Robert Dallington facts for kids

Sir Robert Dallington (born in 1561, died in 1637) was an important English gentleman who worked for the royal family. He was also a writer who shared his travel experiences and translated books. Later in his life, he became the head of the London Charterhouse, which was a famous school and almshouse (a place for poor people to live).

Early Life and Education

Robert Dallington was born in a village called Geddington in Northamptonshire, England. Around 1575, when he was about 14 years old, he started studying at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He stayed there until about 1580. We know he earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree because he later joined University of Oxford with that degree.

After college, Dallington worked as a schoolteacher in Norfolk. During this time, a Puritan family called the Butts helped him and supported his work.

Travels and Royal Service

In 1594, Robert Dallington wrote a poem for a book by Lewes Lewkenor. A few years later, he began an exciting journey through France and Italy. This kind of trip was known as a "Grand Tour." He actually went on two of these long trips: the first from 1595 to 1597, and the second from 1598 to 1600.

When he returned from his travels, Dallington became a secretary to Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland. They had traveled together in Italy during the second tour. It's thought that a famous architect named Inigo Jones might have been with them too. Dallington's first trip was with Francis's older brother, Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland.

From 1605, Dallington worked for Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, who was the son of the king. He was recommended for this job by the Earl of Rutland and received a good payment of £100 each year. Later, he also worked for Prince Charles, who would become king.

Master of Charterhouse and Later Years

In 1624, Prince Charles suggested that Dallington become the master, or head, of the Charterhouse. This was a very important position. Dallington was also made a Knight Bachelor on December 30, 1624, which meant he was given the title "Sir."

Even though he was already 40 years old, Dallington was only a deacon (a type of church official). The governors of Charterhouse decided that future masters should be at least 40 and have been a priest for two years.

As master, Sir Robert Dallington made improvements to the gardens at Charterhouse. He also started a new tradition at the school: students would write poems about parts of the Bible. By 1636, Dallington was very unwell, so the governors appointed three people to help him with his duties. He died the following year, at 76 years old.

Two years before he passed away, Sir Robert Dallington paid to build a schoolhouse in his home village of Geddington. He also gave a large bell to the local church and helped the poor people in the village.

His Writings

Sir Robert Dallington was a talented writer and translator.

Books and Translations

When he was a teacher, he edited and published a book called A Booke of Epitaphes made upon the Death of Sir William Buttes. An epitaph is a short text written on a tombstone. Dallington himself wrote eight of these epitaphs.

He also translated a very old and famous book called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili by Francesco Colonna into English. This translation showed his interest in Italian culture and art.

Travel Guides

Dallington wrote about his own travels. In 1605, he published A Survey of the Great Duke's State of Tuscany, in the yeare of our Lord 1596. The next year, he released A Method for Travell: shewed by taking the view of France as it stoode in the yeare of our Lord 1598.

These books were like travel guides mixed with personal stories. The first book, about Tuscany, was a very smart look at how the Medici family ruled. It ended with a clever saying: 'qui sub Medici vivit, misere vivit', which means "he who lives under the Medici, lives miserably."

Other Works

In 1613, Dallington published a book called Aphorismes Civill and Militarie. This book included ideas and stories from a famous Italian historian named F. Guicciardine. A later edition of this book also included a part of Guicciardine's history that had been removed by the Inquisition (a religious court) because it was not allowed to be printed.