Children of George and Barbary Dixon

George Dixon, Steward and Butler of Raby, finding the Lord of the Castle more devoted to the worship of Bacchus than was beneficial, when the occasion arose, declined civilly, yet firmly to send more wine to the dining hall. It is recorded the Master of Raby was occasionally wrath, but had failed previously to thank the faithful Steward on the following morning. On another occasion the Butler declined to let the Cook have some special wine for some sauce or pudding, and when asked by his Master if the Cook could not have some, replied with a very serious face, "Thou can'st not afford it!", which so tickled the Baron that the interviews ended in a shout of laughter. In fact George kept the household purse as well as the wine stores. Even in addressing the Baron, George used the plain phraseology of THEE and THOU. When a number of distinguished strangers arriving heard this statement, it met with such incredulity that Lord Barnard offered a bet of £200 on the point, which being promptly taken, George was soon summoned. The Steward presently arrived, but was for some time left purposely unregarded, until losing his patience and catching his Master's eye, he said in clear tones, "Pray what did'st thou want with me?"—to the amazed discomfiture of the sceptics. The money won was spent on an oil painting of the steward with the inscription—"An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile" and a Latin quotation which may be rendered "Strong to restrain, immoderate desired, lightly returning public honours, a selfreliant, refined and courteous man".

The original portrait is now in the possession of Mrs. William Robson of Darlington. It used to hang on the staircase at Raby Castle opposite the entrance to the Baron's Hall. The First Duke of Cleveland who had married as his second wife a Miss Elizabeth Russell, gave her the choice of certain paintings; this portrait she bequeathed to one of her maids, who is said to have been a granddaughter of the Steward. The latter disposed of it to the late James Hutchinson Esq. of London and Cowley Manor, Cheltenham, where this photograph was taken. How it came into the hands of the late William Robson of Darlington, E B Mounsey does not know.

Another personal souvenir of this worthy, was in the collection of the late Edward Backhouse of Ashbourne, Sunderland. It is now in EB Mounsey's possession at Blackwell Hill, Darlington. It is the official stick or staff which he used on state occasions—a species of bamboo, dark brown in colour, standing 5ft 6 ins high, with a head of ivory, and shod with copper.

1666/7-03-27	b. Raby, Durham	TNA: RG 6/1549
1688-05-13	of Raby; m. Thomas Wrightson (1660–1741, b. Worgill, Durham, s. of Michael and Isabel Wrightson), in Darlington MM	TNA: RG 6/1333, /1381, /1670; digest of Durham Quaker burials: index
Children:	Isaac (1688/9–1712), Joseph (1690–1690), George (1691–1763), Michael (1692 – ?), Barbary (1696–1719), and Ann (1700–1719), all b. Darlington MM	RG 6/1670
1723-08-20	of Cragg; d.	RG 6/1333, /1670
	bur. Lartington, Durham	RG 6/1333

1671/2-01-25	b. Raby, Durham	TNA: RG 6/1381, /1549
1704-05-09	of Raby, Durham; m. Sarah Greenwood (1684–1747, b. Dent MM, d. of James and Elizabeth Greenwood), at Loneing fmh, Dent, Yorkshire	TNA: RG 6/1246, /1547, /1549
Children:	John (1705–1741), Isabel (1707/8–1709), Elizabeth (1710–1710), George (1711–1779), James (1714–1766), Mary (1715/6 – ?), Ralph (1719–1791), Sarah (1723 – ?), Rachel (1726–1727), and Barbary (1728 – ?), all b. Raby	RG 6/653, /776, /997, /1150, /1549
1743-08-05	one of three executors of the will of his brother Ralph	Durham wills
	of Raby Castle, Durham; house steward to Gilbert Vane, 2nd Baron Barnard; "an honest and deservedly-respected servant"; a number of anecdotes about his work here are found in the work cited to the right	Henry Eckroyd Smith (1878) Annals of Smith of Cantley, Balby and Doncaster, County of York
	George Dixon, Steward and Butler of Raby, finding the Lord of the Castle more devoted to the worship of Bacchus than was beneficial, when the occasion arose, declined civilly, yet firmly to send more wine to the dining hall. It is recorded the Master of Raby was occasionally wrath, but had failed previously to thank the faithful Steward on the following morning. On another occasion the Butler declined to let the Cook have some special wine for some sauce or pudding, and when asked by his Master if the Cook could not have some, replied with a very serious face, "Thou can'st not afford it!", which so tickled the Baron that the interviews ended in a shout of laughter. In fact George kept the household purse as well as the wine stores. Even in addressing the Baron, George used the plain phraseology of THEE and THOU. When a number of distinguished strangers arriving heard this statement, it met with such incredulity that Lord Barnard offered a bet of £200 on the point, which being promptly taken, George was soon summoned. The Steward presently arrived, but was for some time left purposely unregarded, until losing his patience and catching his Master's eye, he said in clear tones, "Pray what did'st thou want with me?"—to the amazed discomfiture of the sceptics. The money won was spent on an oil painting of the steward with the inscription—"An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile" and a Latin quotation which may be rendered "Strong to restrain, immoderate desired, lightly returning public honours, a selfreliant, refined and courteous man". The original portrait is now in the possession of Mrs. William Robson of Darlington. It used to hang on the staircase at Raby Castle opposite the entrance to the Baron's Hall. The First Duke of Cleveland who had married as his second wife a Miss Elizabeth Russell, gave her the choice of certain paintings; this portrait she bequeathed to one of her maids, who is said to have been a granddaughter of the Steward. The latter disposed of it to the late James Hutchinson Esq. of London and Cowley Manor, Cheltenham, where this photograph was taken. How it came into the hands of the late William Robson of Darlington, E B Mounsey does not know. Another personal souvenir of this worthy, was in the collection of the late Edward Backhouse of Ashbourne, Sunderland. It is now in EB Mounsey's possession at Blackwell Hill, Darlington. It is the official stick or staff which he used on state occasions—a species of bamboo, dark brown in colour, standing 5ft 6 ins high, with a head of ivory, and shod with copper.	'The Quaker Butler of Raby Castle', apparently in Darlington Reference Library
1752-04-26	of Raby; d.	RG 6/1549
	bur. Old Raby, Durham	Smith (1878)

1673-06-06	b. Raby, Durham	TNA: RG 6/1381, /1549
1699-06-01	m.1. Susanna Watson (1679–1727, b. Darlington MM, d. of James and Elizabeth Watson)	TNA: RG 6/1381; Henry Eckroyd Smith (1878) Annals of Smith of Cantley, Balby and Doncaster, County of York; George Blundell Longstaff (1906)The Langstaffs of Teesdale and Weardale: materials for a history of a yeoman; The Descendants of Ralph Dixon
Children with first wife:	Hannah (1700–1776), George (1701–1755), James (1703–1785), Susannah (1705–1717), Ralph (1706/7–1707/8), Barbara (1707/8–1755), Elizabeth (1710–1784), Ralph (1712–1786), Abigail (1714/5–1802), and William (1717–1717), all b. near Bishop Auckland, Durham; apparently another Susannah (? – after 1743)	RG 6/49, /777, /201, /653, /1150, /1381; Durham burials; Smith (1878); The Descendants of Ralph Dixon; Longstaff (1906); Durham wills
	of Henknowle, near Bishop Auckland	Smith (1878)
	m.2. Elizabeth Hunter (née ____, 1672–1756)	Smith (1878)
1743-05-26	yeoman, of Henknowl, Durham; made his will; provides for wife and all living children, by name; refers to "all that my Messuage, Burgage or Tenement with the Appurtenances, situate in Bishop Auckland, in the County aforesaid, now in the Occupation of Henry Sidgwick And also all that my Messuage or Tenement and Garth or Close with the Appurtenances, situate at Cocktonhill in the Township of Bishop Auckland aforesaid", as well as "my Messuages, Cottages, Garths, Lands and Tenements, with the Appurtenances situate at South Church otherwise Saint Andrew Auckland in the said County of Durham"; also leaves "my Farme, Stock of Beasts, Sheep, Horses, Swine and other Cattle and Quick goods, My Crop of Hay and Corn, as well reaped as growing at the time of by death, and all my Waingeer, Ploughgeer and other implements of Husbandry, and also my [Screwters?], my Clock, a Dress now standing in the Parlor, and a Silver Tankard" and "nine Silver Spoons"; executors his brother George Dixon, Caleb Grainger, and John Trotter	Durham wills
1743-08-05	will proved at Durham	Durham wills

Children of George and Barbary Dixon

01. Abigail Dixon

02. Isabel Dixon

03. George Dixon ('The Quaker Butler')

04. Ralph Dixon