Christian Ignatius Borissow
Encyclopedia
Christian Ignatius Borissow (4 April 1788 - 2 November 1867) was an expert on commerce
and a teacher of language
s with Finnish roots who immigrated to Great Britain
before 1819. He worked most of his active years in Bradford
and other locations in Yorkshire
. He is known as the author of several books on commerce and languages published during the 19th century.
Christian Ignatius, not yet Borissow, was born in Hamina
, a Finnish
and Swedish
speaking small coastal city, which at that time belonged to the Russian Empire
, as the fifth of ten children of chaplain
Bengt Jacob Ignatius (1746–1803)http://www.helsinki.fi/ylioppilasmatrikkeli/henkilo.php?id=8567, a minister of the Lutheran Church in the fifth generation, and his wife Katharina Elfvengren (1759–1803). The family soon moved to Ruokolahti
, a small Finnish-speaking rural parish in Russian-governed Southeastern Finland
, where the father held the vicar
’s office from 1790 until his death in 1803. After the death of his parents Christian had to quit his secondary school
education. Soon after this he moved to Saint Petersburg
, the fast-growing capital of the Russian empire, and was employed there as a merchant
. From there he emigrated to Great Britain probably in late 1810s. He was married in Bristol
, England, in 1819 and had published his first book The Commerce of St. Petersburg in the same year. He also functioned as a Consul of the Russian Empire in Bristol. At this time he had already adopted his new Russian-type surname Borissow.
In the 1820s Christian and his family moved to Yorkshire, and he was employed as a teacher of languages in Huddersfield
in 1829 and again in 1834. Between 1820 and 1840 he and his wife Sarah Peters (1799-1862) got ten children.http://freespace.virgin.net/stone.s451/people/borissowHist.html In 1834, he was employed as the “language master” of West Riding Proprietary School in Wakefield
and some years later as teacher of French and German at Bradford Grammar School
. He continued in the teaching profession at least till the mid-1850s.
Christian was already in his late 60s when he returned to publishing
. The English Tourist’s Continental Calculator, a little guide on “moneys, weights and measures” in the countries of the European continent was published in 1857. A reprint was published in 2010. Commercial Phraseology, an English-French-English glossary
of commercial terms and phrases was published in 1860. This book has been reprinted in the United States in 2008.
Christian Ignatius Borissow died in 1867 and is buried in the family grave at Undercliffe Cemetery
in Bradford.
Of Christian Ignatius Borissow’s children, his youngest son Louis Borissow (1840–1917) continued in the clerical profession of his Finnish ancestors. He was the Master and Headteacher of The Royal Latin School
in Buckingham
, England from 1869 to 1871 and after that a long-time (1871–1901) Chaplain and Precentor
of Trinity College
at Cambridge University.
One of Christian Ignatius Borissow’s grandsons, Charles Kirby Borissow (1873–1939), was a Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve
and a Chief Salvage Officer of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during the First World War
.
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and a teacher of language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
s with Finnish roots who immigrated to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
before 1819. He worked most of his active years in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and other locations in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He is known as the author of several books on commerce and languages published during the 19th century.
Christian Ignatius, not yet Borissow, was born in Hamina
Hamina
Hamina is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Kymenlaakso region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is...
, a Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
speaking small coastal city, which at that time belonged to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, as the fifth of ten children of chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
Bengt Jacob Ignatius (1746–1803)http://www.helsinki.fi/ylioppilasmatrikkeli/henkilo.php?id=8567, a minister of the Lutheran Church in the fifth generation, and his wife Katharina Elfvengren (1759–1803). The family soon moved to Ruokolahti
Ruokolahti
Ruokolahti is a municipality of Finland, situated in south-eastern Finland, in the region of South Karelia. Neighbouring municipalities are Imatra, Lappeenranta, Taipalsaari, Puumala, Sulkava, Punkaharju, Parikkala and Rautjärvi...
, a small Finnish-speaking rural parish in Russian-governed Southeastern Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, where the father held the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
’s office from 1790 until his death in 1803. After the death of his parents Christian had to quit his secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
education. Soon after this he moved to Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, the fast-growing capital of the Russian empire, and was employed there as a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
. From there he emigrated to Great Britain probably in late 1810s. He was married in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England, in 1819 and had published his first book The Commerce of St. Petersburg in the same year. He also functioned as a Consul of the Russian Empire in Bristol. At this time he had already adopted his new Russian-type surname Borissow.
In the 1820s Christian and his family moved to Yorkshire, and he was employed as a teacher of languages in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in 1829 and again in 1834. Between 1820 and 1840 he and his wife Sarah Peters (1799-1862) got ten children.http://freespace.virgin.net/stone.s451/people/borissowHist.html In 1834, he was employed as the “language master” of West Riding Proprietary School in Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and some years later as teacher of French and German at Bradford Grammar School
Bradford Grammar School
Bradford Grammar School is a co-educational, independent school in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire. Headmaster, Stephen Davidson is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference . The school was founded in 1548 and granted its Charter by King Charles II in 1662...
. He continued in the teaching profession at least till the mid-1850s.
Christian was already in his late 60s when he returned to publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
. The English Tourist’s Continental Calculator, a little guide on “moneys, weights and measures” in the countries of the European continent was published in 1857. A reprint was published in 2010. Commercial Phraseology, an English-French-English glossary
Glossary
A glossary, also known as an idioticon, vocabulary, or clavis, is an alphabetical list of terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms...
of commercial terms and phrases was published in 1860. This book has been reprinted in the United States in 2008.
Christian Ignatius Borissow died in 1867 and is buried in the family grave at Undercliffe Cemetery
Undercliffe Cemetery
Undercliffe Cemetery is located between Otley Road and Undercliffe Lane in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England.The cemetery stands atop a hillside overlooking the city and contains some very impressive Victorian funerary monuments in a variety of styles....
in Bradford.
Of Christian Ignatius Borissow’s children, his youngest son Louis Borissow (1840–1917) continued in the clerical profession of his Finnish ancestors. He was the Master and Headteacher of The Royal Latin School
Royal Latin School
The Royal Latin School is a co-educational grammar school in Buckingham, England. In September 2011 the school became an Academy.. It takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18 and has over 1260 pupils, including a sixth form of 390 pupils. It maintains a staff of over 160...
in Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, England from 1869 to 1871 and after that a long-time (1871–1901) Chaplain and Precentor
Precentor
A precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
of Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
at Cambridge University.
One of Christian Ignatius Borissow’s grandsons, Charles Kirby Borissow (1873–1939), was a Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
and a Chief Salvage Officer of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.