Robert Dallam (born ca. 1602) was an English organ builder active in England and France. He was a member of the

Dallam family Dallam was the surname of a family of English organ builders, active in England and Brittany. The first known member of the family, Thomas Dallam, originated from Dallam in Lancashire. Thomas Dallam I The first Thomas Dallam (1575; after ...

of organ builders. Robert's father,

Thomas Dallam Thomas Dallam (bap. 1575, d. in or after 1630) was an English organ-builder and diarist.Christopher Kent, ‘Dallam, Thomas (bap. 1575, d. in or after 1630)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200accessed 26 Oct ...

, died about 1630. The first organ Robert made independently from his father may be the Milton Organ now at Tewkesbury Abbey which was commissioned around 1630 by

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. Although based in London, he worked on organs around the country in the 1630s including a new instrument for York Minster. Dallam and his family relocated to

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in 1643. During the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and

English Commonwealth The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

, when it was impossible to pursue a career as an organ builder in England, he worked on a number of commissions in Brittany including an instrument at Lanvellec. Dallam adapted to the French style of organ building which included stops not called for in English organs. In 1660, following the

restoration of the monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

, Robert Dallam and other members of his family returned to England, although his eldest son Thomas remained in France building organs. There was plenty of work in England replacing or repairing organs that had been damaged by Puritans, although the Dallam family faced competition from other organ builders. Robert and his sons Ralph and George built an organ for

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel, formally titled The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle, at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is a Royal peculiar, Royal Peculia ...

, which had been damaged during the civil war.The History of the English Organ
/ref> Robert died in 1665 while work was in progress on a new organ at

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

. Ralph completed the instrument. Robert was buried at Oxford with a Latin inscription on his gravestone. .

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dallam, Robert English blacksmiths Organ builders 1665 deaths Expatriates in France Expatriates from the Kingdom of England