John Taylor, of the Hebrew concordance, George Benson, the biblical critic, Caleb Rotheram, head of the Kendal academy, and Henry Winder, author of the ‘History of Knowledge.’
In 1723 (according to Evans's manuscript; Taylor, followed by other writers, gives 1719) Dixon removed to Bolton, Lancashire, as successor to Samuel Bourn (1648–1719) [q. v.] He still continued his academy, and educated several ministers; but took up, in addition, the medical profession, obtaining the degree of M.D. from Edinburgh. He is said to have attained considerable practice. Probably this accumulation of duties shortened his life. He died on 14 Aug. 1729, in his fiftieth year, and was buried in his meeting-house. A mural tablet erected to his memory in Bank Street Chapel, Bolton, by his son, R. Dixon, characterises him as ‘facile medicorum et theologorum princeps.’
Thomas Dixon (1721–1754), son of the above, was born 16 July 1721, and educated for the ministry in Dr. Rotheram's academy at Kendal, which he entered in 1738. His first settlement was at Thame, Oxfordshire, from 1743, on a salary of 25l. a year. On 13 May 1750 he became assistant to Dr. John Taylor at Norwich. Here, at Taylor's suggestion, he began a Greek concordance, on the plan of Taylor's Hebrew one, but the manuscript fragments of the work show that not much was done. He found it difficult to satisfy the demands of a fastidious congregation, and gladly accepted, in August 1752, a call to his father's old flock at Bolton. He was not ordained till 26 April 1753. With John Seddon of Manchester, then the only Socinian preacher in the district, he maintained a warm friendship, and is believed to have shared his views, though his publications are silent in regard to the person of our Lord. He died on 23 Feb. 1754, and was buried beside his father. Joshua Dobson of Cockey Moor preached his funeral sermon. His friend Seddon edited from his papers a posthumous tract, ‘The Sovereignty of the Divine Administration … a Rational Account of our Blessed Saviour's Temptation,’ &c., 2nd edition, 1766, 8vo. In 1810, William Turner of Newcastle had two quarto volumes, in shorthand, containing Dixon's notes on the New Testament. Dr. Charles Lloyd, in his anonymous ‘Particulars of the Life of a Dissenting Minister’ (1813), publishes (pp. 178–184) a long and curious letter, dated ‘Norwich, 28 Sept. 1751,’ addressed by Dixon to Leeson, travelling tutor to John Wilkes, and previously dissenting minister at Thame; from this Browne has extracted an account of the introduction of methodism into Norwich.
[Calamy's Account, 1713, p. 288; Calamy's Hist. Account of my own Life, 1830, ii. 192, 220; Monthly Repository, 1810, p. 326 (article by V. F., i.e. William Turner); Taylor's Hist. Octagon Chapel, Norwich, 1848, pp. 20, 40; Baker's Nonconformity in Bolton, 1854, pp. 43, 54, 106; Cat. Edinburgh Graduates (Bannatyne Club), 1858; Autobiog. of Dr. A. Carlyle, 1861, p. 94; Hew Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scotic. 1866, i. 340; James's Hist. Litig. Presb. Chapels, 1867, p. 654 (extract from Dr. Evans's manuscript, in Dr. Williams's Library); Browne's Hist. Congr. Norf. and Suff. 1877, p. 190; extracts from Whitehaven Trust-deeds, per Mr. H. Sands; from records of Presbyterian Fund, per Mr. W. D. Jeremy; and from the Winder manuscripts in library of Renshaw Street Chapel, Liverpool.]
DIXON, WILLIAM HENRY (1783–1854), clergyman and antiquary, son of the Rev. Henry Dixon, vicar of Wadworth in the deanery of Doncaster, was born at that place on 2 Nov. 1783. His mother was half-sister to the poet Mason, whose estates came into his possession, together with various interesting manuscripts by Mason and Gray, some of which are now preserved in the York Minster Library. Dixon attended the grammar schools of Worsborough and Houghton-le-Spring, and in 1801 matriculated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. In January 1805 he graduated B.A., proceeding M.A. in 1809, and in 1807 entered into orders. His first curacy was at Tickhill, and he successively held the benefices of Mappleton, Wistow, Cawood, Topcliffe, and Sutton-on-the-Forest. He became prebendary of Weighton in 1825, canon-residentiary of York in 1831, canon of Ripon in 1836, rector of Etton, and vicar of Bishopthorpe. He also acted as domestic chaplain to two archbishops of York. In all his offices he worthily did his duty, and endeared himself to his acquaintance. He had ample means, which he spent without stint, and he left memorials of his munificence in nearly all the parishes named.
He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries 31 May 1821. In 1839 he published two occasional sermons, and in 1848 wrote ‘Synodus Eboracensis; or a short account of the Convocation of the Province of York, with reference to the recent charge of Archdeacon Wilberforce,’ 8vo. For many years he worked assiduously in extending and shaping James Torre's manuscript annals of the members of the cathedral of York. On the death of Dixon at York in February 1854 the publication of his ‘Fasti’ was projected as a memorial of the author, and the manuscript was placed in the hands of the Rev. James Raine, who, after spending nearly ten years in
