Author: Belfour, John
Biography:
BELFOUR, John (1768-1842: ODNB)
He was the eldest son of John Belfour (1745-93), a dissenting stockbroker of Highgate, London, and his wife Mary Belfour (1729-1809), (maiden name unknown) He was the uncle of Hugo John Belfour (q.v.). There is no record of his education but he may have attended a dissenting academy before joining his father in business in the City. His father made generous provision for his widow and four sons, including a property in Highgate, North London. John Belfour married Angelina Rachel Mendes (1788/9-1839)-- presumably a Sephardic girl, who would have required parental consent--probably in 1805, although it is not known where. A daughter, Eliza, was born the following year. (The ODNB gives his wife’s name from private information but there is no supporting documentation.) They lived for many years in Highgate and later moved to Windsor Terrace, City Road, Hoxton, where Angelina Belfour died on 28 May 1839, aged 50. She must have nominally converted but did not conform and was buried at Bunhill Fields. Around the time of his marriage, Belfour produced the translations listed here from the Spanish poet Tomas de Iriarte y Oropesa (1750-91). His brother, Rev. Okey Belfour (1777-1818), contributed the “Introductory Remarks” to Fables (1804). He later developed an interest in Hebrew (possibly under the influence and/or with the assistance of his wife), producing a literal prose version of “The Psalms of David, according to the Coptic Version”(1826/1831) that remains unpublished. He also contributed “Remarks on Certain Alphabets in Use among the Jews of Morocco” to the Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature 3:1 (1837) 136-42. He died on 8 June 1842 at Westmoreland Place, Hoxton, London, and was buried at Bunhill Fields on 14 June. (ODNB 30 Aug. 2022; LES 26 May 1839, 13 June 1842; GM July 1839, 98, and Aug. 1842, 213) AA