Some Unpublished Correspondence between William Forsell Kirby and William Alexander Clouston

Abstract

While neither William Forsell Kirby (1844–1912) nor William Alexander Clouston (1843–96) is entirely unfamiliar, both have been rather eclipsed in our knowledge of the early history of British folklore studies. A cache of letters from Clouston to Kirby allows us some new insight into the work of these active and significant folklore scholars and into the wider network of British and international folklorists. The letters also shed further light on the relatively undocumented life of Clouston, who died young and single.