Dallas, Robert Charles, 1754-1824

A Jamaican-born poet and novelist, Dallas's fictional works included Percival, or Nature Vindicated (1801), Aubrey (1804), The Morelands. Tales Illustrative of the Simple and Surprising (1805), The Knights: Tales Illustrative of the Marvellous (1808), and Sir Francis Darrell; Or the Vortex (1820). He also published a volume of poems, two dramas, and some polemical works. He had a connection for some years with Byron, and his Recollections of the Life of Lord Byron from the year 1808 to the end of 1814 (1825) was published posthumously.

Dacre, Charlotte, 1782?-1825

English author of Gothic novels and part of the della Cruscan movement in poetry writing under the pseudonym "Rosa Matilda." Dacre's romance and gothic novels often featured unconventional female characters who displayed violence, ambition, and sexual desire. Her fictional works include The Confessions of the Nun of St Omer (1805), Zofloya; or, The Moor (1806), The Libertine (1807), and The Passions (1811). She also published the poetry volumes Hours of Solitude (1805) and George the Fourth (1822).

Cumberland, Richard, 1732-1811

Though far more known as a playwright, Cumberland did author an occasional novel, including Arundel (1789) and Henry (1795). Two of his early plays are among his best: The Brothers, which debuted in 1769, and The West Indian, first staged in 1771. Other plays of his include The Jew (1794), First Love (1795), and The Wheel of Fortune (1795). Cumberland’s Memoirs were published in 1806 and 1807.