author
Robert Charles Hope
1855–1926
An English antiquarian and musician whose books wander through folklore, local history, and the stranger corners of Britain’s past. His writing is especially remembered for turning subjects like holy wells, leprosy, and place-names into lively works of historical curiosity.
1 Audiobook
The Leper in England: with some account of English lazar-houses
by Robert Charles Hope
About the author
Born in 1855 and dying in 1926, he was an English author, antiquarian, and musician. Reference listings for his work consistently connect him with historical and antiquarian subjects, and surviving editions show a taste for unusual corners of the past rather than straightforward narrative history.
His best-known books include The Legendary Lore of the Holy Wells of England, The Leper in England, Mediæval Music: An Historical Sketch, and works on English bellfounders and dialectal place-names. Taken together, they show a writer interested in folklore, religion, language, and everyday historical life.
He also had a strong musical side: archival and catalog sources describe him not just as a researcher but as a musician, and some biographical references connect him with conducting and dramatic work. That blend of scholar and performer helps explain the character of his books, which often feel both learned and vividly curious.