Bully Dawson was a notorious gambler from London, England, in the time of Charles II.
His character is summed up by Charles Lamb: "Bully Dawson kicked by half the town, and half the town kicked by Bully Dawson".
He appears in one of Joe Miller's Jests: Bully Dawson was overturned in a Hackney-Coach once, pretty near his Lodgings, and being got on his Legs again, he said, ’Twas the greatest Piece of Providence that ever befel him, for it had saved him the Trouble of bilking the Coachman.He is reputed to be the model for Captain Hackhum in Thomas Shadwell's The Squire of Alsatia.
2 as having "kicked" him in a public coffee house for being called "youngster",[2] and he is noted in The Newgate Calendar as having been robbed by Davy Morgan after having some success at the gaming table.
Morgan, observing Dawson had won a great deal of money, asked to speak to him outside where he proceeded to rob Dawson of 18 guineas at gun point before tying him up and making off.