William Dickson (solicitor)
William Dickson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1799-04-06 Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 1875-05-14 Alnwick, Northumberland, England |
| Occupation(s) | Solicitor, magistrate, banker, antiquarian |
| Known for | Editing the Pipe Rolls of Edward I; founding the Alnwick and County Bank; contributions to Northumberland history |
William Dickson (1799–1875) was a solicitor, magistrate, banker, and antiquarian based in Alnwick, Northumberland, England.
Biography
William Dickson entered the world on 6 April 1799 in Berwick-upon-Tweed as the eldest child of Patrick Dickson, a solicitor who owned estates at Whitecross and Spittal Hall. The Dickson lineage can be traced back to Patrick Dickson of Howlawrig, who served as secretary to Patrick Hume, 1st Earl of Marchmont and was William’s great-grandfather. Upon his father’s passing in 1813, William inherited the Whitecross estate.
Pursuing a career in law, he commenced an apprenticeship in 1816 under Robert Thorp, an Alnwick solicitor and Clerk of the Peace for Northumberland. By 1822, Dickson had become a partner in Thorp’s legal firm and married Thorp’s daughter Sarah three years later.
His initial public role came in 1831 when he was appointed clerk to the magistrates of Coquetdale Ward. By 1843, he succeeded his father-in-law as Clerk of the Peace for Northumberland. Throughout his professional life, he held numerous public positions including clerk to the County Rate Basis Committee and Pauper Lunatic Asylum Committee; chairman roles for the Alnwick Local Board of Health, Board of Guardians, and Gas Company; as well as serving as a Justice of the Peace for Berwickshire.
After the collapse of the Northumberland and Durham District Bank, Dickson established the Alnwick and County Bank, which became a prosperous financial institution pivotal to the region.
He also played a key role in financing and managing the Alnwick Corn Exchange, inaugurated in 1862.
William Dickson passed away on 14 May 1875 at his home located at 6 Bailiffgate, Alnwick—a residence he had occupied for half a century. At his death, he was recognized as a Fellow of the London Society of Antiquaries and was affiliated with several regional scholarly organizations. He spent summers at Underwood Cottage near Dunoon, Scotland, where he was involved with clubs including the Grampian Club and Glasgow Society of Field Naturalists.
William and Sarah Dickson were parents to five children who survived infancy:
- William Dickson (1826–1887), solicitor
- Patrick Thorp Dickson (1836–1920), soldier and solicitor
- Sarah Dickson (1837–1882), unmarried
- Grace Dickson, who married John Atkinson Wilson, solicitor from Alnwick
- Mary Anne Dickson, wife of Rev. George West of Horham Hall, Essex
Literary work
Dickson’s passion for antiquities emerged publicly in 1833 with his publication of a 104-page quarto entitled The Wards, Divisions, Parishes, and Townships of Northumberland, which provided detailed annual valuations and population figures from the 1831 census. This volume updated Graham’s county index (1817) and complemented Fryer’s Map Index (1822), offering clearer explanations regarding local spellings and geographical locations.
In 1836, he contributed translations and historical records concerning Northumberland to the Archaeologia Aeliana series. These included documentation on sheriff expenses during the 1715 Rebellion, chronicles from Alnwick Monastery, extracts from Hulne Abbey’s chartulary, and observations on St. Leonard’s Hospital in Alnwick.
In 1846, Dickson authored an illustrated Description of Alnwick Castle published by Davison. Although issued anonymously, attribution is confirmed through his signature found in a personal copy. The work contained engravings by Bewick and functioned as a guidebook for visitors.
Following Queen Victoria’s visit to Northumberland in 1850 to inaugurate the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick, Dickson produced an account detailing the event. In 1852, he presented Four Chapters from the History of Alnmouth at an Archaeological Institute meeting held in Newcastle; he later supplemented this with a rare fifth chapter focusing on Alnmouth Old Church.
Dickson is principally recognized for editing the Pipe Rolls of Edward I. Building upon Hodgson’s earlier publication covering Exchequer Rolls up to 1272, Dickson extended these records through Edward I’s twelfth regnal year. His edition initially appeared with translations in volume four of Archaeologia Aeliana; subsequent sections were reproduced lithographically without translations but included appendices and an index spanning 170 quarto pages.
His work also features within the "Proceedings" of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, where he delivered his presidential address during their 1857 meeting at Alnmouth. His papers include:
- Notices of a Chantry in the Parochial Chapelry of Alnwick, dedicated to the Virgin Mary (London, 1852)
- Notes on the Marsh Samphire
- On Rothbury and its Saxon Cross
- On a Roman Altar found at Gloster Hill, Warkworth
- Notes on Etal
- Notes to Correct Errors as to the Manors of Bamburgh and Blanchland
Additional contributions encompass a study on St. Leonard’s Hospital published in Archaeologia Aeliana (new series, vol. I) along with numerous historical annotations appearing periodically in regional newspapers.
Legacy
A pant, or water trough, located at the base of Pottergate in Alnwick stands as a tribute to Dickson, having been reconstructed in 1873 through his personal funding.