Sabine Baring-Gould

1834–1924

Sabine Baring-Gould was a writer, hymnist, and priest who published over 1,200 works in his lifetime. 

Baring-Gould was a highly intelligent child who loved to read. He came up to Clare in 1852 and, while living on D staircase, wrote his first novel, The Chorister. After Cambridge, he taught at schools across Sussex. He gained a reputation as an eccentric, sometimes delivering lessons with a pet bat perched on his shoulder. Even when he left teaching to join the clergy, his wayward behaviour continued. In 1864, he struck up a relationship with a fourteen-year-old girl, Grace Taylor. They married four years later, and had fifteen children together. 

Baring-Gould's religious vocation and his love of writing came together in his work as a hymnist. He wrote over sixty hymns, including, most famously, Onward, Christian Soldiers. He is also well known today for his interest in folklore. He collected British folk tales, and wrote over thirty novels on folkloric themes. One of his books, The Book of Were-wolves, was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

Baring-Gould’s passion for folk traditions extended also to music. He began collecting folk songs in the 1880s, publishing anthologies like Songs of the West, and collaborating with fellow folk revivalist Cecil Sharp (q.v.).  

In recognition of his diverse accomplishments, Baring-Gould was elected an honorary Fellow of Clare in 1918.