Dora Annie Dickens, infant

Dora Annie Dickens was the infant daughter of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. She was the ninth of their ten children, and the youngest of their three daughters.

Dora Dickens was named after the character Dora Spenlow, the child-bride of David Copperfield in Dickens's 1850 novel David Copperfield. According to Dickens's oldest daughter Mary, on the day of Dora's unexpected death on April 14 1851, her father had spent much of his time "playing with the children and carrying little Dora about the house and garden" of their Devonshire Terrace home. Dickens then got changed and went to the London Tavern for an annual dinner at which he was to give a speech. Shortly before Dickens spoke his friend John Forster was called out of the room by one of Dickens's servants, who came with the news that Dora had suddenly died after suffering 'convulsions'. Forster decided to keep the news from Dickens until after he had made his contribution to the meeting. Then, with the assistance of Mark Lemon, Forster told Dickens the sad news.