Walley Chamberlain Oulton (1770?–1820?) was an Irish playwright, theatre historian and man of letters. Life Born in Dublin, he was educated there in a private school. While a schoolboy he achieved some reputation as a writer of farces and musical extravaganzas, and his dramatic essays were performed at the Dublin theatres in Smock Alley, Crow Street, Capel Street, and Fishamble Street. Most of these pieces were published. About 1786, Oulton left Dublin, still a youth, to try his fortunes in London. John Palmer, the lessee of the Royalty Theatre in Wellclose Square, accepted the offer of his services, and in 1787 he produced Oulton's ‘Hobson's Choice, or Thespis in Distress,’ a satire on contemporary theatrical enterprise. Its boldness annoyed the managers of the patent-houses, who were engaged in a fierce struggle with Palmer. Oulton then induced an acquaintance to offer in her name his next piece, ‘As it should be,’ to George Colman the younger of the Haymarket, where it was produced on 3 June 1789. The piece was published anonymously; but Colman discovered its author, and gave Oulton much encouragement. On 7 July 1792 he produced a short piece by Oulton, ‘All in Good Humour’ (London, 1792); there followed at the same house ‘Irish Tar,’ a musical piece, 24 August 1797; ‘The Sixty-third Letter,’ a musical farce, 28 July 1802; ‘The Sleep-walker, or which is the Lady?’ 15 June 1812; and ‘My Landlady's Gown,’ 10 August 1816. Meanwhile, at Covent Garden, Oulton secured the production of two similar pieces, ‘Perseverance,’ 2 June 1789, and ‘Botheration,’ on 2 May 1798. David Erskine Baker credited him with the choruses in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's Pizarro which was produced in 1799. In 1798 he provided two pantomimes, ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ and the ‘Two Apprentices,’ for the Birmingham theatre. His last connection with the stage was on 27 February 1817, when his farce ‘Frighten'd to Death’ was produced at Drury Lane. Works In 1784, there appeared the ‘Haunted Castle,’ the ‘Happy Disguise,’ and the ‘New Wonder;’ in 1785 the ‘Madhouse,’ ‘New Way to keep a Wife at Home,’ ‘Poor Maria,’ the ‘Recruiting Manager,’ and ‘Curiosity.’ The ‘Haunted Castle’ and the ‘Madhouse’ are said to have held the stage for some years. Oulton was acquainted with the work of August von Kotzebue on which Sheridan's play Pizarro was based, and produced in 1800 a volume called ‘The Beauties of Kotzebue.’ Between 2 January and 26