Cornelius Neale Dalton

Born in 1842, Cornelius Neale Dalton built a career in the British Army and later became known as a careful researcher and author. He wrote on a wide range of historical subjects, including The Real Captain Kidd, and his work shows a strong interest in biography, family history, and the close reading of original documents.

Dalton also served in royal circles: he was librarian at Windsor Castle and worked as an extra equerry to Queen Victoria. Those roles reflected the trust he earned as both an officer and a scholar, and they gave him unusual access to historical material.

He died in 1920. Though he is not widely read today, his books still attract readers interested in maritime history, genealogy, and the kind of archival detective work that brings overlooked corners of the past back into view.