sabine baring gould the book of were wolves

His speculations on the origin the various names by which werewolves were known in different European languages is intriguing, especially the idea that the term may derive from a word for an outlaw, a man condemned effectively to run with the wolves. He also links it to the behaviour of the notorious Norse berserkers, who would suffer from an insane battle rage. He also relates it to cannibalism, and seems to see at lest some of those so afflicted as being what we today would call serial killers. Baring-Gould treats the phenomenon of the werewolf as a psychological aberration, as essentially a delusional state. Sabine Baring-Gould’s Book of Werewolves (which was recommended to me by several people here) was originally published in 1865. He did a great deal of work restoring St Peter's Church, Lew Trenchard, and (from 1883 – 1914) thoroughly remodelled his home, Lew Trenchard Manor. When the living became vacant in 1881, he was able to appoint himself to it, becoming parson as well as squire. In 1872 his father died and he inherited the 3,000 acre (12 km²) family estates of Lew Trenchard in Devon, which included the gift of the living of Lew Trenchard parish. When he buried his wife in 1916 he had carved on her tombstone the Latin motto Dimidium Animae Meae ('Half my Soul').īaring-Gould became the rector of East Mersea in Essex in 1871 and spent ten years there. Their marriage lasted until her death 48 years later, and the couple had 15 children, all but one of whom lived to adulthood. He and Grace were married in 1868 at Wakefield.

Baring-Gould, meanwhile, relocated to become perpetual curate at Dalton, near Thirsk. His vicar, John Sharp, arranged for Grace to live for two years with relatives in York to learn middle class manners.

It was while acting as a curate that he met Grace Taylor, the daughter of a mill hand, then aged fourteen. During 1864, he became the curate at Horbury Bridge, West Riding of Yorkshire. In 1852 he was admitted to Cambridge University, earning the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in 1857, then Master of Arts in 1860 from Clare College, Cambridge. His father considered his ill-health as a good reason for another European tour. Here his time was ended by a bronchial disease of the kind that was to plague him throughout his long life. He only spent about two years in formal schooling, first at King's College School in London (then located in Somerset House) and then, for a few months, at Warwick Grammar School (now Warwick School). Because the family spent much of his childhood travelling round Europe, most of his education was by private tutors. The eldest son of Edward Baring-Gould and his first wife, Sophia Charlotte (née Bond), he was named after a great-uncle, the Arctic explorer Sir Edward Sabine. Sabine Baring-Gould was born in the parish of St Sidwell, Exeter.

Sabine baring gould the book of were wolves