Joseph Octave Delepierre
Joseph Octave Delepierre (12 March 1802 – 18 August 1879) was a Belgian lawyer, archivist, diplomat, author and antiquary. He spent his later life in the United Kingdom, and is best known for his studies of macaronic language and literature. Life. He was born at Bruges in Belgium, 12 March 1802. His father was Joseph Delepierre, for many years receveur-général of the province of West Flanders; his mother was of the Penaranda family. Illiterate at age 12, he qualified for the University of Ghent. Having obtained the degree of doctor of laws, he became an avocat, and  was appointed archivist of West Flanders, in Bruges. A collector of books and works of art, Delepierre's reputation as a local antiquary attracted visitors from abroad. When Albert, Prince Consort was in Bruges in 1839, Delepierre was his guide. But he became dissatisfied with his official position, after an application for promotion was disregarded. He had made the acquaintance of Sylvain Van de Weyer, who induced him in 1843 to come to London, in August 1849 appointed him a secretary of legation, and obtained for him the post of Belgian consul. He made his way in society, and held  Sunday evening receptions. Delepierre was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a member of other English, Belgian, and French societies. He was decorated with several orders of knighthood. For over 35 years he acted as Belgian secretary of legation, and, until 1877, when he resigned, he was consul-general for Belgium in London. Delepierre died 18 August 1879, aged 77, at the house of his son-in-law, Nicholas Trübner, 29 Upper Hamilton Terrace, London, and was buried in Highgate cemetery on 22 August. Works. Living in England, Delepierre wrote an account in 1849 of a  collection of early French farces and morality plays in the British Museum. In 1852 he produced "Macaronéana", followed by "Macaronéana Andra" in 1862. These publications formed an encyclopædia of information on macaronic literature. When the Duc d'Aumale, Van de Weyer, Richard Monckton Milnes, and others founded the Philobiblon Society in 1853 (then limited to 36 members), Delepierre was appointed one of the honorary secretaries. He contributed 22 papers to its privately printed "Miscellanies", among them being contributions on centos, on the literary history of lunatics, on parody, and on visions of hell; these he enlarged and republished separately. His major  writings were produced during his residence in England. He printed a history of Flemish literature in 1860; the first volume, in 1863, of a collection (completed in 1876) of his friend Van de Weyer's writings. He also contributed to the "Annales de la Société d'Emulation de Bruges" (1839–43), "Messager des Sciences Historiques" (1833–79), "Le Bibliophile Belge" (1845–65), "St. James's Magazine", and other journals. Works to 1842. The following is a complete list of Delepierre's works before he moved to the United Kingdom: Works from 1843. Delepierre wrote nothing between 1843 and 1845, when he published his first  English book, "Old Flanders". Family. Delepierre was twice married, first to Emily, the sister of Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, by whom he had two daughters. One of these died young, the other married Nicholas Trübner. His second wife, who survived him, was the widow of Captain Jasper Trowce.