Complex sentence: Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789--1864), English liberal critic and writer on literature, served for many years in the Navy Pay-Office, on retiring from which he devoted himself to literary pursuits.
Split into simpler sentences: Charles Wentworth Dilke (1789--1864) was an English libera critic and writer on literature. He served for many years in the Navy Pay-Office, on retiring from which he devoted himself to literary pursuits.