Captain Alexander Dixie RN (1780-1857)

Later Sir Alexander Dixie

Bridget’s 3rd Great Grandfather on Wood side of familyAlexander Dixie was third son of the Rev. Beaumont Dixie, by Margaret, daughter of Richard. Shewin, Esq. He was the brother of Capt. Richard. Thomas Dixie, R.M. and uncle of t Sir Willoughby Wolstan Dixie, Bart., of Bosworth House, Leicester. He entered the Navy on 31 Oct. 1795, as Fst.-cl. Vol. served on board the Amazon36 as aMidshipman. His ship was wrecked near Isle Bas, at the close of a gallant action lasting 10 hours with the French 74-gun ship Les Droits de l’Homme, (The Amazon sustained a loss of 3 men killed and 15 wounded, 14 Jan. 1797). On regaining his liberty, after 10 months of painful captivity, he rejoined Capt. Reynolds, 24 March, 1798, on board La Pomone 40. He attended the expedition to Holland in 1799, and then proceeded to the Mediterranean. On this passage he narrowly escaped capture by a powerful French squadron. In 1801 Mr. Dixie accompanied Capt. Reynolds to the West Indies in the Orion 74. On the renewal of hostilities, in the early part of 1803, he returned to the Mediterranean on board the Canopus80, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Geo. Campbell; after which he joined, as Acting-Lieutenant and Master’s Mate, the Victorieuse 18. He then transferred to HMS Victory 100, flag-ship of Lord Nelson where he was promoted to a Lieutenant on 17 Oct. 1804. He then transferred to the Phoebe 36.  On 21 Oct. In 1805 he took part in the battle of Trafalgar; and four days later having volunteered his services, he succeeded, with 12 men, in presence of the enemy’s gun-boats and troops, in burning, with all their stores and guns, the Spanish ship El Rargoand Neptuno, which had run aground at the entrance of the river San Lucar. Mr. Dixie, whose next appointment was, 19 Dec. 1806, to the Colossus 74. He left that ship in Nov. 1807; from which period he remained on half-pay until Feb. 1811. He then successively joined the Minerva 32, then Armide 38, andserved on board the  Plantagenet 74 on the North American station, where he assumed the Acting-Captaincy, 5 July, 1813, of the Chesapeake 38, and was promoted, 7 June, 1814, to the command of the Saracen18. In that vessel, while in the Chesapeake during a night of the ensuing winter, he effected the capture and destruction 16 of the enemy’s vessels. Being ordered off the coast of France in 1815, for the interception of Buonaparte, we find him employed in landing arms at Dieppe, where he succeeded in establishing the White flag. Since 9 Sept. in the latter year, on which date the Saracen was put out of commission. Commander Dixie was unable to procure any further employment in the Royal Navy.

In summary, Commander Dixie assisted in the capture and destruction of 23 sail of the line, besides a number of frigates, sloops of war, and privateers. He was once shipwrecked, twice imprisoned, and twice wounded in battle.

After retiring from the Royal Navy he became deputy-lieutenant and magistrate for the counties of Leicester and Sussex. Commander Dixie was twice married. He wedded, in Dec. 1818 Rosamond Mary Churchill, (1798 -1831) daughter of the Rev. Joseph Dixie Churchill, Rector of Blickling, co. Norfolk and he fathered six children.