Wall tablet at Holy Rood Church, Southampton commemorating song writer Thomas Dibdin d. 1814
Location
Holy Rood Church, Southampton, England
Transcript
'To / CHARLES DIBDIN, / SON OF THOMAS DIBDIN / PARISH CLERK OF THIS CHURCH. / A NATIVE OF SOUTHAMPTON, POET, DRAMATIST AND COMPOSER. / AUTHOR OF TOM BOWLING, POOR JACK, AND OTHER SEA SONGS. / BORN 15TH MARCH 1745, DIED 25TH JULY 1814. / "THERE'S A SWEET LITTLE CHERUB THAT SITS UP ALOFT, / TO KEEP WATCH FOR THE LIFE OF POOR JACK." / ERECTED BY THE / SOUTHAMPTON LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, 1914.'
Details
Description: Black lettering in a cartouche. Oak leaves with acorns and roses are depicted above the lettering - both plants traditionally associated with Southampton.
Type: Wall tablet
Position: Exterior to right of entrance
Materials: Stone
Type: Wall tablet
Position: Exterior to right of entrance
Materials: Stone
People
Dibdin, Charles
Age: 69
Date of Death: 25/7/1814
Cause of Death: Unknown/None
Rank / Occupation: Poet; Composer
Organisation:
Age: 69
Date of Death: 25/7/1814
Cause of Death: Unknown/None
Rank / Occupation: Poet; Composer
Organisation:
Extra
Notes: Many of Dibdin's sea songs were adopted by the Royal Navy, and he was encouraged to write and perform them in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to bolster national pride during the wars with France. His 'Tom Bowling' comprises the 4th movement of Sir Henry Wood's "Fantasia on British Sea Songs", which has been a traditional part of the last night of the proms.