author
Richard Walter
d. 1785
Best known for the lively account of Commodore George Anson’s famous voyage around the world, this 18th-century naval chaplain helped turn a dangerous expedition into one of the era’s memorable travel books. His writing brings together seafaring hardship, curiosity, and a sharp eye for detail.
1 Audiobook
Anson's Voyage Round the World The Text Reduced
by Richard Walter
About the author
Richard Walter was a British Royal Navy chaplain, probably born around 1716, and is remembered chiefly as the author associated with A Voyage Round the World in the Years 1740–1744. He studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, was ordained, and later served aboard HMS Centurion during George Anson’s celebrated circumnavigation.
Published in 1748 under Anson’s direction, Walter’s account helped introduce a wide readership to the dangers, scale, and drama of long-distance naval travel in the 18th century. The book became the work for which he is still known, even though later scholars have noted that mathematician Benjamin Robins may also have had a hand in shaping the final text.
Walter later served as chaplain of Portsmouth Dockyard. He died on March 10, 1785, and was buried at Great Staughton in Huntingdonshire. I couldn’t confirm a suitable portrait image from reliable page images during this search, so no profile image is included.