The Rebirth of England and Englishness: The Vision of William Barnes

The Dorset priest and poet William Barnes (1801-1886) was an important force in encouraging the study of England's Anglo-Saxon past. In books like Early England and the Saxon-English , An Outline of English Speech-Craft and An Outline of Rede-Craft he not only used Old English but invented his own alternatives for English words which he felt had been 'corrupted' by Latin and Greek - language he termed 'Englandish'. This study reevaluates Barnes and discusses the philological and historical value of his work.