Józef Boruwłaski

[1] When Boruwłaski was fifteen and 64 cm (25 inches) tall, the countess took him to Vienna, where he was presented to Empress Maria Theresa, a lady Józef described as the 'Queen of Hungary' in his autobiography.

The story that this child was the young Marie Antoinette (then called Maria Antonia) does not fit the dates – Boruwłaski may have become confused because all the daughters of the empress had the first name 'Maria'.

There he aroused the jealousy of Nicolas Ferry, the court dwarf of the Leszczyński household, who was nicknamed Bébé.

The King interceded on his behalf, giving him a small allowance and a coach to travel in, and, with the royal backing, he married Isalina.

At first, Isalina, the child of a French couple who had settled in Poland, was reluctant to marry Józef, but he bombarded her with love-letters and won her heart.

Hearing rumours that Józef was earning good money from his music, the King of Poland withdrew his allowance.

[2] Boruwłaski lived in Banks Cottage, Durham with the unmarried daughters of Thomas Ebdon, and purchased an annuity for his retirement years.

[1] Since Józef's friend Ebdon was a freemason, it may have been through him that on 7 October 1806, Boruwłaski was made an honorary member of the Durham Granby lodge.

Whilst the grave of Kemble (which is in the Chapel of the Nine Altars) has a large stone slab with an inscription, the last resting place of Józef Boruwłaski is marked simply with the initials J.B. on a flagstone.

There is a life-size statue of him in the Durham Town Hall, together with a small display of his personal effects, including a suit, hat, cane, chair and violin.

A tetrastyle Greek temple, restored in 2007, stands on the banks of the River Wear at Durham: this is called the 'Count's House' and its position suggests that it may have been an ornamental folly in the Count's garden.