Canon John Neale Dalton (24 September 1839 – 28 July 1931) was a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
man and author. He was a chaplain to
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, a
Canon of Windsor
The Dean and Canons of Windsor are the ecclesiastical body of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Foundation
The college of canons was established in 1348 by Letters Patent of King Edward III. It was formally constituted on the feast of ...
, and tutor to the future
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
and his brother
Prince Albert Victor
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the re ...
.
Life history
Dalton was born in
Margate, Kent
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
, the son of the Reverend John Neale Dalton and Elisa Maria Allies. He attended
Blackheath Proprietary School before matriculating to
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...
, in 1858. Dalton was an extremely able student and achieved his BA (1st class) in 1863, and his MA(Cantab) in 1866; also winning the Schofield Prize during his studies in 1864.
Dalton was appointed curate to Canon George Prothero in the parish of Whippingham on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
in 1869. The church was attended by the royal family when staying at their summer home,
Osborne
Osborne may refer to:
* Osborne (name)
Places Australia
* Osborne, South Australia (disambiguation), places associated with the suburb in the Adelaide metropolitan area
* Osborne, New South Wales, a rural community in the Riverina region
Can ...
, on the island. Queen Victoria came to know Dalton, and chose him to become tutor to her grandsons, the royal princes
George Frederick and his elder brother,
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence. Dalton had been second choice as tutor, after
Edward Carpenter
Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English utopian socialist, poet, philosopher, anthologist, an early activist for gay rightsWarren Allen Smith: ''Who's Who in Hell, A Handbook and International Directory for Human ...
, another clergyman who had been a student at Cambridge University at the same time as Dalton and who remained a lifelong friend. Carpenter was a campaigner for socialist reform and homosexual liberation: Dalton later wrote to him "''yet still I can't help thinking that our outlook on life and its problems is not so wholly dissimilar as one might imagine it would be''" The royal children were then 6 and 7, and Victoria considered her son, the then Prince of Wales
Albert Edward, had been neglecting their education. Dalton moved to Windsor castle and continued as their tutor through the next fourteen years.
The younger prince, George, proved the more able and willing to learn. His brother and presumed eventual heir to the throne, Albert Victor, called "Eddy" by the family, was considered backward, lazy and obtuse. It was considered that although George was expected to follow a career in the navy, it would be unwise to separate him from his brother as he was considered a good influence upon him. Accordingly, both boys joined the cadet training ship
HMS ''Britannia'' in September 1877. Dalton accompanied the boys, sharing a cabin with them while continuing to act as their guardian, and acted as chaplain to the ship. Despite Dalton's presence, the princes (Eddy nicknamed 'Herring' and George 'Sprat') were bullied by other cadets keen to have a go at accessible royalty. One cadet,
Hugh Thomas was approved of by Dalton and began a friendship with the princes which continued for some years.
In 1879 training on ''Britannia'' came to end. It was again proposed that Eddy should attend a public school, but Dalton recommended the brothers should remain together. Instead it was arranged that both princes and Dalton should sail on with a crew carefully selected to be a good influence on the boys. The captain, Lord Charles Scott, was a son of the Duke of Buccleuch, while his nephew the future 7th Duke was part of the crew. Other crew were also chosen for their royal connections, as in the case of Hugh Evan-Thomas (surname now officially changed by his father) who was posted to the same watch as the princes. Dalton saw it as his responsibility, despite royal instructions that the princes should be treated 'just like other ordinary midshipmen', to restrict their contact with other members of the crew, shifting away anyone who became too friendly.
The tour ended in August 1882, when Dalton and his charges returned with the ship to England. He took with him numerous mementoes of the tour, including the sailor who had been assigned as his servant during the voyage, who continued to work for him ashore for the next 50 years. He also obtained an introduction to Evan-Thomas' sister Catherine, who shortly afterwards agreed to marry him despite being considerably younger. Prince George returned to the navy, but Eddy remained a low achiever and continued a further year intensive tutoring with Dalton in preparation for attending the University of Cambridge.
Dalton married Catherine Evan-Thomas on 16 January 1886.
A. C. Benson
Arthur Christopher Benson, (24 April 1862 – 17 June 1925) was an English essayist, poet and academic, and the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He wrote the lyrics of Edward Elgar’s '' Coronation Ode'', including the words of th ...
, whom he had met when Benson became friendly with Eddy at university, was his best man. Benson wrote in his diary "Dalton showed me much fatherly kindness". Dalton described the homosexual Benson as "an object of adoration". Their first son
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, later to enter politics and become Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Hugh Dalton, was born at home in
Neath
Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...
, Glamorgan, August 1887. Hugh Evan-Thomas and Prince Edward were his godparents. Their second child, Alexandra Mary, was born in 1891, but in accord with Dalton's wish to have had a second son who he could have named after Prince George, was nicknamed 'Georgie'.
In 1892 Prince George briefly assumed command of during her commissioning and trials. Dalton was invited on board as George's guest.
Dalton became
Curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...
of
Sandringham Sandringham can refer to:
Places
* Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia
* Sandringham, Queensland, Australia
* Sandringham, Victoria, Australia
**Sandringham railway line
**Sandringham railway station
**Electoral district of Sandringham
* Sand ...
and a
Canon of St. George's Chapel, Windsor. He was also Chaplain-in-ordinary and Deputy Clerk of the Closet to Queen Victoria and then Edward VII, Chaplain to Prince George as Duke of York and Prince of Wales.
He was invested as a Companion,
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III.
...
(CMG) in 1881 and Knight Commander,
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...
(KCVO) in 1911.
In 1920 he was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
of Laws (LLD) by the
University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, ...
.
Publications
Dalton was an
antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
and
liturgical scholar
A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...
. He published various books including:
* ''Sermons to Naval Cadets'', 1879, produced while acting as naval chaplain accompanying the Royal Princes, Albert and George
* ''The Cruise of Her Majesty’s Ship “Bacchante” 1879-1882'', MacMillan and Co., 1886 (as Contributor)
* ''The
Collegiate Church of
Ottery S. Mary'', Cambridge Univ. Press, 1917, xxIv + 310 pp., 27 illust.
* ''The
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
: An edition containing proposals and suggestions compiled by John Neale Dalton'', Canon of Windsor, (
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
, 1920)
John Dalton – Divinity – Cycle of Life Exhibit
at www.cycle-of-life.net
Family
In 1886, Dalton married Catherine ("Kitty") Alicia Evan Thomas of Neath
Neath (; cy, Castell-nedd) is a market town and Community (Wales), community situated in the Neath Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot County Borough, Wales. The town had a population of 50,658 in 2011. The community of the parish of Neath had a po ...
; their son was Hugh Dalton
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton, (16 August 1887 – 13 February 1962) was a British Labour Party economist and politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947. He shaped Labour Party foreign policy in the 1 ...
, later a prominent politician.
Dalton's brothers were:
* Rev. William Edward Dalton (1841–1928), Vicar of Glynde
Glynde is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is located two miles (5 km) east of Lewes.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton ...
, Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
* Sir Cornelius Neale Dalton
Cornelius Neale Dalton (24 September 1842, Walthamstow – 19 October 1920, Hampstead) was a British barrister, civil servant, and author.
After education at Blackheath Proprietary School, Cornelius Neale Dalton matriculated in October 1861 at ...
(1842–1920), Comptroller-General of the UK Intellectual Property Office
The Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom (often referred to as the UK IPO) is, since 2 April 2007, the operating name of The Patent Office. It is the official government body responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK ...
Dalton was godfather to the surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
Sir Alfred Downing Fripp.
Neale
Dalton was descended from the Neale family, from whom strong family naming is evident:
* James Neale, b. ~1760
** Hannah Mae Neale, his daughter, b. 1784 who married John Dalton
** his sons:
*** Benjamin Neale, b. 1786
*** Samuel Neale, b. 1788
*** Cornelius Neale, b. 1789
**** John Mason Neale
John Mason Neale (24 January 1818 – 6 August 1866) was an English Anglican priest, scholar and hymnwriter. He worked and wrote on a wide range of holy Christian texts, including obscure medieval hymns, both Western and Eastern. Among his most ...
, b. 1818, son of Cornelius
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, Canon John Neale
1839 births
1931 deaths
19th-century English Anglican priests
People from Margate
Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Canons of Windsor
Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge
Anglican liturgists