Born at St Austell, Cornwall, on 15 June 1831, he was son of Thomas Tallack (1801–65) and his wife Hannah (1800–76), daughter of Samuel Bowden, members of the Society of Friends.
[1] In 1863 Tallack became secretary to the Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, exchanging this in 1866 for the same post in the Howard Association, which he held till 31 December 1901.
As an activist for penal reform, he visited not only the continent of Europe, but Egypt, Australia, Tasmania, Canada, and the United States.
[8] Tallack died at 61 Clapton Common on 25 September 1908, and was buried in the Friends' cemetery, Winchmore Hill, Middlesex.
[1] Tallack's religious writings and correspondence present a liberal type of evangelical religion, with broad sympathies.
[1] He married on 18 July 1867, at Stoke Newington, Augusta Mary (born 28 December 1844, died 21 January 1904), daughter of John Hallam Catlin.