Charles Dibden

Born in 1745 and baptised in Holy Rood, Charles Dibden was a choirboy at Winchester Cathedral he then worked in a London music shop.

He wrote sea songs and was well known in Georgian England. His shanties were used as an aid to recruitment in the Napoleonic Wars. He is misquoted for saying that a sailor has a girl in every port. He wrote: ‘In every mess I find a friend, in every port a wife.’

In life he only sailed twice – both times to France to escape creditors. A plaque to his memory is outside Holy Rood. His best known song was ‘Tom Bowling’ which is often featured at The Last Night of the Proms.