase was elected Liberal
Member of Parliament
for East Cornwall
, until the seat was divided in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
. In the 1885 general election
, he was elected MP for St Austell
. In 1886 he was made Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
. However he took to fine living. His Portuguese mistress
exposed his debts and the scandal brought him ruin and bankruptcy. He resigned his seat in the House of Commons and went off to work in Ireland
as a remittance man. He also went on to manage tin mines in Spain
and Portugal
.
The rest of the family disowned him and he died aged just 51. His address when he died was 34, Bedford Court Mansions, Bloomsbury
, in London
.
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
(5 April 1848 – 31 March 1899) was an antiquarian and Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1887 when he was ruined by bankruptcy and scandal.
Borlase was born at Castle Horneck
Castle Horneck
Castle Horneck is also referred to as Castle Hornocke and Iron Castle. It was an ancient castle which may have existed, located near Penzance, Cornwall in southwestern England. Castle Horneck is said to have been built by the Tyes family in the 12th century.-External links:* - note the...
, near Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
in Cornwall, the only son of Samuel Borlase and his wife Mary Anne Copeland, daughter of William Copeland of Chigwell, Essex. A member of a wealthy Cornish family, Borlase's early life was much influenced by the archaeological work of his great-great-grandfather, Dr. William Borlase
William Borlase
William Borlase , Cornish antiquary, geologist and naturalist, was born at Pendeen in Cornwall, of an ancient family . From 1722 he was Rector of Ludgvan and died there in 1772.-Life and works:...
the Cornish historian. Young Borlase visited many of the ancient sites in Cornwall and in 1863 and supervised the excavations of the re-discovered prehistoric settlement and fogou
Fogou
A fogou or fougou is an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British defended settlement sites in Cornwall. Fogous have similarities with souterrains or earth-houses of northern Europe and particularly Scotland including the Orkney Islands...
at Carn Euny
Carn Euny
Carn Euny is an archaeological site near Sancreed, on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom with considerable evidence of both Iron Age and post-Iron Age settlement. Excavations on this site have shown that there was activity at Carn Euny as early as the Neolithic period...
. Although Borlase produced many sketches he commissioned fellow Cornish antiquarian John Thomas Blight
John Thomas Blight
John Thomas Blight FSA was a Cornish archaeological artist born near Redruth in Cornwall.His father, Robert, a teacher, moved the family to Penzance and introduced his sons to the study of nature, antiquities and folk lore. John Blight was a natural draughtsman...
to do the engravings for the report. Borlase was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
. He was called to the bar at Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1882 and was J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Cornwall and a Deputy Warden of the Stannaries of Cornwall and Devon
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, has the function of calling a Stannary Parliament of tinners...
.
In the 1880 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1880
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...
, Borlase was elected Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for East Cornwall
East Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
East Cornwall was a county constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election.- Boundaries :...
, until the seat was divided in the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
Redistribution of Seats Act 1885
The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalise representation across...
. In the 1885 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, he was elected MP for St Austell
St Austell (UK Parliament constituency)
St Austell was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of St Austell in Cornwall. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. In 1886 he was made Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board was, from 1871 – 1919, a junior ministerial post in the United Kingdom subordinate to the President of the Local Government Board...
. However he took to fine living. His Portuguese mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
exposed his debts and the scandal brought him ruin and bankruptcy. He resigned his seat in the House of Commons and went off to work in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
as a remittance man. He also went on to manage tin mines in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
The rest of the family disowned him and he died aged just 51. His address when he died was 34, Bedford Court Mansions, Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Works
- 1862 - 1864: An Account of Excavations at Carn EunyCarn EunyCarn Euny is an archaeological site near Sancreed, on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom with considerable evidence of both Iron Age and post-Iron Age settlement. Excavations on this site have shown that there was activity at Carn Euny as early as the Neolithic period...
- 1871: Ancient Cornwall. 2 vols.
- 1872: Nænia Cornubiæ: a descriptive essay, illustrative of the sepulchres and funereal customs of the early inhabitants of the county of Cornwall. London: Longmans, Green (Reissued: ISBN 978-1897853368)
- It has been estimated that Borlase excavated about 200 barrows in Cornwall but he has been criticised for poor archaeological practice, particularly in only writing accounts of a tenth of the barrows.
- 1874: Historical sketch of the tin trade in Cornwall: a lecture. Plymouth.
- 1876: Niphon and its antiquities: an essay on the ethnology, mythology and religions of the Japanese. Plymouth.
- 1895: The Age of the Saints: a monograph of early Christianity in Cornwall with the legends of the Cornish saints and an introduction illustrative of the ethnology of the district. Truro: Joseph Pollard (Reissued: ISBN 978-1897853863)
- 1897: The DolmenDolmenA dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
s of Ireland, their Distribution, Structural Characteristics, and Affinities in Other Countries; together with the folk-lore attaching to them and traditions of the Irish people. 3 vols. London: Chapman & Hall (Reissued: ISBN 978-0543784445)
External links
- Naenia Cornubiae from The Internet Archive