Borrow Henry John

Pioneer and Former Proprietor of the Borrowdale Estate

Henry Borrow emigrated to farm in South Africa in 1882, while there he joined the 2nd Mounted Rifles (Carringtons Horse) and traveled to Bechuanaland (now Botswana) on the Warren Expedition. He joined the Bechuanaland Police a year later.

In 1887 he formed the Northern Goldfields Exploration Syndicate and also in 1887 received a mining concession from Chief Khama of Botswana. In 1890 he joined the Pioneer Column Corps and traveled to Mashonaland with the column.

He went into business in Fort Salisbury with Many and Johnson. Their company concentrated mostly on buying farming land and mining claims. Borrowdale estate was one of the farms he procured and on which he farmed and even constructed the first man made dam in the country at the time for irrigation.

Borrow also took part in the Matebele War (1893) when he took command of “B” troop of the Salisbury Column. He fought at the first battle of the Shangani and Mbembesi. He was killed with his patrol in action when they were sent to assist Allan Wilson at the Shangani River on 4th December 1893.