English · Idiom Historical

Borough English

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A custom by which real estate passes to the youngest instead of the eldest son. It is of English, as opposed to French, origin, and was so called to distinguish it from the Norman custom.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “Borough English” mean?

A custom by which real estate passes to the youngest instead of the eldest son. It is of English, as opposed to French, origin, and was so called to distinguish it from the Norman custom.

Is “Borough English” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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