Isaac Weld JP FGSD MRIA (1774–1856) was an

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the State rel ...

topographical writer, explorer, and artist. He travelled extensively in North America was a member of the

Royal Dublin Society The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () 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 economically. It was long active as a learned ...

Early life

Weld was born on 15 March 1774 on

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

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

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. His book (''Mathe ...

, 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 British British Whig Party, Whig politician and statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centurie ...

. Weld's sister married the writer and political economist George Ensor, and their half-brother was Charles Richard Weld, 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 low ...

and from there to another private school Barbauld at Palgrave near the town of Diss in Norfolk. From Diss he proceeded to

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

as a private pupil of Dr William Enfield. He left Norwich in 1793. He married Alexandra Hope in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

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 Italians, Italian Neoclassical sculpture, Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was ins ...

Travels in the United States and Canada

In 1795 he sailed to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

from Dublin and spent 15 months travelling in the United States and Canada. He visited

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

and

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

and met

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. 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 returned 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 in the States of North America
' (1799) quickly went into three editions and was translated into French, German, Italian, and Dutch. Trevelling North America in 1804, the poet and lyracist

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

(whom Weld had preceded at Whyte's school in Dublin) was guided by Weld's ''Travels'', and took Weld's lead in his less than flattering estimate of his American hosts.

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

, 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 Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

. In May 1815 he sailed from

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...

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 Bray may refer to: Places France * Bray, Eure, in the Eure ''département'' * Bray, Saône-et-Loire, in the Saône-et-Loire ''département'' * Bray-Dunes, in the Nord ''département'' * Bray-en-Val, in the Loiret ''département'' * Bray-et-Lû ...

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606 in Ireland, 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces ...

, 4 August 1856, and is buried in

Mount Jerome Cemetery Mount Jerome Cemetery & Crematorium () is situated in Harold's Cross on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. Since its foundation in 1836, it has witnessed over 300,000 burials. Originally an exclusively Protestant cemetery, Roman Catholics have a ...

, Dublin.

The Welds of New England

Isaac Weld is part of the Weld family of

New England New England is a region consisting of 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 (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. His ancestor, Thomas Weld, was a

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

minister from

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, England who was one of three brothers who emigrated to

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...

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, Cambridge, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Colony of Massachusett ...

, the first book published in America. Eventually he returned to England and

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

. Isaac's great-grandfather (Nathaniel), was graduated at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. He left Massachusetts for

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

and then Blarney Castle,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, Ireland (1655) to be a Puritan Chaplain with

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. 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 head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

William Weld William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

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 kno ...

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''
* *
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 19th-century 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 Writers from County Dublin Writers from County Wicklow 18th-century Irish explorers 19th-century Irish explorers