Author: Elton, Charles Abraham
Biography:
ELTON, Charles Abraham (1778-1853: ODNB)
Poet, translator, and theologian, he was born on 31 Oct. 1778 at Bristol to the Rev. Sir Abraham Elton (d 1842) of Clevedon Court and his first wife Elizabeth (Durbin) Elton (d 1822). Both parents were from prominent mercantile families. He was the eldest of their three sons; their one daughter, Julia, married Henry Hallam the historian and was the mother of Arthur Hallam (q.v.). He attended Eton before becoming a commissioned officer in the 48th Regiment of Foot (he was later a colonel in the Somerset militia). On 27 Feb. 1804 (date is erroneously given as 29 Feb. in the parish register) he married Sarah Smith (1782-1830) at St. Michael's in Bristol; they had five sons and eight daughters. Their two eldest sons, Abraham and Charles, drowned at Weston-super-Mare on 20 Sept. 1819 and Elton’s “The Brothers, a Monody” laments their deaths. His translations of Greek and Latin verse, collected as Specimens of the Classic Poets, were critically acclaimed; Henry Hallam favourably reviewed the book in QR. He supported the Whigs in politics; knew and corresponded with other writers, including Charles Lamb and Robert Southey (qq.v.); and contributed to the London Magazine. He was the author of a harsh review in the Quarterly Review of the posthumous volume of verse by John Dawes Worgan (q.v.). Elton’s shifting religious views attracted controversy; he joined the Unitarians but later distanced himself from some of their beliefs. His wife’s death on 14 Mar. 1830 marked the end of his publishing career. He succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death on 23 Feb. 1842 and lived at Clevedon Court, Somerset. He died at Bath on 1 June 1853 and was buried in the family vault in the Clevedon church on 7 June. (ODNB 18 Nov 2018; ancestry.co.uk 28 Feb. 2025; QR 13 [1814], 151-58; GM [July 1853]. 88-89; contributions from JC) SR
Other Names:
- Charles A. Elton