Boruwlaski, or more probably, Boruslawski, was not a real count, but belonged to the minor Polish nobility. He was the most celebrated dwarf ever exhibited in England. At six years old, he measured just 17 inches and in his thirtieth year, he was 39 inches tall. He had a sister a head shorter than himself and a brother of six feet. Born near Halicz in Galicia, Boruwlaski was a handsome man and something of a scholar. He married and his children were of normal size.

Boruwlaski led a rather precarious existence, travelling all over Europe, including Britain and Ireland, meeting such notabilities as Voltaire and the Empress Maria Theresa. He would shy from the idea of being an exhibition and used to say that people just paid a shilling for his valet to open the door.
Boruwlaski settled in Durham after 1800, where the cathedral prebendaries gave him Banks Cottage. This was on the riverside path near South Bailey. It has been demolished, but nearby is a small tetrastyle Greek Doric temple called the Count's House, which was the garden house of Boruwlaski's dwelling. There he was supported by the contributions of friends and was much sought after as a conversationalist. Boruwlaski wrote:

Poland was my cradle,
England is my nest;
Durham is my quiet place,
Where my weary bones shall rest.

He died at Banks Cottage on 5 September 1837 at the great age of 98, and is buried in the Chapel of the Nine Altars in Durham Cathedral. His resting place is simply marked JB. he lies, incongruously enough alongside the Falstaffian theatre manager Stephen Kemble (q.v.). There is a memorial tablet to him in St Mary's church in South Bailey.