Robert Charles Dallas facts for kids
Robert Charles Dallas (1754 – 1824) was a writer and poet from Jamaica who lived in Britain. He is known for a book about Lord Byron and a history of the Second Maroon War. He wrote many books and poems during his life.
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Robert Charles Dallas was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on July 14, 1754. His father, Robert Dallas, was a doctor from Scotland who owned a large estate in Jamaica called Dallas Castle. His mother was Sarah Hewitt. Robert Charles was born before his parents were married, but they later married in England in 1769.
Robert Charles had a younger brother named Alexander James Dallas, who became a statesman. Their father, Dr. Dallas, passed away in 1769, shortly after marrying Sarah. He left his estate, Dallas Castle, to his wife. This estate included a large area of land in Jamaica.
Education and Travels
Robert Charles Dallas went to school in Musselburgh, Scotland, and later in Kensington, London. He studied law for a short time. When he became an adult, he went back to Jamaica to manage the family estates he had inherited. He worked as an official there for three years.
After some time, he visited England and got married. He and his wife returned to Jamaica, but they later left the island for good because of his wife's health.
Life in Europe and America
Dallas lived in different parts of Europe. When the French Revolution began, he moved to the United States of America. However, he was not happy there and soon returned to England. By 1810, he had sold the Dallas Castle estate in Jamaica.
Robert Charles Dallas passed away in the autumn of 1824 in Sainte-Adresse, Normandy, France. He was buried in Le Havre.
His Writings and Beliefs
Robert Charles Dallas wrote many books, poems, and essays. He once said that his goal was to write against ideas that he felt caused "confusion."
The History of the Maroons (1803)
In 1803, Dallas published a two-volume book called The History of the Maroons from their Origin to the Establishment of their Chief Tribe at Sierra Leone. This book was an important record of Jamaican history. It focused on the Second Maroon War, which was a conflict in Jamaica, and what happened to the Jamaican Maroons afterwards. The Maroons from Cudjoe's Town (Trelawny Town) were sent to Nova Scotia and then to Sierra Leone.
Dallas gathered information for his book from people who were involved in the events. For example, he got accounts from William Dawes Quarrell, who traveled with the Maroons to Nova Scotia. He also used information from William Robertson, who served in the war. A map of the Cockpit Country was created for the book by James Robertson, a surveyor.
Dallas's book came out when many people were interested in the events happening in Europe. While Dallas did not support slavery, he sometimes defended the government's actions.
Recollections of Lord Byron
Dallas is perhaps most known for his connection to the famous poet Lord Byron. Dallas's sister, Henrietta Charlotte, was married to George Anson Byron, who was Lord Byron's uncle.
Dallas first contacted Byron by letter after Byron published his early poems. Dallas gave Byron advice about his writing and helped him with publishers. In return, Byron gave Dallas the rights to some of his famous works, like parts of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and The Corsair. However, Byron eventually grew tired of Dallas's advice and stopped writing to him.
Byron had given Dallas some letters he wrote to his mother. Based on these letters and other talks, Dallas wrote a book about Byron's life from 1808 to 1814. He told Byron in 1819 that the book was finished but would only be published after Dallas himself died.
When Lord Byron died in April 1824, Dallas decided to publish his book, Recollections of the Life of Lord Byron from the year 1808 to the end of 1814. However, Byron's family and executors tried to stop the publication. They even got a court order against it.
Dallas passed away in France before the book was fully published in England. His son, Alexander Dallas, later published the book in Paris in 1825, outside the reach of the English court.
Other Literary Works
Robert Charles Dallas wrote many other books, including:
- Miscellaneous Writings (1797) – a collection of poems, a play, and essays.
- Percival, or Nature Vindicated (1801) – a novel.
- Elements of Self-Knowledge (1802) – a book he helped write.
- Aubrey (1804) – another novel.
- The Marlands, Tales illustrative of the Simple and Surprising (1805) – a collection of stories.
- The Knights, Tales illustrative of the Marvellous (1808) – more stories.
- Not at Home, a Dramatic Entertainment (1809) – a play.
- The New Conspiracy against the Jesuits detected (1815).
- Letter to C. Butler relative to the New Conspiracy (1817).
- Sir Francis Darrell, or the Vortex (1820) – a novel.
- Adrastus, a Tragedy; Amabel, or the Cornish Lovers; and other Poems (1823).
In 1813, a collection of his Miscellaneous Works and Novels was published in seven volumes.
His Own Family
Robert Charles Dallas married Sarah Harding. Her father, Benjamin Harding, owned land in Jamaica. Robert and Sarah had a son named Alexander Robert Charles Dallas, who became a priest.
