Isaac Weld JP FGSD MRIA (1774–1856) was an Anglo-Irish topographical writer, explorer, and artist. He was a member of the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) ( ga, Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath) is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economi ...

Early life

Weld was born on 15 March 1774 on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was n ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. His name stems from his great-grandfather Nathanael Weld's close friendship with

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the gre ...

, and as such both his grandfather and father were also named Isaac. His father was a close friend of

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...

. Weld's sister married George Ensor, and their half-brother was

Charles Richard Weld Charles Richard Weld (1813–1869) was an English writer, known as a historian of the Royal Society. Life Born at Windsor in August 1813, he was the son of Isaac Weld (d. 1824) of Dublin, by his second marriage of 1812, to Lucy, only daughter of ...

,Scientists
traveler and author of ''A Vacation Tour in the United States and Canada'' (London, 1855), which was dedicated to his brother, Isaac. He was sent to the school of Samuel Whyte at

Grafton Street Grafton Street () is one of the two principal shopping streets in Dublin city centre (the other being Henry Street). It runs from St Stephen's Green in the south (at the highest point of the street) to College Green in the north (the lowest ...

and from there to another private school Barbauld at Palgrave near the town of

Diss Diss or DISS may refer to: *Diss, Alberta, a place in Canada *Diss, Norfolk, a market town in England, United Kingdom **Diss railway station **Diss Rugby Club ** Diss Town F.C. *Diss grass, a Mediterranean grass *Diss (music), a song whose primary ...

in Norfolk. From Diss he proceeded to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

as a private pupil of Dr

William Enfield William Enfield (29 March 1741 – 3 November 1797) was a British Unitarian minister who published a bestselling book on elocution entitled ''The Speaker'' (1774). Life Enfield was born in Sudbury, Suffolk to William and Ann Enfield. In 1758, he ...

. He left Norwich in 1793. He married Alexandra Hope in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1802. He had a daughter Esther, named after his sister, born 7 January 1804. In later life, Weld spent much time in Italy and particularly Rome, where he developed a friendship with

Antonio Canova Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the c ...

Travels in the United States and Canada

In 1795 he sailed to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

from Dublin and spent two years travelling in the United States and Canada. He visited

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary plantation of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, who began designing Monticello after inheriting land from his father at age 26. Located just outside Charlottesville, V ...

and

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...

and met George Washington and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...

. He journeyed to the United States and Canada partly as an adventure and partly as research into suitable countries for the Irish to emigrate to: "any part of those territories might be looked forward to as an eligible and agreeable place of abode". He travelled on horseback, by coach and by canoe in Canada with local native guides. Weld eturned in 1797 "without entertaining the slightest wish to revisit it." He found the Americans to be obsessed with material things and preferred Canada. His published ''Travels'' (1799) quickly went into three editions and was translated into French, German, Italian, and Dutch.

Quotes from ''Travels Through the States of North America''

Weld wrote on slavery that "there will be an end to slavery in the United States… snegroes will not remain deaf to the inviting call of liberty forever." With regard to Americans in general, he stated, "civility cannot be purchased from them on any terms; they seem to think that it is incompatible with freedom". On Washington, DC, he wrote "If the affairs of the United States go on as rapidly as they have done, it will become the grand emporium of the West, and rival in magnitude and splendour the cities of the whole world."

Ireland

He visited

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross ...

, navigated the lakes in a boat he made from compressed brown paper, and published ''Scenery of Killarney'' (1807), illustrated with his own drawings. He is also well known for his drawings of American life and, in particular, the

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

. In May 1815 he sailed from

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...

to London in the steamboat Thames, the first such vessel to make the passage. He compiled the ''Statistical Survey of the County of Roscommon (1838)'' for the

, of which he was Honorary Secretary and Vice-President. He died at his home, Ravenswell, near Bray,

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered ...

, 4 August 1856, and is buried in

Mount Jerome Cemetery Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

, Dublin.

The Welds of New England

Isaac Weld is part of the Weld family of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

. His ancestor,

Thomas Weld Thomas Weld may refer to: * Thomas Welde (1594/5–1661), first minister of the First Church of Roxbury, Massachusetts * Thomas Weld (of Lulworth) (1750–1810), of Lulworth castle, Catholic philanthropist * Thomas Weld (cardinal) Thomas ...

, was a

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

minister from

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

, England who was one of three brothers who emigrated to

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city states that Roxbury ser ...

in 1632. Isaac Weld's great-great-grandfather Thomas Weld helped to publish the

Bay Psalm Book ''The Whole Booke of Psalmes Faithfully Translated into English Metre'', commonly called the Bay Psalm Book, is a metrical psalter first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was the first book printed in British North America. The psa ...

, the first book published in America. Eventually he returned to England and Gateshead. Isaac's great-grandfather (Nathaniel), was graduated at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

. He left Massachusetts for

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 ...

and then

Blarney Castle Blarney Castle ( ga, Caisleán na Blarnan) is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of t ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns ar ...

, Ireland (1655) to be a Puritan Chaplain with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

. He later moved to

. The family that stayed in America grew in wealth and influence and includes such notables as

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuse ...

William Weld William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conq ...

Isabel Weld Perkins Isabel Anderson (March 29, 1876 – November 3, 1948), , was a Boston heiress, author, and society hostess who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. Life Early life Born at 284 Marlborough Street in Boston's B ...

, and

Theodore Dwight Weld Theodore Dwight Weld (November 23, 1803 – February 3, 1895) was one of the architects of the American abolitionist movement during its formative years from 1830 to 1844, playing a role as writer, editor, speaker, and organizer. He is best known ...

Books written and published

* ''Weld's Travels'' * ''Travels Through the States of North America and the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada During the Years 1795, 1796 and 1797'' * ''Statistical Survey of the County of Roscommon', drawn up under the direction of the Dublin Society'' * ''Scenery of Killarney'' 1807 * ''Ravenswell Bray Co. Dublin, The Seat of Isaac Weld Esq. Sketches by Isaac Weld A.D. 1817'' Bray Picture

References

* Oxford Biography Index entry – Weld, Isaac (1774–1856), topographical writer * Memoir of the late Isaac Weld, J.P., M.R.I.A: One of the vice-presidents of the

External links

Works by Isaac Weld At Project GutenbergBiography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* , updated as
Extract from Weld's ''Travels'', Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University

Google Travels through the states of North America, and the provinces of Upper and ...

Google Statistical Survey of the County of Roscommon

Visitors to Monticello Bibliovault
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weld, Isaac 1774 births 1856 deaths Irish writers 19th-century travel writers Irish travel writers Irish explorers of North America Explorers of Canada Explorers of the United States Irish topographers Burials at Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium People from Harold's Cross People from Bray, County Wicklow