Raby’s role in mapping the USA: exciting Dixon discoveries in the Archives
Did you know famous surveyor Jeremiah Dixon began his career working for the Raby estates? In this blogpost we find out more, with our Archivist Joseph Reed.
Jeremiah Dixon (1733-1779), famous Cockfield-born surveyor and scientist, is one of South Durham’s best known historical figures. The Mason-Dixon Line was drawn in the 1760s by Jeremiah, working with Charles Mason, to resolve a historic border dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Line became one of the most famous and significant political boundaries in the World, dividing the Southern and Northern states of the USA in the American Civil War.
Raby’s role in Dixon’s early career as a surveyor is relatively little known, but new research and discoveries during cataloguing of the archives at Raby Castle have identified that Dixon began his career as a surveyor working right here in Raby Park. Joseph Reed, Raby’s Archivist, working with Dixon researcher Jonathan Peacock, was able to make the recent identifications of a number of previously unknown plans by Dixon. Although possible partly through a comparison of Dixon’s artistic style and handwriting, the key to the most important discoveries lay within the archives themselves.
Joseph explained the challenges along the way: “It is very difficult to be certain when identifying a work to a particular individual if they didn’t sign it, and Jeremiah didn’t sign all of these plans. These discoveries were only possible through some good fortune and keen detective work. The first plan (1) identified was one hiding in plain sight; it does not look at all like Jeremiah’s usual artistically beautiful survey plans as it is a working survey drawing of Raby Park.
“We knew Dixon had undertaken a survey of the park because the corresponding documents had survived (2). Hundreds of surveys of parts of Raby’s estates have been taken over several centuries, as a key part of land management, but only a few of the actual measurement records of all of those surveys have survived in the archives. It just so happens that one of those few is for this plan, and for some reason the land agent recorded on the papers that Jeremiah Dixon had undertaken the survey.
“We presumed the plan itself was long-since lost or destroyed. I was looking for plans which showed Raby gardens (for a recent exhibition on Raby’s Walled Gardens) and I recognised the numbers from Dixon’s corresponding survey documents which I had photographed a few weeks earlier.
“When it came to the second plan (3), initially I noticed that aspects of it closely resembled the newly-identified Dixon plan, and it appeared there may be some kind of connection between the two. The plan also exhibits some other telltale signs of Dixon’s beautiful draughtsmanship, including fine drawing and exquisite calligraphy. The story might have ended there, with no further evidence to link the plan to Dixon. The key discovery came when I spotted an entry in the financial ledgers for the commissioning of the drawing of two plans from Jeremiah: ‘1759, Dec 20th: Jere Dixon – Drawing two Plans a greater & Less of Raby Castle Park.'”
Joseph called on the expertise and opinion of Jonathan Peacock, who has been researching Jeremiah Dixon for fifteen years. Jonathan facilitated the major 2013 exhibition on Jeremiah Dixon at the Bowes Museum, and has travelled to America undertaking research and lecturing on Dixon. Jonathan commented on seeing the plans and associated papers: “With more than 20 maps drawn by Jeremiah over nearly 20 years, one can clearly see the honing of his skills as a surveyor and cartographer. It is particularly exciting to see these early maps, which extend the data-base of known work by Jeremiah.”
Joseph added: “These remarkable discoveries have only been possible through significant progress in cataloguing Raby’s archives. After a number of years’ work to complete a survey of the archives’ contents, efforts are now being focused on digging ‘below the surface’ to understand the contents of the records, and make new discoveries and reveal stories yet to be told. This is a really exciting time for Raby’s archives.”
About the significance of these recent discoveries to our understanding of Dixon’s life and work, Jonathan remarked: “his contribution to the Age of Enlightenment is assured, and his consummate artistry matches that of any of the members in this extremely artistic and talented family.”
These newly identified plans, along with other materials from the Dixon family’s long association with Raby and the Vane family, will be shown by the Archivist at a dedicated ‘Exploring the Archives’ session to coincide with the 4th of July. More details for the event can be found here: Exploring the Archives: New Dixon Discoveries
