Dora Annie Dickens

Dora Annie Dickens (16 August 1850 – 14 April 1851) was the infant daughter of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. She was the ninth of their ten children, and the youngest of their three daughters.

Life Born at 1 Devonshire Terrace, Dora Dickens was named after the character Dora Spenlow, the child-bride of David Copperfield in Charles' 1850 novel David Copperfield. According to her oldest sister, Mary, on 14 April 1851 her father spent much of his time "playing with the children and carrying little Dora about the house and garden" of their Devonshire Terrace home. He then changed and went to the London Tavern for an annual dinner, at which he was to give a speech. Shortly before he spoke, his friend John Forster was called out of the room by one of Charles' servants, who came with the news that Dora had suddenly died after convulsions. He kept this from Charles until the speech was done.

"Half an hour before Charles rose to speak I had been called out of the room by one of the servants from Devonshire-terrace to tell me his child Dora was suddenly dead. She had not been strong from her birth; but there was just at this time no cause for special fear, when unexpected convulsions came, and the frail little life passed away. My decision had to be formed at once; and I satisfied myself that it would be best to permit his part of the proceedings to close before the truth was told to him. But as he went on, after the sentences I have quoted, to speak of actors having to come from scenes of sickness, of suffering, aye, even of death itself, to play their parts before us, my part was very difficult."

Impact on parents

Charles returned home. Mary later recalled, "I remember what a change seemed to have come over my dear father's face when we saw him again ... how pale and sad it looked."

Burial Dora lies in Highgate Cemetery. Initially her coffin was placed in the catacombs whilst Charles sought a family plot. This took several years, for legal reasons. It was then found on a spot in view of London. The inscription reads "Dora Annie, the ninth child of Charles and Catherine Dickens, died 14th. April 1851, aged 8 months." On her own death in 1879, Catherine was buried with her. Charles and the other children were not.