The Listeners

Mark Emery is also a keen local historian and writer. He has just completed a modest piece of research which proves that Lord Byron, the infamous poet and bohemian, once stayed at The Dolphin Inn at Littlehampton in West Sussex.

Lord Byron and The Dolphin Inn Littlehampton gives detailed information concerning how Byron came to be in Littlehampton in the summer of 1806 and lists letters and documents that place him in the town and staying at The Dolphin Inn.

Lord Byron and The Dolphin Inn Littlehampton

Introduction

There is more than meets the eye to The Dolphin pub in the centre of Littlehampton. The board outside will inform the reader that Lord Byron, the infamous English poet, once described as “Mad, bad and dangerous to know” by his lover Lady Caroline Lamb, is reputed to have stayed there.

One day, walking through Littlehampton town centre and being of a curious nature, I ventured in to ask Ellie Boiling, landlady of The Dolphin, about this claim. On the question of Lord Byron having once stayed at The Dolphin, there was at the time of my initial visit, no conclusive evidence, just a brief mention in Littlehampton In Old Photographs by Iris Jones and Daphne Stanford.

A little research though has uncovered a wealth of detail, which when put together confirms that Lord George Gordon Byron, stayed at The Dolphin Inn Littlehampton in the summer of 1806. There are published letters written by Byron that confirm the date and location of Littlehampton. There is also an unpublished manuscript, written by Henry Long, who knew Byron personally and who met him during his Littlehampton holiday. This manuscript now held at the New York Public Library and used by Leslie Marchand in his three-volume biography of Byron, records The Dolphin Inn as Byron’s choice of accommodation, in preference to the Beach House Hotel, which used to stand close to Littlehampton seafront.

Mark Emery ~ 26th of August 2006 ~

Littlehampton: A Haunted History

Mark is currently researching for a book which will examine tales of local hauntings and peoples experiences of them. The paranormal dimension will be combined in equal measure with well researched and detailed historical information. If you have any interesting stories of hauntings situated in Littlehampton in West Sussex or the surrounding villages of Angmering, Rustington, East Preston, Clymping and Ford, please get in touch with Mark through the contact page of this website.

© The Listeners 2007