William Barnes
William Barnes | |
|---|---|
Rev. William Barnes | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 February 1801 Bagber, Dorset, England |
| Died | 7 October 1886 (aged 85) Winterborne Came, Dorset, England |
| Buried | St Peter's Church, Winterborne Came, Dorset, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
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".