Millican Dalton
Encyclopedia
Millican Dalton was a self-styled "Professor of Adventure".
Born on 20 April 1867 at Nenthead
, Alston
, Cumberland
, he spent his early life in the northwest of England before his family moved to Essex
. He became an insurance clerk in London, but at the age of 36, he gave up this existence and went to live under canvas, in a rough wooden shack, and in a cave (which he dubbed "The Cave Hotel"), from where he offered camping and adventure holidays. He spent his summers in the cave in Borrowdale
, moving south to the wooden shed in Buckinghamshire
during the colder months.
An alternative lifestyle
r long before the term was created, Dalton – vegetarian, pacifist and teetotaller – lived off his wits, surviving on a small income as a climbing guide.
Millican Dalton's cave, as it is locally known, is on the eastern flank of Castle Crag and consists of two inter-connected split-levelled caves formed by the slate quarrying process. This cave was inhabited for nigh-on fifty years by Dalton. To this day, Dalton's legacy can be seen in the upper chamber of the cave, where he carved his own epitaph into the wall above where he slept. It reads: "Don't Waste Worrds, Jump to Conclusions".
During the winter of 1946-47, Dalton's hut burned down, so he moved into a tent. This was too much for his 79-year-old frame, however, and he contracted pneumonia
, of which he died in Amersham
Hospital on 5 February 1947.
Born on 20 April 1867 at Nenthead
Nenthead
The small village of Nenthead in the county of Cumbria is one of England's highest villages, at 1,500 feet. It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages in Britain...
, Alston
Alston, Cumbria
Alston is a small town in Cumbria, England on the River South Tyne. It is one of the highest elevation towns in the country, at about 1,000 feet above sea level.-Geography:...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
, he spent his early life in the northwest of England before his family moved to Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He became an insurance clerk in London, but at the age of 36, he gave up this existence and went to live under canvas, in a rough wooden shack, and in a cave (which he dubbed "The Cave Hotel"), from where he offered camping and adventure holidays. He spent his summers in the cave in Borrowdale
Borrowdale
Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England.Borrowdale lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland, and is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale in order to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the...
, moving south to the wooden shed in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
during the colder months.
An alternative lifestyle
Alternative lifestyle
An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle generally perceived to be outside the cultural norm. Usually, but not always, it implies an affinity or identification within some matching subculture...
r long before the term was created, Dalton – vegetarian, pacifist and teetotaller – lived off his wits, surviving on a small income as a climbing guide.
Millican Dalton's cave, as it is locally known, is on the eastern flank of Castle Crag and consists of two inter-connected split-levelled caves formed by the slate quarrying process. This cave was inhabited for nigh-on fifty years by Dalton. To this day, Dalton's legacy can be seen in the upper chamber of the cave, where he carved his own epitaph into the wall above where he slept. It reads: "Don't Waste Worrds, Jump to Conclusions".
During the winter of 1946-47, Dalton's hut burned down, so he moved into a tent. This was too much for his 79-year-old frame, however, and he contracted pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, of which he died in Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
Hospital on 5 February 1947.