Antedating of "burglarise" (BrE, 1839)

[Bonnie Taylor-Blake]

In its entry for "burglarize" (the American form), the OED lists an
1883 usage of "burglarise" in British English.

Several earlier instances of "burglarise" in BrE follow.  No doubt it
was a pretty rare form, but perhaps those of you with better access to
British historical newspapers and the like can find still earlier
examples or at least additional early examples of this usage.

Note that at the moment the earliest sightings of "burglarise" in
British publications are essentially contemporaneous with the earliest
uses of "burglarize" in American sources.  ("Burglarize" in AmE has
been antedated to the late spring of 1840; see URLs far below for
examples.  The OED offers a usage from 1871 as an early example of
this form.)

By the way "burglarise" only occasionally appears in 19th-century U.S.
publications, but -- as far as I can tell --  it didn't start doing so
until the late 1860s.

-- Bonnie

-------------------------------------------------

Are you aware, Sir Charles, that in taking credit to your self for the
formation and institution of certain rules and regulations for the
guidance of your blue invincibles, you are not only guilty of an
indelicate imposition upon the public, but that, in plagiarising from
your great ancestor and prototype, Master Dogberry, you have so
garbled his innocent meaning, and so distorted his beautiful
aphorisms, that men exclaim against you as the most bungling of
"cabbagers" (a school phrase) that ever burglarised upon the property
of Shakspeare [sic]!  [From "Mustard-Seed," "To Sir Charles Shaw,
K.C.T.S., &c. &c.," written in Manchester, 3 December 1839; printed in
The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, 7 December
1839, p. 6; via Gale News.  Mustard-Seed had begun his commentary by
quoting Shakespeare's "You are thought here to be the most senseless
and fit man for the constable of the watch."]

Of one thing I have no doubt; you are pretty sure of getting it back
again from him; so give him the rhino, and don't oblige us to come
over *en masse*, "and burglarise your Penates."  [From "Shamrock,"
"Hibernian Gentlemanjocks. -- No.2.," Bell's Life in London and
Sporting Chronicle, 9 February 1840, p. 4; via Gale News.]

I also told you my house had been thoroughly burglarised three times,
and, more especially, that the police informed me, what with the
tickets of leaves and the disbanded militia, 'it was nothing to what
would take place when the long nights set in.'  [From "The London
Scoundrel," "A Plea for the Gallows," The Morning Post (London), 17
December 1856, p. 3; via Gale News.  This piece appeared in several
English newspapers.]

Having in the handsomest way expressed himself to the *Times* as
"prepared to be strangled *generally about the streets*, night or day
at any time" -- a self sacrifice for which we will not stay to reckon
the amount of gratitude honestly due to him, the "Scoundrel" continues
-- "I also told you my house had been thoroughly *burglarised* three
times."  We must even lament the alarm and the double loss.  For to be
"thoroughly *burglarised*" it is plain a man may not lose only a few
filagree nick-nacks, but his bit of English.  [From "Our
'Puff-Adders'," Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper (London), 28 December 1856,
p. 1; via Gale News.  The writer is obviously commenting on the piece
above.]

His house in the Commercial-road had, on several occasions, been what
ALBERT SMITH called "burglarised," and the doctor was prepared to
resist all attempts upon his property in a very summary fashion.
[From "Multiple News Items," The Standard (London), 14 July 1865, p.
4; via Gale News.]

A sacrilegious scoundrel burglarised a Wesleyan Chapel, no doubt in
the hope of discovering the altar vessels, the collection boxes, or
the cheque for the minister's salary.  [Western Mail (Cardiff), 7
October 1876, p. 5, col. 1; via Gale News.]

----------------------------------------------

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1302D&L=ADS-L&P=R6510

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0610C&L=ADS-L&P=R3277

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org