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Henry was born on 29 March 1824, the oldest child and only son of Captain William Dixon, Royal Artillery and the Noble Signorina Cecilia Pierina Gironci, of Corfu, in Naples.
He was appointed (i.e.enrolled) at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, on Aug. 19, 1839, aged 15, all set to become an artilleryman like his father. He was examined on Sept. 3, 1840, but failed, and discharged on Sept. 22, 1840. This was a blow, but the young candidate's uncle, the Rev. Henry Dixon of Ferring, recommended him to the East India Company, where he was sponsored by Martin Tucker Smith, one of the company's directors. The only way you could become an ensign in John Company's Army was to be nominated by a director. Each director had the privilege of nominating two officers and one surgeon per year. Young Henry was examined and passed for officer service (in other words, when a suitable vacancy occurred) on May 24, 1842. His certificate number was 268 and he was assigned to the Madras Infantry. |
On May 25, 1842 he left London on the "General Kyd", a ship under the command of Capt. Onslow, finally clearing London on June 2. On June 11 he was officially confirmed as an ensign and on June 29, 1842 was ranked as part of the Number 5 batch of intakes. He arrived in Madras on Oct. 4, 1842, and on Oct. 5 became an ensign within his regiment, the 22nd Regiment Native Infantry, Madras, East India Company, based at Berhampoor and Rassel Kondah, under the command of Richard H. Yates.
On February 12, 1846 Henry became a lieutenant within the same regiment, based in Tenasserim Province, under the command of Col. James Bell. In 1849 he was placed at the disposal of the Bengal government and appointed commandant of the Khoordah and Balasore Paik Company (a paik was a low-caste Central Provinces Indian foot soldier). Later that year he married Catherine Eliza Cheek. |
| Cecilia Maria | Born 15 Sep 1850 | Balasore India | |||
| Frederick | Born 15 Jan 1853 | Cuttack, India | |||
| Anne Ida | Born 30 Sep 1854 | Cuttack, India | |||
| Adelaide Mary | Born 15 Aug 1856 | Cuttack, India | |||
| Henry William Mosley | Born 9 Aug 1858 | Cuttack, India | |||
| Catherine May | Born 13 May 1861 | Sydenham, Kent | Married William Dusautoy Drakeford | ||
| George Smith | Born 16 Feb 1863 | Bangalore, India | Married Minnie Augusta Drake | ||
| Alfred Joseph | Born 1 Jul 1866 | Bangalore, India |
| Henry Dixon |
b: 29 Mar 1824 Naples son of Captain William Dixon and the Noble Signorina Cecilia Pierina Gironci |
| Catherine Eliza Cheek |
b: 29 Sep 1823 c: 4 Dec 1823 Fort William, Calcutta, India daughter of Dr. George Nicholas Cheek and Catherine Earle, Bankur |
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29 Nov 1849 Lt. Henry Dixon Catherine Eliza Cheek |
Burdwan, Bengal, India of Bankura, 22nd Madras Native Infantry of Bankura, The marriage was performed by John James Weitbrecht, the Church Missionary Society's missionary in Burdwan. Wit: Alexander Wood Russell; C.H. Garstin of the Civil Service; and John Mareley Gilbert Cheek, brother of the bride |
| Cecilia Maria Dixon |
b: 15 Sep 1850 Balasore, India daughter of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 31 Oct 1878, Peckham |
| Frederick Dixon |
b: 15 Jan 1853 Cuttack, West Bengal, India son of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 21 Jul 1869, Sydenham |
| Anne Ida Dixon |
b: 30 Sep 1854 c: 21 Jan 1855 Cuttack, West Bengal, India daughter of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 23 Sep 1890, Chelsea |
| Adelaide Mary Dixon |
b: 15 Aug 1856 Cuttack, West Bengal, India daughter of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 9 Sep 1881, Italy |
| Henry William Mosley Dixon |
b: 9 Aug 1858 Cuttack, West Bengal, India son of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 7 Jan 1865, Bangalore, India |
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From February 1854 to March 1855 he was at Mhow with his paiks, as part of the Hyderabad Sub. Force of the 22MNI, still under the command of Col. Bell. On March 30, 1855 Henry was appointed Assistant Executive Engineer with the 2nd Circle of the Department of Public Works, Bengal, Lower Provinces, working with the Cuttack Road Division at Bhubaneshwar, in the province of Orissa.
On November 23, 1856 he was promoted to captain, still with the 22MNI, and still under Col. Bell (who was based at Penang, as Commander of the Pegu Division). In addition to his soldiering duties, Henry was very involved in the relatively new art form of photography. His |
shots of temples and caves were exhibited, to critical acclaim, at the Bengal Photographic Society meetings of Jan. 19 and March 24, 1859. His photos were also shown at the Madras Exhibition that year.
By 1860 he was back in England, wrapping up his late father's estate and moving into 8 Park End, Sydenham, Kent, with his wife and children and his manservant Shaik Sillar, and the childrens' ayah, Manoo Bee. On April 29, 1861 his sensitized photographic plate was patented in London. He had been working on this with inventor Thomas Sutton, at Kings College, London. At the London Exhibition of 1862 twenty of his temple photographs were shown. |
| 1861 Census | RG9-416 | 8 April 1861 | Sydenham, Lewisham, London | ||
| 8 Park End | |||||
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Henry Dixon Catherine E. (Wife) Catherine M. Frederic Anne Ida Adelaide M. Henry W. M. Plus 4 Servants |
Age 37 Age 37 Age 10 Age 8 Age 6 Age 4 Age 2 |
Capt. HM East Indian Service Scholar Scholar Scholar Scholar |
Naples E. I. Bancoorah E. I. Balason E. I. Cuttack E. I. Cuttack E. I. Cuttack E. I. Cuttack |
British Subject British Subject British Subject British Subject British Subject British Subject British Subject |
29 Mar 1824 29 Sep 1823 15 Sep 1850 15 Jan 1853 30 Sep 1854 15 Aug 1856 9 Aug 1858 |
| Catherine May Dixon |
b: 13 May 1861 Sydenham, Kent 1861 2Q Lewisham 1d 733 daughter of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek, 8 Park End Died 4 Feb 1942, |
| George Smith Dixon |
b: 16 Feb 1863 Bangalore, E. Indies son of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 8 Mar 1947, Bude, Cornwall |
| Alfred Joseph Dixon |
b: 1 Jul 1866 Bangalore, E. Indies son of Henry Dixon and Catherine Eliza Cheek Died 10 Mar 1869, Sydenham |
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He was back in Bangalore in 1862, promoted to acting major, HM Indian Army, Madras Establishment. After the Mutiny, in 1858, it had become painfully obvious that John Company could not handle an uprising of that scale, so it ceded its power to the British government, and the four-year dismemberment of the East India Company began. The period 1859-61 saw Company officers being offered a choice - either resign now with no pension, or re-enlist in Her Majesty's Army (i.e. the British Army). Henry re-enlisted.
In 1865 he produced a portfolio of views of Mysore copper inscriptions, which had been commissioned by the Mysore government. One of the patrons of this work was His |
Highness the Maharajah of Mysore [curiously, and to illustrate what a small world it is, the great grandson of that Maharajah of Mysore was the best man at the 1981 wedding in Chelsea, London, of the great great great grand nephew of Col. Henry Dixon].
On Sept. 12, 1866 Henry was promoted to major, and in 1867 his photographic work was shown at the Paris Exhibition. That year Catherine Eliza and the family returned to England, and set up at Warwick House, in Sydenham Park, Kent. Henry followed in early 1869, having stayed behind in Madras to oversee the publication of his album of 10 photos of temples at Conjeevaram. |
| 1871 Census | RG10-770 | 3 April 1871 | Sydenham, Lewisham, London | ||
| Warwick House | |||||
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Henry Dixon Catherine E. (Wife) Cecilia M. Anne I. Adelaide M. Catherine M. George S. Plus 2 Servants |
Age 47 Age 47 Age 20 Age 16 Age 14 Age 9 Age 8 |
Lt. Col. HM Indian Army |
Naples Banceoiah Balason Cuttack Cuttack Sydenham Bangdlore |
British Subject E. Indies E. Indies E. Indies E. Indies Kent E. Indies |
29 Mar 1824 29 Sep 1823 15 Sep 1850 30 Sep 1854 15 Aug 1856 13 May 1861 16 Feb 1863 |
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In 1870, by now a lieutenant-colonel, he inherited his uncle Henry's estate. He retired on April 18, 1872. By 1875 he was living at 10 Peak Hill Avenue, Sydenham, and by 1878 at 19 Lyndhurst Road, Peckham (now called Lyndhurst Way). Catherine Eliza died in Jan. 1881, and Henry took the family to Italy on vacation. Unfortunately Adelaide Mary died there, on the road to Lucca, and Henry brought the remaining family back to England immediately. Late that year they (Col. Henry, Anne Ida, May and George Smith) moved to 4 Brooklyn Road, Shepherds Bush.
Henry drew up his will on Jan. 28, 1882 and died in 1883. |
He left his photographic equipment to his son, as he did the Square Bible (1612) [which is now in the possession of the same great great great grand nephew, in North Carolina].
The children sold 4 Brooklyn Road to Francis Sayles, a dentist. The house became 89 Lime Grove, and it was bombed during World War II, and a small block of flats took its place. The India Office have hundreds of Col. Henry Dixon's photographs, and displays of them often take place in various places throughout the world. |
| Catherine Eliza (Cheek) Dixon |
Died 31 Jan 1881, Age 57, at 19 Lyndhurst Gardens, Peckham, London 1881 1Q Camberwell 1d 481 |
| On the 31st Jan., at 19 Lindhurst-road, Peckham, after an illness of only five days, Catherine Eliza, the dearly beloved wife of Colonel Henry Dixon, late of the Madras Army, aged 57. |
| 1881 Census | RG11-675 | 4 April 1881 | Camberwell, Surrey | ||
| 19 Lyndhurst Road | |||||
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Henry Dixon (Widower) Anne Ida Adelaide Mary Catherine May George Smith Plus 1 Servants |
Age 57 Age 26 Age 24 Age 19 Age 18 |
Colonel Retired Indian Army |
Naples Cuttack Cuttack Sydenham Bangdlore |
India India India Kent India |
29 Mar 1824 30 Sep 1854 15 Aug 1856 13 May 1861 16 Feb 1863 |
| Henry Dixon |
Died 16 Mar 1883, at 4 Brooklyn Road, Shepherds Bush, London |
The Times, Tuesday, Mar 20, 1883 DEATHS
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MIDDLESEX 27 Jun 1883 Probate
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