When Dickens Came to Swansea: Tennyson, Family Ties, and a 1911 Lecture

Tennyson’s Welsh Tour

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Although there are no surviving records confirming that Alfred, Lord Tennyson ever visited Swansea, it is known that he undertook a tour of Wales in 1839, exploring several regions celebrated for their natural beauty and literary associations.

Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson Dickens in Swansea

Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson Dickens

A more direct link between Tennyson and Swansea came later through Alfred D’Orsay Tennyson Dickens, the youngest son of Charles Dickens, who was named in honour of the poet.

South Wales Daily Post

In 1911, Alfred Dickens visited Swansea to deliver a lecture entitled “My Father’s Life and Works.” The event was held at Mount Pleasant Chapel, and advertisements appeared in both the Cambria Daily Leader and the South Wales Daily Post.

York Place Baptist Chapel, Swansea.

Proceeds from the evening were donated to the York Place Baptist Chapel, Swansea.

Final Tour and Sudden Death

Only a year later, in 1912, Alfred Dickens died while touring America as a guest of honour during the Dickens Centennial celebrations. He was taken ill at noon while walking through the lobby of the Astor Hotel, New York City, and retired to his suite to rest. After dictating a letter to one of his daughters in Australia, explaining that his sudden illness had forced him to cancel a speaking engagement, he passed away at 5:15 p.m., reportedly from acute indigestion after only a few hours’ illness.

Alfred Dickens Trinity Church Cemetery, Manhattan

Burial and Legacy

He was buried on 14 April 1912 in Trinity Church Cemetery, Manhattan, in a plot donated by the Trinity Corporation after his sister, Kate Perugini, was contacted in London regarding funeral arrangements. Initially, it had been thought that his body would be returned to England for burial. The funeral was attended by members of the American Dickens League, the Dickens Centenary Committee, and other admirers. It was not until 1935 that a permanent headstone was erected to mark his grave.