William Barnes
Who is William Barnes
William Barnes (22 February 1801 – 7 October 1886) was an English polymath, writer, poet, philologist, priest, mathematician, engraving artist and inventor. He wrote over 800 poems, some in Dorset dialect, and much other work, including a comprehensive English grammar quoting from more than 70 different languages. A linguistic purist, Barnes strongly advocated against borrowing foreign words into English, and instead supported the use and proliferation of "strong old Anglo-Saxon speech".
Life and work
Barnes was born in the parish of Bagber, Dorset, to John Barnes, a tenant-farmer in the Vale of Blackmore. The younger Barnes's formal education finished when he was 13 years old. Between 1818 and 1823 he worked in Dorchester, the county town, as a solicitor's clerk...
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William Barnes Poems
- Evenen In The Village
Now the light o' the west is a-turn'd to gloom,
An' the men be at hwome vrom ground;
An' the bells be a-zendén all down the Coombe
From tower, their mwoansome sound.
...
- Wife A-lost, The
Since I noo mwore do zee your fe{"a}ce,
Up ste{"a}rs or down below,
I'll zit me in the lwonesome ple{"a}ce,
Where flat-bough'd beech do grow;
...
- The White Road Up Athirt The Hill
WHEN high hot zuns da strik right down,
An' burn our zweaty fiazen brown,
An' zunny hangens that be nigh
Be back'd by hills so blue's the sky;
...
- The Peasant's Return
And passing here through evening dew,
He hastened happy to her door,
But found the old folk only two
With no more footsteps on the floor
...
- Hay-carren
'Tis merry ov a zummer's day,
When vo'k be out a-haulèn hay,
Where boughs, a-spread upon the ground,
Do meäke the staddle big an' round;
...
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William Barnes Quotes
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Comments about William Barnes
- Seadailycitizen: the following obituaries will publish wednesday, march 29, 2023.
•elma marie barnes
•lois june dacus
•ruth ann fuller
•revenna annette (folkner) jobe
•frances jeanette ‘mema’ weir
•larry william wilkins
full obituaries available now at
- Riviashunter: the wind at the door
by william barnes
as day did darken on the dewless grass,
there, still, wi’ nwone a-come by me
to stay a-while at hwome by me
within the house, all dumb by me,
i zot me sad as the eventide did pass.
an’ there a win’blast shook the rattlèn door, >
- Wjxt4: nothing remained of william barnes’ home in the tiny western mississippi town of silver city after a killer tornado tore it off its foundations.
- Wnct9: “we lost everything but got out alive,” william barnes said, holding his young granddaughter in his arms.
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