Robert Dallington
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Dallington was an English courtier, travel writer and translator, and master of the London Charterhouse
.
, Northamptonshire
. He entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
, and was there from about 1575 to 1580; from his incorporation at Oxford as M.A. it is deduced that he held that degree from Cambridge, though this is unrecorded. Dallington then became a schoolmaster in Norfolk
. The Puritan Norfolk family of Butts acted as patrons at this period of his life.
After a few years Dallington set out on a leisurely journey through France and Italy: a Grand Tour
, and in fact the first of two, one in 1595 to 1597, followed by another in 1598 to 1600. On his return he became secretary to Francis Manners
; they had been in Italy together on the second tour, and the party then may have included the young Inigo Jones
. The first tour was with Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
, elder brother of Francis.
Dallington was from 1605 a gentleman of the privy chamber in ordinary to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
(on the recommendation of the Earl of Rutland) and in receipt of a pension of £100. Anthony Wood
says that he filled the same office in Prince Charles
's household. In 1624, on Prince Charles's recommendation, Dallington was appointed master of Charterhouse in succession to Francis Beaumont
; and to Charles he probably owed the knighthood which was conferred on him 30 December in the same year.
As early as 1601 Dallington had been incorporated at St. John's College, Oxford; but though he was now sixty-three years of age he was still only in deacon
's orders, and at the same time the governors resolved that no future master should be elected under forty years of age, or who was not in holy orders of priesthood two years before his election, and having not more than one living, and that within thirty miles of London. While master, Dallington improved the walks and gardens of Charterhouse, and introduced into the school the custom of versifying on passages of scriptures. In 1636 Dallington had grown so infirm that the governors appointed three persons to assist him in his duties of master. In the following year he died, seventy-six years old.
Two years before his death Dallington had, at his own expense, built a schoolhouse in his native village, Geddington; he also gave the great bell of the parish church and provided for the poor.
of Francesco Colonna
. Roy Strong
regards the connection of Dallington with the court of Prince Henry as significant as a filiation of Italianate taste.
He wrote an account of his travels. ‘A Survey of the Great Duke's State of Tuscany, in the yeare of our Lord 1596,’ which appeared in 1605, and was followed the next year by ‘A Method for Travell: shewed by taking the view of France as it stoode in the yeare of our Lord 1598.’ Both of these volumes are guide-books.
In addition to the works mentioned above, Dallington published in 1613 a book entitled ‘Aphorismes Civill and Militarie, amplified with authorities, and exemplified with historie out of the first Quaterne of F. Guicciardine (a briefe inference upon Guicciardine's digression, in the fourth part of the first Quaterne of his Historie, forbidden the impression and effaced out of the originall by the Inquisition).’ A second edition of this book contained a translation of the inhibited digression.
London Charterhouse
The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Smithfield, London dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse began as a Carthusian priory, founded in 1371 and dissolved in 1537...
.
Life
He was born at GeddingtonGeddington
Geddington is a village and civil parish on the A43 in north-east Northamptonshire between Kettering and Corby.It contains what is thought to be the best surviving Eleanor cross. The monument dates from 1294, when the crosses were raised as a memorial by Edward I to his late wife, Eleanor of...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. He entered Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It is notable as the only college founded by Cambridge townspeople: it was established in 1352 by the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, and was there from about 1575 to 1580; from his incorporation at Oxford as M.A. it is deduced that he held that degree from Cambridge, though this is unrecorded. Dallington then became a schoolmaster in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The Puritan Norfolk family of Butts acted as patrons at this period of his life.
After a few years Dallington set out on a leisurely journey through France and Italy: a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
, and in fact the first of two, one in 1595 to 1597, followed by another in 1598 to 1600. On his return he became secretary to Francis Manners
Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland
Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland, KG was an English nobleman. Despite a brief imprisonment for his involvement in the Essex Rebellion of 1601, he became prominent at the court of James I. He lived at Belvoir Castle in Lincolnshire...
; they had been in Italy together on the second tour, and the party then may have included the young Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
. The first tour was with Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland
Roger Manners, 5th Earl of Rutland was the son of John Manners, 4th Earl of Rutland.He married Elizabeth Sidney , on 5 March 1599....
, elder brother of Francis.
Dallington was from 1605 a gentleman of the privy chamber in ordinary to Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...
(on the recommendation of the Earl of Rutland) and in receipt of a pension of £100. Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood or Anthony à Wood was an English antiquary.-Early life:Anthony Wood was the fourth son of Thomas Wood , BCL of Oxford, where Anthony was born...
says that he filled the same office in Prince Charles
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
's household. In 1624, on Prince Charles's recommendation, Dallington was appointed master of Charterhouse in succession to Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
; and to Charles he probably owed the knighthood which was conferred on him 30 December in the same year.
As early as 1601 Dallington had been incorporated at St. John's College, Oxford; but though he was now sixty-three years of age he was still only in deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
's orders, and at the same time the governors resolved that no future master should be elected under forty years of age, or who was not in holy orders of priesthood two years before his election, and having not more than one living, and that within thirty miles of London. While master, Dallington improved the walks and gardens of Charterhouse, and introduced into the school the custom of versifying on passages of scriptures. In 1636 Dallington had grown so infirm that the governors appointed three persons to assist him in his duties of master. In the following year he died, seventy-six years old.
Two years before his death Dallington had, at his own expense, built a schoolhouse in his native village, Geddington; he also gave the great bell of the parish church and provided for the poor.
Works
While occupying a teacher he edited and published ‘A Booke of Epitaphes made upon the Death of Sir William Buttes’ (by R. D. and others, edited by R. D.). Eight of these epitaphs, some in English, the others in poor Latin verse, were composed by Dallington himself. Also as R. D. he translated into English the Hypnerotomachia PoliphiliHypnerotomachia Poliphili
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili , called in English Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream, is a romance said to be by Francesco Colonna and a famous example of early printing...
of Francesco Colonna
Francesco Colonna
Francesco Colonna was an Italian Dominican priest and monk who was credited with the authorship of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili by an acrostic in the text.He lived in Venice, and preached at St. Mark's Cathedral...
. Roy Strong
Roy Strong
Sir Roy Colin Strong FRSL is an English art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer. He has been director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London...
regards the connection of Dallington with the court of Prince Henry as significant as a filiation of Italianate taste.
He wrote an account of his travels. ‘A Survey of the Great Duke's State of Tuscany, in the yeare of our Lord 1596,’ which appeared in 1605, and was followed the next year by ‘A Method for Travell: shewed by taking the view of France as it stoode in the yeare of our Lord 1598.’ Both of these volumes are guide-books.
In addition to the works mentioned above, Dallington published in 1613 a book entitled ‘Aphorismes Civill and Militarie, amplified with authorities, and exemplified with historie out of the first Quaterne of F. Guicciardine (a briefe inference upon Guicciardine's digression, in the fourth part of the first Quaterne of his Historie, forbidden the impression and effaced out of the originall by the Inquisition).’ A second edition of this book contained a translation of the inhibited digression.