Introduction

Biography

Baring-Gould had one of the most bril­liant, ec­lec­tic minds of Vic­tor­ian Eng­land. Born in­to the land­ed gen­try, he at­tend­ed schools in Ger­ma­ny and France, then went to Clare Col­lege at Cam­bridge. He learned six lan­guag­es, en­tered the min­is­try at age 30, and served pas­tor­ates in York­shire, Es­sex, and De­von­shire.

He was an au­thor, ar­chae­olo­gist, ar­chi­tect, ar­tist, teach­er & col­lec­tor of Eng­lish folk songs.

His fa­mi­ly es­tate at Lew Tren­chard, near Dart­moor in De­von, is now a ho­tel.

Works

He wrote over 100 books, in­clud­ing 30 no­vels and a mam­moth 16-vol­ume Lives of the Saints. His works co­ver a huge range of to­pics: theo­lo­gy, folk­lore, so­cial com­men­ta­ry, tra­vel & his­to­ry.

One ac­count of his life states, At one point there were more books list­ed un­der his name in the Brit­ish Mu­se­um Lib­ra­ry than un­der that of any oth­er Eng­lish wri­ter.