PLEASE NOTE WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF RE-WRITING OUR SPEECHES SECTION, ADDING NEW ONES WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND AND REVISING OUR EXISTING PAGES. WE APOLOGISE IF LINKS TO SOME SPEECHES ARE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE.

The following are speeches Charles Dickens is known to have attended and where possible we have included the speech on our site if a transcript was recorded. Click on the links, where included, to find out more and read the transcript of the speech.

1840.

  • 2 December. Southwark. Short speech at a banquet held by the Southwark Literacy and Scientific Institution.

1841.

  • 25 June. Edinburgh. Public dinner given in honour of Dickens [read speech].

1842.

1843.

1844.

  • 26 February. Liverpool. Speech to the annual meeting of the Liverpool Mechanics’ Institution [read speech].
  • 28 February. Birmingham. Birmingham Polytechnic Institution [read speech].
  • 4 June. London. Charles Dickens chairs the annual fund-raising dinner of the Sanatorium medical institution, held at the London Tavern [read speech].

1846.

  • 6 April. London Tavern. General Theatrical Fund Association [read speech].

1847.

  • 1 December. Leeds. Speech as chair to the Leeds Mechanics’ Institution [read speech].
  • 28 December. Glasgow, City Hall. Glasgow Athenaeum [read speech].

1851.

  • 14 April. London. Sixth Annual Dinner of the General Theatrical Fund held at the London Tavern.
  • 10 May. London. Speech to the Metropolitan Sanitary Association on sanitary reform held at Gore House in Kensington [read speech].
  • 9 June. London. Eighth-anniversary dinner of the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution held at the London Coffee House.

1852.

  • 14 June. London. Speech on gardeners and gardening at the ninth-anniversary dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, held at the London Tavern [read speech].

1853.

  • 6 January. Birmingham. In the afternoon a private presentation made at the Birmingham Society of Artists‘ rooms in Temple Row where Dickens gives thanks the members with a short address [read speech]. In the evening an honourary public dinner is held for Dickens at the Royal Hotel [read speech].
  • 30 April. London: Royal Academy.
  • 1 May. London: Mansion House.
  • 30 December. Birmingham: Town Hall. Reading and speech on behalf of the Birmingham and Midland Institute [read speech].

1854.

  • 30 December. London. Charles Dickens gives a speech at the London Tavern to help raise funds for the Commercial Travellers’ School in London [read speech].

1855.

  • 27 June. London, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Charles Dickens was inited to speak at the third public meeting of the newly formed Administrative Reform Association [read speech].
  • 22 December. Sheffield, Mechanics’ Hall.

1856.

  • 12 March (Wednesday). London. Annual General Meeting of the Royal Literary Fund. Charles Dickens makes a speech, critical of the administrative costs of running the charity [read speech].

I say openly, and plainly, that this fund is pompously and unnaturally administered at great expense, instead of being quietly administered at small expense.

Charles Dickens, 12 March 1856 (speech to the annual general meeting of the Royal Literary Fund).
  • 5 June (Thursday). London. Charles Dickens presides at an annual dinner of the Royal Hospital for Incurables, held at the London Tavern, giving a short address.

1857.

  • 5 November. London, London Tavern. Fourth-anniversary dinner of the Warehousemen and Clerks’ Schools.

1858.

  • 9 February. London, Freemasons’ Hall. Anniversary Festival of the Hospital for Sick Children [read speech].
  • 26 March. Edinburgh, Music Hall. Philosophical Institution.
  • 29 March. London, Freemasons’ Tavern. Thirteenth anniversary festival of the General Theatrical Fund [read speech].
  • 29 April. London, St. Martin’s Hall. Charles Dickens gives a short speech before his first commercial reading.
  • 1 May. London, Royal Academy. Short speech at the banquet of the Royal Academy.
  • 8 May. London, Freemasons’ Tavern. Forty-eighth Anniversary of the establishment of the Artists’ Benevolent Fund.
  • 1 June. London, London Tavern. Charles Dickens presides at the first festival dinner of the Playground and General Recreation Society.
  • 21 July. London, Princess’s Theatre. Fund-raising event for the purpose of establishing a Royal Dramatic College.
  • 3 December. Manchester: Free-trade Hall. At the annual meeting of the Institutional Association of Lancashire and Cheshire, Charles Dickens gives a speech and presented prizes [read speech].
  • 4 December. Coventry. Castle Hotel. Speech given at a dinner to honour Dickens.

1859.

  • 22 December. Gives a speech to help raise funds for the Commercial Travellers’ School in London.

1860.

  • 8 March. Charles Dickens presides at the anniversary dinner of the Royal Society of Musicians, held in London’s Freemasons’ Hall. Gives a short speech.

1862.

  • 29 March. Dinner of the Artists’ General Benevolent Institution.
  • 20 May. London, Freemasons’ Tavern. Annual Festival of the Newsvendors’ and Provident Institution.

1864.

  • 6 April. Chairs and gives a speech at the annual dinner of the Printers’ Pension Society, held at the London Tavern [read speech].

The printer is the only product of civilisation necessary to the existence of free man.

Charles Dickens, 6 April 1864 (speech to annual dinner of the Printers’ Pension Society).
  • 12 April. London. Willis’s Rooms, King Street, St James’s. In support of free health care for the poor.
  • 11 May. London. Adelphi Theatre. Spoke at a public meeting for the purpose of founding Shakespeare Schools (in association with the Royal Dramatic College) [read speech].

1865.

  • 9 May. London. Speech at the Annual Festival of the Newsvendors’ Benevolent and Provident Association [read speech].
  • 20 May. London. Speech in aid of Newspaper Press Fund, held at the Freemasons’ Tavern [read speech].
  • 29 July. Knebworth. Short speech given at the home of Edward Bulwer-Lytton in support of the Guild of Literature and Art [read speech].

1866.

  • 14 February. London. Willis’s Rooms, King Street, St James’s. Speech at the annual dinner of the Dramatic, Equestrian, and Musical Sick Fund [read speech].
  • 28 March. Dickens gives a speech at the annual festival of the Royal General Theatrical Fund, held at London’s Freemasons’ Tavern [read speech].
  • 7 May. Dickens gives a speech to members of the Metropolitan Rowing Clubs dining together at the London Tavern.

1867.

  • 5 June. London. Willis’s Rooms, King Street, St James’s. In support of Ninth Anniversary Festival of the Railway Benevolent Society [read speech].
  • 2 November. London, Freemasons’ Tavern. Dinner held for Charles Dickens to celebrate his second visit to America.

1868.

  • 8 April. Boston.
  • 18 April. New York. Dickens was entertained at a farewell dinner at Delmonico’s Hotel.
  • 20 April. New York.

1869.

  • 10 April. Liverpool, St. George’s Hall. Honouring Dinner [read speech].
  • 30 August. Sydenham. International University Boat Race Dinner [read speech].
  • 27 September. Birmingham and Midland Institute [read speech].

1870.

  • 6 January. Birmingham. Charles Dickens presided at the distribution of prizes and certificates to the students of the Birmingham and Midland Institute. Dickens made short speeches before and after he had presented the awards [read speech].
  • 15 March. London. St James’s Hall, Piccadilly. Short speech following Dickens final public reading performance [read speech].
  • April, 30. London. Burlington House, Piccadilly. Speech at the annual banquet of the Royal Academy.