Charlotte Sophia Burne

Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850-1923), also known as Lotty, was a significant English author and folklorist. She broke barriers by becoming the first woman to lead The Folklore Society and, consequently, the first female president of any learned society in the United Kingdom. Burne's scholarly contributions include detailed county folklore histories of Shropshire and Staffordshire, which were recognized for their completeness and scientific approach.

Born in Staffordshire, Burne's early life was marked by family moves and periods of ill health. Her interest in folklore was likely nurtured by her family, particularly her mother. She developed a systematic approach to collecting and classifying folklore, emphasizing the importance of documenting the context and potential influences on the tales. Her work often explored themes of local customs, superstitions, and historical traces within the folklore she documented.

Born Charlotte Sophia Burne on May 2, 1850, in Staffordshire, England, she was the eldest child in a family of six. Her upbringing involved education by governesses. The family relocated to Shropshire in 1854. A significant event in her childhood was her father's debilitating hunting accident in 1857, which led to increased reliance on extended family. Burne, often called Lotty, faced several serious illnesses throughout her youth and later life, alongside struggles with obesity, which impacted her physical well-being. Her father passed away in 1861 when she was still a child. Her interest in history and antiquities, which later evolved into folklore studies, was likely cultivated by her mother. Early recognition of her editorial talents came through acknowledgments in scholarly works and local newspaper reviews.

Burne's significant contributions to folklore began with her collaboration with Georgina Frederica Jackson, who was collecting material for a Shropshire Word Book. When Jackson became too ill to continue fieldwork in 1877, Burne took over her collected material. Burne then expanded upon this by adding her own gathered tales, resulting in her extensive first major publication, "Shropshire Folk-Lore: A Sheaf of Gleanings" (1883). This work meticulously documented a wide array of Shropshire folklore, including legends of giants and goblins, superstitions concerning fairies and witches, traces of well worship, and local customs like "Clipping the Church." The book was lauded for its comprehensive and scientific presentation of county folklore, with one obituary noting it as the first time such material was published so completely and scientifically.

Joining The Folklore Society (FLS) in 1883, Burne quickly became a prominent figure. She served as the editor of the FLS journal "Folklore" from 1900 to 1908, and in 1909, she was elected president of the Society. This achievement marked her as the first woman to hold the presidency of the FLS and, more broadly, the first female president of any learned society in the country. Her presidential address in 1910 was titled "The Value of European Folklore in the History of Culture." Burne also contributed significantly to the "Handbook of Folklore" (1914) and authored over seventy articles and reviews for the Society's publications, alongside other contributions to newspapers and magazines. Despite her extensive service and groundbreaking roles, detailed records of her personal life and work are scarce.

Burne developed a rigorous methodology for collecting folklore, emphasizing the systematic classification of material and the methods by which it was acquired. She advocated for interview techniques that aimed to elicit uncorrupted narratives and stressed the importance of documenting the historical and regional context of tales. She also highlighted how economic, local, and personal factors could influence the variations and substitutions found in folklore. Burne's work continued to be recognized for its depth and scholarly rigor, with later folklorists praising her county folklore collections. She died in 1923, leaving behind a legacy as a foundational figure in British folklore studies and a trailblazer for women in academic societies.