The DIXON family-hay dealers, forage agents & army contractors

Edward Dixon was my great, great grandfather, born in 1828 in Leeds, his eldest daughter, Louisa, married John Harry Doughty in Beverley, Yorkshire, and together they had my grandfather, Stanley Doughty

However, researching these Dixons for some time now has revealed that the whole family were engaged in feeding & bedding down horses. Yes, that’s right, their business was the provision of foodstuffs and bedding straw for the horse, the animal in the 19^th Century that worked tirelessly for mankind, carrying his goods, pulling his carts & coaches, and gun carriages. The alternative was to walk. Even the early railways used horse traction. In the First World War Britain almost ran out of oats for its cavalry horses as the German blockade stopped imports from North America but at the same Germany had not stockpiled enough oats before declaring war.

Edward’s grandfather, was also Edward, born in Halton, a little village north of Leeds-his father was John, a butcher. I have yet to find Edward’s baptism, but the proof that his father was John, comes in the record of his second marriage to Mrs Pickles-he was a widower and she a widow. This is that record:-

1839: Marriage at the parish Church in the parish of Leeds, in the County of York

476: February 24, 1839, Edward Dixon, full age, widower, Haydealer, Vicars Croft, son of John Dixon, butcher, married Sarah Pickles, full age, widow, North Street, daughter of Thomas Snowden, Stuff paper, married in the Parish Church, by licence, by J. Clark, curate, witnessed by James Mattalion & Hannah Milius. Edward Dixon, signs his name, Sarah Pickles (mark)

It was also announced in the Leeds Mercury, which I found online at 19^th Century British Newspapers through my local library in Leeds.

The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, March 2, 1839; Issue 5486

MARRIED: On Sunday, at St John’s Church, in this town, by the Rev. W. F. Hook, vicar, Mr. Edward Dixon, hay-dealer, Freemarket, to Mrs. Sarah Pickles, shopkeeper, of Leylands, in this town.

So my great great grandfather Edward Dixon's grandfather was also a hay-dealer. The first piece of evidence I have that Edward was a haydealer comes in a Leeds Directory which I found at Leeds Central library, Local History Section. 

In this book, on page 50, there is this entry:-

DIXON Edw. Dealer in hay, York St.

When his children were baptised, between 1800 & 1817, Edward’s occupation is shown as labourer. At this time, Edward is living just outside Leeds in a small village called Halton, the children are baptised at nearby Whitkirk Parish Church. He marries his first wife Ann Kirby at Barwick in Elmet. Together I have found a few of their children’s baptisms but not all of them I am sure the last one being John, in 1817, in Whitkirk.

The eldest son, was George, born 13 February 1807, in Halton & baptised 12 April 1807, in Whitkirk St Mary.

So what did a hay-dealer do, well for an answer I found this newspaper article in the Leeds Mercury, where Edward’s eldest son George sued a farmer for non-supply of a hayrick.

YORKSHIRE SUMMER ASSIZES .

The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, July 29, 1837; Issue 5404.

BREACH of CONTRACT

Mr. Alexander (for George Dixon), said that his client, from the extensive nature of his contract for the army barracks, was in the habit of buying up hay in all directions. On the 28th February last, he was at Selby for that purpose and hearing that Mr. Brungate had a stack to sell he went to look at it. Mr. Brungate wanted £140 for the stack, the price Mr Dixon and he agreed on was £130, and the following entry of the contract was made by Mr. Dixon in his memorandum book, and signed by both parties: “28th February, 1837, George DIXON bought of Mr. Peter Brungate, one hay-stack, for the sum of £130 as witness my hand, George DIXON” He then gave it to Mr. Brungate, who also signed it. It was agreed that Mr. DIXON should pay for it before it was taken away; but the time of doing this was to depend on the circumstances.

So the hay dealer travelled extensively throughout his home area, buying up hay ricks from farmers who then delivered them to the hay dealer’s premises, and from there the dealer delivered them to customers. So the Dixon family had to be able to both figure and write, and understand contracts etc. They were also very much aware of the price of the hay when purchased and the variation in the price when it was sold-it may differ widely. That was the defence of Mr. Brungate in the case above, whose defence barrister at the trial suggested that between the two dates, that of sale and delivery, the price of hay fell, so George Dixon may well have found himself with a large quantity of hay he had bought at £130, but couldn’t sell to gain a profit as the price had fallen. At the hearing George’s barrister blamed the poor weather, making transport difficult, but Mr. Brungate’s barrister suggested the price had changed. The jury found for George Dixon, but only awarded him one shilling compensation.

The fact that George went to court over the matter shows that he could afford to do so.

So when did Edward DIXON commence his hay dealing and did he advertise his business? I looked for his occupation when his children were baptised, but each time that happened his occupation was a labourer. Certainly that directory entry in 1822 was a form of advertising-he may have done it earlier but I have yet to find any previous directories of Leeds that mentioned it. A Directory of Leeds Baines 1817 lists John Dixon as a butcher at 19 Old Shambles; house in Shipyard, but no mention of any Edward Dixon.

So in 1822, Edward was aged 41, but in 1826, he was 45, and by now his business premises was at 66, George Street, Leeds. Another Leeds Directory, by a William Parson, lists him there. This same directory lists John Dixon, a butcher, having his business at 10, Cheapside, where there was a row of butchers shops and his home at 3, Black Swan Yard. This yard was on the corner of Vicar lane and Lady Lane in the top of the below photograph, The Black Swan was a public house.

This is the frontpiece of that directory:

Edward Dixon’s first wife’s forename was Ann, but I am not sure of her surname. Marriage records prior to 1837 rarely mention the maiden name of a spouse. All I have to go on is the baptism of George Dixon, their first born son, burial records of Sarah Dixon & Ann herself.

A George Dixon was baptised at Whitkirk, St Mary on April 12, 1807-the record states, April 12 George son of Edward Dixon of Halton by Ann his wife born March 13^th. Whitkirk is the village next door to Halton. Sarah Dixon’s burial record is on a gravestone inscription at Leeds Parish Church.

It reads: Sarah, wife of W. R. Manners, daughter of E. and A. Dixon above, died 13th December 1830, aged 30.

Ann’s burial record on the same gravestone reads: Ann, wife of Edward Dixon, died 12th June, 1833, aged 60.

In the Dixon family, sons also become hay dealers, so in the directory of 1830, George’s business is mentioned along with that of Edward Dixon.Again the frontispiece of this directory which is a Xerox copy.

Dixon George, hay & straw dealer, 24a Bridge End, North; home, 14, Lee’s Yard, 30, Meadow Lane.

A photograph of the page in this directory shows both entries together.

,6 East Row, Free market, still exists today, but now swallowed up into the Leeds Market which was developed quite recently. Bridge End North, was near the River Aire, at the bottom of Briggate (literally Bridge Gate or Bridge Street-shows the Viking element of Yorkshire).   There was a cloth market on Leeds Bridge in the 18th Century before the market moved to a covered building. So this would have been the heart of the industry in Leeds, the place where cloth buyers from all over the country would come to buy cloth, bringing their carts & horses. Lees Yard was just south of this bridge, number 14 has long since been demolished but there are some photographs on the Leodis Website showing some of the property

http://www.leodis.net/searchResults.aspx?LOCID=9999&DECADE=0&YEAR=&KEYWORDS=Lee%27s%20Yard&KEYWORDS2=&KEYWORDS3=&ANDOR2=&ANDOR3=&RECSPAGE=5&VIEW=1&CURRPAGE

A Directory of 1839, shows George Dixon, Hay & Corn merchant, 40, Whitelock Street, Leeds which lay off the Leeds to Harrogate Turnpike Road, known as North Street. His father, Edward had his business in Vicar’s Croft still. In fact in 1839, this advertisement appeared in the Leeds Mercury:

The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, May 25, 1839; Issue 5500.On Tuesday next, the 28th of May, in front of the London Tavern, Vicar’s Croft, the property of Edward Dixon, Hay Dealer: FOUR GOOD DRAUGHT HORSES, and a handsome PONY, Four years old; Three Broad-wheeled Waggons, Patent Arms, nearly New; a large quantity of Horse Geering, Waggon Covers, Ropes and Ladders, Saddles, Bridles Grindstones, and Hay Spades,  JOHN HOLMES , Auctioneer. It would appear that Edward, who had recently married for the second time, was selling up.

The Census of 1841, stated that George was living at Squire Pastures, which you can see on this plan of New Leeds, drawn in 1827. The road on the left of the map shown as the Leeds to Harrogate Turnpike in 2014 is known as Chapeltown Road. 

An 1842, Leeds Directory, shows George to be a farmer & army contractor, 

Squire Pastures. So maybe by 1842, George was growing his own crops of grass & oats so he could honour his army contract. His father Edward was still a straw dealer, in Smithfield Street, Leeds. So sometime between 1837 & 1842, George had entered a contract to supply the army with forage-food stuffs for a horse, so oats, hay & straw. There had been army barracks in Leeds since 1825, a cavalry unit, so the horses needed food & bedding. The duties of the army contractor to a cavalry barracks I found in a court record, where a couple of such contractors were being tried for fraud at a barracks in York. The Prosecuting counsellor stated”

“It was the contractor’s duty to keep in barns and granaries at the barracks a fortnight’s supply of forage, and day by day one day’s ration was given out to each horse, with the exception of Saturday, when two day’s rations were given out. Each horse would have 10lbs oats, 12lb hay & 8lb straw per day. Each horse would have 3 feeds of 3 and half pound of oats a day.

THE ALLEGED CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE GOVERNMENT AT YORK .

The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Thursday, June 4, 1885; Issue 14713.

Three years later, in 1845, a Directory of Leeds made for J. Williams, published by Baines & Newsome, printed by Edward Baines, showed that George was still a farmer & army contractor in Squire Pastures, and Edward was still a straw dealer at 10, Smithfield Street.

In the Leeds Directory of 1847, George Dixon, army contractor, 62, Chapeltown Road. Edward Dixon is not recorded, so no doubt he has retired from the business as the 1851 Census showed him in Lawrence Yard, as a retired hay dealer. He died in 1854, and was buried in Leeds St Peter’s Graveyard.The graveyard & stones was removed in 1867 when a railway line was built right through it.

In 1851, there is a new Dixon family member involved in the business of being an army contractor. This is Edward Dixon, my great, great, great grandfather, first born son of George Dixon, who in 1841, aged 13, is living at Squire Pastures with his parents, but 18th February 1847, at Leeds Parish Church, Edward marries Eliza Jane Dufton.This is the marriage record:

1847 marriage at the Parish Church, Leeds, Yorkshire 292: February 18 1847: Edward DIXON, minor, Bachelor, Contractor, Chapeltown Road, son of George Dixon, Contractor, & Eliza Jane DUFTON, minor, of Richmond Terrace, daughter of George Dufton, Gentleman, were married by licence. Witnessed by Thomas Dufton & W. Rickard. Both Edward & Eliza signed record.

So in February 1847, Edward is helping out his father George. Both are described as contractors.   The record also shows that in 1847, Edward was living in Chapeltown Road, no doubt at 62, with his parents. The census of 1851, on 31st March, shows Edward & his wife Eliza, living at 3, Buslingthorpe Terrace, Buslingthorpe, described as a hay dealer.

I have deduced that Buslingthorpe Terrace, must have been close to the junction with Chapeltown Road & Barrack Road, so close to the Cavalry Barracks which Edward & his father supplied with straw & fodder. A map of the area from NLS, surveyed in 1847 & published in 1852,  shows Buslingthorpe Lane & the Cavalry Barracks. The end of Buslingthorpe Lane is close to the "H| in Chaplethorpe

An 1851 directory records Edward Dixon at 61, Chapeltown Road as a contractor, with George at 62, Chapeltown Road.

Edward & Eliza Dixon start off their married life living at her father’s house in Richmond Terrace, Leeds. The map below from NLS Maps, shows Richmond Hill.

The map below shows Richmond Terrace:

The baptism of their first daughter reveals this:

Born 16 January 1848, bp. 21 February 1848, daughter of Edward & Eliza Dixon, of Richmond Terrace, Leeds, Hay Dealer.

On the 18th February 1851, Mary Ann Dixon is baptised at St Peter’s Church

-see this record, which shows the occupation of Edward Dixon then.

Born 20th March 1850, Mary Anne, daughter of Edward & Elisa Jane Dixon, of Chapeltown Road, father’s occupation, contractor for stores, by S. Kettlewell, curate.

Edward & Eliza Dixon did not stay long at 3, Buslingthorpe Terrace, because on 31st October 1852, their daughter Louisa Dixon was baptised at Leeds St Peter’s. The baptism record states:

Born 8 February 1852, baptised 31 October 1852, Louisa, daughter of Edward & Eliza Dixon, of York, Army Contractor.

So between 08 February 1852 & 31 October 1852, Edward & Eliza move to York, but return to Leeds & the family for the baptism of little Louisa, my great, great grandmother. From then onwards, Edward Dixon is living in St Lawrence House in York. His father George continues to live in Leeds at 62 Chapeltown Road. It also shows that Edward was a contractor to the army in York, whether he was there in his own right as a contractor, or as an agent for his father I don’t yet know.

George Dixon’s other sons William born 1836 & George born 1839, both become army contractors.

According to The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, June 13, 1857; Issue 6650.

ARMY CONTRACTS-Mr. George Dixon, of Leeds, has contracted for the supply of hay, straw, corn and bread for the army for the whole of the districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

In order to do this, George must have employed his sons George & William as agents to find supplies of hay, straw, corn and bread.

William Dixon was married in 1855:-

 1855 marriage solemnized at Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

440: February 1 1855: William DIXON, 21, Bachelor, Contractor, Chapeltown Road, son of George DIXON, contractor & Elizabeth Ann GARNETT, 21, spinster, of Buslingthorpe Lane, daughter of Thomas GARNETT, Innkeeper were married by licence in presence of George Barber & Harriet Hopcroft-so William was a contractor like his brother Edward.

This is the record of marriage for George Dixon, born 1839:-

1861 Marriage at Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

228: March 7, 1861: George DIXON, 21, Bachelor, Agent, of Alma Villa, Leeds, son of George DIXON, Army Contractor & Mary Ann WIGGLESWORTH, 20,spinster, of Albert Street, daughter of Benjamin WIGGLESWORTH, tailor & draper, were married in Leeds parish church by licence witnessed by Joseph & Elizabeth Granger.

So George was an agent.

An example of how a hay dealer operated I found in another newspaper article, published by the Leeds Mercury, where George Dixon sues one of his suppliers.

YORKSHIRE SUMMER ASSIZES

The Leeds Mercury (Leeds, England), Saturday, July 29, 1837; Issue 5404.

BREACH of CONTRACT

DIXON v BRUNYATE:- Counsel for the plaintiff, Messrs Alexander and Baines; for the defendant, Messrs Starkie & Armstrong.

The plaintiff was Mr. George DIXON, of Leeds, an extensive hay-dealer, and contractor for hay with the barracks: the defendant was Mr. Peter Brungate, farmer, of East Haddlesey, near Selby. The declaration stated that the defendant had sold to the plaintiff a quantity of hay for £130, which was to be delivered within a reasonable time ; that the plaintiff had always been willing and ready to accept the same, and had requested the defendant to deliver it. The defendant pleaded first, that he did not promise and undertake as alleged by the plaintiff; secondly, there was no entry in writing signed by the parties; thirdly that from the time of making the supposed contract, in February, until the 12th April, the defendant had been already and  willing to deliver the hay, but the plaintiff had refused to accept the same, and had discharged and prevented the defendant from delivering it; fourthly the plaintiff had procured the defendant to enter the bargain by fraud and misrepresentation.

Mr. Alexander (for George Dixon), said that his client, from the extensive nature of his contract for the army barracks, was in the habit of buying up hay in all directions. On the 28th February last, he was at Selby for that purpose and hearing that Mr. Brungate had a stack to sell he went to look at it. Mr. Brungate wanted £140 for the stack, the price Mr Dixon and he agreed on was £130, and the following entry of the contract was made by Mr. Dixon in his memorandum book, and signed by both parties:- “28th February, 1837, George DIXON bought of Mr. Peter Brungate, one hay-stack, for the sum of £130 as witness my hand, George DIXON” He then gave it to Mr. Brungate, who also signed it. It was agreed that Mr. DIXON should pay for it before it was taken away; but the time of doing this was to depend on the circumstances. The weather was so unfavourable in March and April, that it was impossible to take it away before the 19th April, when the defendant said he had sold it. The plaintiff (DIXON), tendered the money, but although the hay was in the yard, he, BRUNGATE) would not let him have it. The action was therefore brought to recover the difference between the increased price of hay and the contract price.

Mr. STARKIE (for BRUNGATE), stated that the price of hay had fallen after the contract between BRUNGATE & DIXON had been made, and doubtless that was the real reason that Mr. DIXON had delayed fetching it, but when he found it was rising, and likely to rise still higher, he had begun to look after it. The real fact of the case was that the plaintiff (DIXON) had stipulated to pay for the hay the week after he had contracted to buy it. Mr. BRUNGATE naturally began to suspect that his customer had deceived him, and after waiting till the 12th April, sold it, but not as to make any advantage by violating his contract, but for exactly the same sum as DIXON had agreed to pay. What was said about the weather was a pretence; the true reason of the delay being doubtless the falling price in March.

There was further argument by Mr Alexander for DIXON mainly that at that no time was there any mention in the memorandum seen and signed by BRUNGATE as to when payment would be made. He also said the remembering precise words of a conversation of several months ago was always difficult to rely on. The jury found for DIXON with 1 shilling damages.

George Continued to live at 62, Chapeltown Road, Leeds.
Here is the entry for the 1861 Census:
George Dixon in 1861 census
Entry No. 171: Chapeltown Road,
George DIXON, Head, Married, 53, Contractor, born Leeds, Yoprkshire
Mary DIXON, Wife, Married, 52, born Leeds, Yorkshire.
Sarah Ann DIXON, Daughter, Unmarried, 30, born Leeds, Yorkshire
Emma DIXON, daughter, Unmarried, 20, born Leeds, Yorkshire
Mary DIXON, daughter, Unmarried, 16, born Leeds, Yorkshire
Emma BOLLAND, Servant, Unmarried, 18, House Servant, Born Wakefield, Yorkshire

He remained as an army contractor until his death in 1865. Even his gravestone photographed recently in Beckett Street Cemetery in Leeds shows him to be in life an army contractor

 George, William & Edward Dixon, continue as either contractors or army agents.  

William Dixon remained living in Leeds, continuing his father’s work, keeping the army contract in the family. The census records of 1871 & 1881, & 1891 show him to be an army contractor. Other evidence, from a local newspaper show that in 1884 he lost the contract which put him very much in debt, but he continued trading, until in 1887, he regained the contract, making him solvent once again. However he also went into partnership with his brother Edward who by 1888 had retired from hay dealing & army contract work and was looking for a new challenge. Together they entered the maltster business, but William quickly found himself in debt again.

Information for this in Leeds Mercury:

LEEDS BANKRUPTCY COURT

The Leeds Mercury Friday, October 17, 1890;

LEEDS BANKRUPTCY COURT

At the Leeds Bankruptcy Court yesterday, before his Honour Judge Gates, Q.C., an application was made for discharge of William DIXON, army contractor, of Leeds, and formerly carrying on business as a maltster, in partnership with his brother - Mr. Peckover appeared for the debtor, and Mr. Carr represented the opposing creditor, Mr. Edward DIXON, of Scarborough, the debtor's brother. Mr. Bowling stated that the receiving order was made on 4th March, 1889, on a creditor's petition. The proofs of debt submitted up to date amounted to £4, 791, and the assets had realised £153 0s 11d. A first and final dividend of £3 5-16d in the pound had been paid. The books had not been properly kept, and the debtor had traded when he knew himself to be insolvent. -Mr. Peckover stated, on behalf of the debtor, that it was true that in 1887 he had debts amounting to £1,900, but getting the army contracts, which he had lost in 1884, back at that time, he traded for two years in the hope of paying off his debts. Although the debtor was not justified in not trading when knowing himself to be insolvent, and in not keeping proper books, he would ask his Honour to believe that he had, in continuing to trade in the hope of paying off his debts, instead of filing his petition, adopted the more honourable course. He had no excuse to offer for his not keeping proper books beyond this, that it was not usual in his trade to keep books.-Mr. Bowling said he should state that the debtor had also lost £800 as a maltster, and that he had not sought protection from the Court, but was made bankrupt on a creditor's petition. Debtor said it had been the wish of his relatives that he should continue to trade, and that was his reason for doing so-His Honour thought that taking all the circumstances into consideration, the case would be met by suspending the discharge for eighteen months.

Between 1891 & 1901, William moves to Manchester, where he continues life as an Army supplies agent (details from census) and by 1911, he was retired and living on his profits in Salford, Manchester. 

His son Albert Edward Dixon, followed the family tradition of son’s following father’s occupation as he was an army agent in Leeds in 1891 according to census, and then followed his father to Manchester where he continued the work there.
Albert Edward married Florence Oldfield, known as "Florry" the daughter of James Oldfield & his wife Maria ANDERSON. She was from Cupar in Dundee Scotland, where she married James Oldfield in 1856-this newspaper article describes their marriage:
Dundee, Perth, and Cupar Advertiser - Friday 25 January 1856
MARRIAGES. On the 24th inst., in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, here, by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Brechin, Maria, eldest daughter of David Anderson, banker, Dundee, to James Oldfield, merchant, Halifax.

Below is the marriage record of Albert Edward DIXON & Florence Oldfield

1887 Marriage, solemnised at Parish of St Clement, Sheepscar, Leeds, Yorkshire.

No. 210: 30 April, 1887, Albert Edward DIXON, 21, Bachelor, Maltster, of Leopold Mount, son of William DIXON a Maltster & Florence OLDFIELD, 23, Spinster, of Musson Place, daughter of James OLDFIELD, a wool merchant, were married in presence of Albert Dixon & Fred Hunter Robinson.

William’s other son Christopher became an army contractor’s working and living in Newcastle upon Tyne. Maybe his work was to find and pay suppliers for his father & brother Albert. 20 years later, in 1911, his occupation is forage agent, living and working in Newcastle, but without further information I can’t say anything further about him except that the Dixon family were still being hay dealers & army contractors.

Edward Dixon moved from Leeds in 1852 to York & later around 1873 to Scarborough, where he retired & lived on his profits. He died in 1900 leaving £11,000, and a widow and several grieving children. He was buried in Scarborough Cemetery-more details of Edward after Leeds follow below.

John Readman 2014