Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850-1923) was an English author, notable for being the first female president of the Folklore Society. Her key works include the extensive book Shropshire Folklore and the preparation of the second edition of the Folklore Society's Handbook of Folklore although she also contributed many articles and shorter works to journals, magazines and newspapers. She was a methodical and prolific collector of folklore.
Although the Folklore Society hold some correspondence between Charlotte and other society members, her personal papers are thought to be largely destroyed. We are fortunate to hold complete digitised copies of the three original notebooks of Charlotte's which are known to still be in existence, which we are able to make available to researchers on application thanks to the generosity of the donor. If you would like to request research access to these materials, please contact us to tell us about your research. We also hold a fully digitised copy of the 1914 edition of the Handbook of Folklore which was inscribed by Charlotte and which has some of her handwritten corrections in the margins to highlight errors in printing.
Below are sample pages from the notebooks, showing Charlotte's folklore collecting, historical research and transcription of family letters.
Although the Folklore Society hold some correspondence between Charlotte and other society members, her personal papers are thought to be largely destroyed. We are fortunate to hold complete digitised copies of the three original notebooks of Charlotte's which are known to still be in existence, which we are able to make available to researchers on application thanks to the generosity of the donor. If you would like to request research access to these materials, please contact us to tell us about your research. We also hold a fully digitised copy of the 1914 edition of the Handbook of Folklore which was inscribed by Charlotte and which has some of her handwritten corrections in the margins to highlight errors in printing.
Below are sample pages from the notebooks, showing Charlotte's folklore collecting, historical research and transcription of family letters.