Francis William Bourdillon
Francis William Bourdillon (22 March 1852 at Runcorn, Cheshire, England – 13 January 1921 at Buddington, Midhurst) was a British poet and translator. He is known also as a bibliophile.
Francis William Bourdillon

J. G. Sowerby (1850–1914) · Young Maids Old China verses by F.W. Bourdillon · Public domain
- Born
- 1852
- Died
- 1921
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Occupation
- poet · writer · translator · bibliophile · scientist
- Fields
- belletristic literature · translation · bibliophilia · Christianity
- Education
- Worcester College
- Languages
- English
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Francis William Bourdillon (22 March 1852 at Runcorn, Cheshire, England – 13 January 1921 at Buddington, Midhurst) was a British poet and translator. He is known also as a bibliophile.
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wikidata · Q5482785 · wikipedia · Francis William Bourdillon
In this article
Life
Life
Born at Trinity Parsonage, Halton Road, Runcorn, Cheshire, Francis William Bourdillon was the eldest son of Rev. Francis Bourdillon, the author, at that time perpetual curate of Runcorn. He was educated at Haileybury College and Worcester College, Oxford, graduating B.A. 1877, M.A. 1882. From 1876 to 1879, he acted as tutor to the sons of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Later Bourdillon lived in Eastbourne, and near Midhurst, Sussex. His friends included Audrey Boyle (1853/4–1916), later as wife of Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, known as Audrey Lady Tennyson.
Family
Family
Bourdillon married Agnes Smyth, and they lived at Buddington, near Midhurst. They had three children, including the World War I pilot and later medical researcher Robert Benedict Bourdillon (1889–1971). The mountaineer Tom Bourdillon (1924–1956) was a grandson.
Identity
Identity
Francis William Bourdillon is recorded as a citizen of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Recorded with the occupation bibliophile.

Illustration from Young Maids Old China.
John George Sowerby · Young Maids Old China verses by F.W. Bourdillon

Illustration from Young Maids Old China.
J. G. Sowerby (1850–1914) · Young Maids Old China verses by F.W. Bourdillon
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1852
Francis William Bourdillon was born on 1 January 1852.
1921
Francis William Bourdillon died on 13 January 1921.
Writer
Bourdillon is known for his poetry, and in particular, for the single short poem "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes". He had numerous collections published: • Among The Flowers, And Other Poems (1878, 1883) • Ailes d'alouette (1890) • A Lost God (1891) • Love Lies Bleeding (1891) • Love in a Mist (1892) • Sursum corda (1893) • Chryseis (1894) • Minuscula: lyrics of nature, art and love (1897, from three volumes of verse published anonymously at Oxford in 1891, 1892, and 1894) Other works were Gerard and Isabel: a Romance in Form of Cantefable (1921) and also Preludes and Romances (1908). In 1896, Bourdillon published Nephelé, a romantic novel. He translated Aucassin et Nicolette as Aucassin and Nicolet (1887), and he wrote the scholarly The Early Editions of the Roman de la Rose (1906), as well as Russia Reborn (1917). and various essays which the Religious Tract Society published.
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reference work
- “Francis William Bourdillon”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
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authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q5482785: Francis William Bourdillon
General reference · Wikidata
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Francis W. HatchAuthor
- Francis W. TancredAuthor
- Francis WalderAuthor
- Francis WebbAuthor
- Francis William Lauderdale AdamsAuthor
- Francis William NewmanAuthor
- Francis William ReitzAuthor
- Francis WilliamsAuthor
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