Thomas Dibdin (1771-1841), who wrote The Death of Nelson, was the son of Charles Dibdin, a song-writer and theatre manager. [Thomas] ran away to join a company of country players. From 1789 to 1795 he played all sorts of parts. He worked as a scene painter at Liverpool in 1791. And during this period he composed more than 1,000 songs.

He returned to London in 1795. From this time he contributed a very large number of comedies, operas, farces, et cetera, to the public entertainment. His last years were passed in comparative poverty. And at the time of his death he was preparing an edition of his father's sea songs, for which a small sum was allowed him weekly by the Lords of the Admiralty. Prabook

His father, Charles Dibdin (1745-1814) was an English composer, musician, dramatist, novelist, singer and actor. With over 600 songs to his name (a conservative estimate!), for many of which he wrote both the lyrics and the music and performed them himself. He was in his time the most prolific English singer-songwriter. He is best known as the composer of "Tom Bowling", one of his many sea songs, which often features at the Last Night of the Proms.

In 1803 he was induced by Pitt's government, with a pension of £200 a year (equivalent to £23,100 in 2023), to abandon provincial engagements to compose and sing 'War Songs' to keep up the ferment of popular feeling against France. He embarked on a project to construct the Royal Circus for mixed entertainments of various kinds. He is credited with coining the term "circus". Wikipedia