BARONETAGE
Last updated 10/10/2018 (2 Apr 2024)
Date	Type	Order	Name	Born	Died	Age
Dates in italics in the "Born" column indicate that the baronet was baptised on that date; dates in italics in the "Died" column indicate that the baronet was buried on that date.
DENTON of Hillersdon, Bucks
12 May 1699 to     4 May 1714	E	1	Edmund Denton MP for Buckingham 1698‑1708 and Buckinghamshire 1708‑1713 Extinct on his death	25 Oct 1676	4 May 1714	37
DENYS of Stratford Place, London
23 Nov 1813	UK	1	George William Denys MP for Hull 1812‑1818	20 May 1788	26 Apr 1857	68
26 Apr 1857		2	George William Denys	11 Dec 1811	23 Feb 1881	69
23 Feb 1881		3	Francis Charles Edward Denys‑Burton	15 Mar 1849	19 Nov 1922	73
19 Nov 1922 to     3 Oct 1960		4	Charles Peter Denys Extinct on his death	27 May 1899	3 Oct 1960	61
DE RAEDT of the Hague, Holland
30 May 1660	E	1	Gualter de Raedt Nothing further is known of this baronetcy
DEREHAM of West Dereham, Norfolk
8 Jun 1661	E	1	Thomas Dereham	c 1600	30 Mar 1668
Mar 1668		2	Henry Dereham	c 1643	27 May 1682
May 1682		3	Richard Dereham	10 Apr 1644	c 1710
c 1710 to     16 Jan 1739		4	Thomas Dereham Extinct on his death	c 1678	16 Jan 1739
DERING of Surrenden Dering, Kent
1 Feb 1627	E	1	Edward Dering MP for Hythe 1629 and Kent 1640‑1642	28 Jan 1598	22 Jun 1644	46
22 Jun 1644		2	Edward Dering MP for Kent 1660, East Retford 1670‑1679 and Hythe 1679‑1684	8 Nov 1625	24 Jun 1684	58
24 Jun 1684		3	Edward Dering MP for Kent 1679‑1685	18 Apr 1650	15 Oct 1689	39
15 Oct 1689		4	Cholmeley Dering MP for Kent 1705‑1708 and 1710‑1711, and Saltash 1708‑1710 For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	23 Jun 1679	9 May 1711	31
9 May 1711		5	Edward Dering MP for Kent 1733‑1754	8 Dec 1705	15 Apr 1762	56
15 Apr 1762		6	Edward Dering MP for New Romney 1761‑1770 and 1774‑1787	28 Sep 1732	8 Dec 1798	66
8 Dec 1798		7	Edward Dering	16 Feb 1757	30 Jun 1811	54
30 Jun 1811		8	Edward Cholmeley Dering MP for Wexford 1830 and 1831, New Romney 1831 and Kent East 1852‑1857 and 1863‑1868	19 Nov 1807	1 Apr 1896	88
1 Apr 1896		9	Henry Nevill Dering	21 Sep 1839	27 Aug 1906	66
27 Aug 1906		10	Henry Edward Dering	9 May 1866	14 Jun 1931	65
14 Jun 1931		11	Anthony Myles Cholmeley Dering	29 Jul 1901	23 Apr 1958	56
23 Apr 1958 to     16 Mar 1975		12	Rupert Anthony Yea Dering Extinct on his death	17 Oct 1915	16 Mar 1975	59
DE ROBECK of Naas, Kildare
8 Oct 1919 to     20 Jan 1928	UK	1	Sir John Michael de Robeck Admiral of the Fleet 1925 Extinct on his death	10 Jun 1862	20 Jan 1928	65
DE SAUMEREZ of Guernsey
13 Jun 1801	UK		See "Saumerez"
DE SAUSMAREZ of Jerburg, Guernsey
26 Jun 1928 to     5 Mar 1941	UK	1	Sir Havilland Walter de Sausmarez Extinct on his death	30 May 1861	5 Mar 1941	79
DES BOUVERIE of St. Catherine Cree
19 Feb 1714	GB	1	William des Bouverie	26 Sep 1656	19 May 1717	60
19 May 1717		2	Edward des Bouverie MP for Shaftesbury 1719‑1734	c 1690	21 Nov 1736
21 Nov 1736		3	Jacob des Bouverie (Bouverie from 22 Apr 1737) He was subsequently created Viscount Folkestone in 1747. The baronetcy remains merged with the Earldom of Radnor	14 Oct 1694	17 Feb 1761	66
DES VOEUX of Indiaville, Queen's Co.
1 Sep 1787	I	1	Charles des Voeux	c 1746	24 Aug 1814
24 Aug 1814		2	Charles des Voeux	5 Sep 1779	28 Sep 1858	79
28 Sep 1858		3	Henry William des Voeux	16 Dec 1806	4 Jan 1868	61
4 Jan 1868		4	Frederick Assheton des Voeux	1818	3 Mar 1872	53
3 Mar 1872		5	Henry Dalrymple des Voeux	1824	20 Jan 1894	69
20 Jan 1894		6	Charles Champagne des Voeux	26 Nov 1827	11 Mar 1914	86
11 Mar 1914		7	Frederick des Voeux	1 Mar 1857	4 Jan 1937	79
4 Jan 1937		8	Edward Alfred des Voeux	9 Nov 1864	19 Dec 1941	77
19 Dec 1941 to     Sep 1944		9	William Richard de Bacquencourt des Voeux Extinct on his death	27 Dec 1911	Sep 1944	32
DE TRAFFORD of Trafford Park, Lancs
7 Sep 1841	UK	1	Thomas Joseph de Trafford	22 Mar 1778	10 Nov 1852	74
10 Nov 1852		2	Humphrey de Trafford	1 May 1808	4 May 1886	78
4 May 1886		3	Humphrey Francis de Trafford	3 Jul 1862	10 Jan 1929	66
10 Jan 1929		4	Humphrey Edmund de Trafford	30 Nov 1891	6 Oct 1971	79
6 Oct 1971		5	Rudolph Edgar Francis de Trafford	31 Aug 1894	16 Aug 1983	88
16 Aug 1983		6	Dermot Humphrey de Trafford	19 Jan 1925	22 Jan 2010	85
22 Jan 2010		7	John Humphrey de Trafford	12 Sep 1950
DE VERE of Curragh, Limerick
4 Dec 1784	I	1	Vere Hunt	1761	11 Aug 1818	57
11 Aug 1818		2	Aubrey de Vere Hunt (de Vere from 3 Feb 1832)	28 Aug 1788	5 Jul 1846	57
5 Jul 1846		3	Vere Edmond de Vere	12 Oct 1808	23 Sep 1880	71
23 Sep 1880 to     10 Nov 1904		4	Stephen Edward de Vere MP for co. Limerick 1854‑1859 Extinct on his death	26 Jul 1812	10 Nov 1904	92
DEVEREUX of Castle Bromwich, Warwicks
25 Nov 1611	E	1	Edward Devereux MP for Tamworth 1588‑1589	c 1550	22 Sep 1622
22 Sep 1622		2	Walter Devereux He subsequently succeeded to the Viscountcy of Hereford in 1646 with which title the baronetcy remains merged		c 1659
DE VIC of Guernsey, Channel Islands
3 Sep 1649	E	1	Henry de Vic	c 1599	20 Nov 1671
20 Nov 1671 to     17 Mar 1688		2	Charles de Vic Extinct on his death		17 Mar 1688
DEVITT of Chelsea, London
4 Jul 1916	UK	1	Thomas Lane Devitt	28 Mar 1839	8 Dec 1923	84
8 Dec 1923		2	Thomas Gordon Devitt	27 Dec 1902	23 Dec 1995	92
23 Dec 1995		3	James Hugh Thomas Devitt	18 Sep 1956
DEVITT of Pangbourne, Berks
25 Jun 1931 to     5 Jun 1947	UK	1	Philip Henry Devitt Extinct on his death	26 Jan 1876	5 Jun 1947	71
DEWAR of the City of Perth
24 Jul 1907	UK	1	John Alexander Dewar He was subsequently created Baron Forteviot in 1917 with which title the baronetcy remains merged	6 Jun 1856	23 Nov 1929	73
DEWAR of Homestall Manor, Sussex
23 Jun 1917	UK	1	Sir Thomas Robert Dewar He was subsequently created Baron Dewar in 1919 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1930	6 Jan 1864	11 Apr 1930	66
D'EWES of Stowlangtoft, Suffolk
15 Jul 1641	E	1	Simonds D'Ewes MP for Sudbury 1640‑1648	18 Dec 1602	18 Apr 1650	47
18 Apr 1650		2	Willoughby D'Ewes	c 1650	13 Jun 1685
13 Jun 1685		3	Simonds D'Ewes	c 1670	May 1722
May 1722 to     21 Apr 1731		4	Jermyn D'Ewes Extinct on his death	2 Apr 1688	21 Apr 1731	43
DEWEY of South Hill Wood, Kent
20 Feb 1917	UK	1	Thomas Charles Dewey	31 Aug 1840	13 Jul 1926	85
13 Jul 1926		2	Stanley Daws Dewey	12 Aug 1867	1 Jan 1948	80
1 Jan 1948		3	Anthony Hugh Dewey	31 Jul 1921	20 Mar 2016	94
20 Mar 2016		4	Rupert Grahame Dewey	29 Mar 1953
D'EYNCOURT of Carters Corner, Sussex
3 Feb 1930	UK		See "Tennyson-D'Eyncourt"
DICK of Prestonfield, Edinburgh
7 Mar 1677 to     15 Nov 1728	NS	1	James Dick He obtained a further creation in 1707 - see below Extinct on his death	c 1644	15 Nov 1728
			For information about the loss of the British man-of-war "Gloucester" see the note at the foot of this page
DICK of Prestonfield, Edinburgh
22 Mar 1707	NS	1	Sir James Dick, 1st baronet	c 1644	15 Nov 1728
15 Nov 1728		2	William Dick	12 Jun 1701	14 Jan 1746	44
14 Jan 1746		3	Alexander Dick	22 Oct 1703	10 Nov 1785	82
10 Nov 1785		4	William Dick	7 Jan 1762	19 Nov 1796	34
19 Nov 1796		5	Alexander Dick	8 Dec 1786	2 Jun 1808	21
2 Jun 1808		6	John Dick	10 Jun 1767	14 Dec 1812	45
14 Dec 1812		7	Robert Keith Dick (Dick-Cunyngham from 1845) He subsequently succeeded to the baronetcy of Cunningham (see Dick-Cunyngham below) in 1829 when the baronetcies then merged until their extinction in 1941	14 Apr 1773	14 Dec 1849	76
DICK-CUNYNGHAM of Lambrughton, Ayr
19 Sep 1669	NS	1	John Cunningham		20 Nov 1684
Nov 1684		2	William Cunningham	7 Feb 1664	1740	76
1740		3	John Cunningham	c 1696	30 Nov 1777
30 Nov 1777		4	William Cunningham	19 Dec 1752	16 Jan 1829	76
16 Jan 1829		5	Sir Robert Keith Dick, 7th baronet (Dick‑Cunyngham from 1845)	14 Apr 1773	14 Dec 1849	76
14 Dec 1849		6	William Hanmer Dick‑Cunyngham	22 Oct 1808	20 Feb 1871	62
20 Feb 1871		7	Robert Keith Alexander Dick‑Cunyngham	21 Dec 1836	2 May 1897	60
2 May 1897		8	William Stewart Dick‑Cunyngham	20 Feb 1871	25 Mar 1922	51
25 Mar 1922 to     Oct 1941		9	Colin Keith Dick-Cunyngham Extinct on his death	3 Mar 1908	Oct 1941	33
DICK-LAUDER of Fountainhall, Haddington
25 Jan 1690	NS	1	John Lauder		7 Apr 1692
Apr 1692		2	John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall [Lord of Session]	2 Aug 1646	20 Sep 1722	76
20 Sep 1722		3	John Lauder	5 Dec 1669	Feb 1728	58
Feb 1728		4	Alexander Lauder	6 Nov 1698	17 May 1730	31
17 May 1730		5	Andrew Lauder	8 May 1702	6 Mar 1769	66
6 Mar 1769		6	Andrew Lauder-Dick		16 Dec 1820
16 Dec 1820		7	Thomas Dick-Lauder	13 Aug 1784	29 May 1848	63
29 May 1848		8	John Dick-Lauder	21 Apr 1813	23 Mar 1867	53
23 Mar 1867		9	Thomas North Dick-Lauder	28 Apr 1846	19 Jun 1919	73
19 Jun 1919		10	George William Dalrymple Dick‑Lauder	4 Sep 1852	7 May 1936	83
7 May 1936		11	John North Dalrymple Dick‑Lauder	22 Jul 1883	19 Sep 1958	75
19 Sep 1958		12	George Andrew Dick-Lauder	17 Nov 1917	11 Aug 1981	63
11 Aug 1981		13	Piers Robert Dick-Lauder	3 Oct 1947
DICKSON of Sornbeg, Ayr
28 Feb 1695	NS	1	Robert Dickson		Oct 1711
Oct 1711 to     1 Feb 1760		2	Robert Dickson On his death the baronetcy became either extinct or dormant	12 Nov 1694	1 Feb 1760	65
DICKSON of Hardingham Hall, Norfolk
21 Sep 1802	UK	1	Archibald Dickson For details of the special remainder included in the creation of this baronetcy, see the note at the foot of this page		May 1803
May 1803		2	Archibald Collingwood Dickson	30 Jun 1772	18 Jun 1827	54
18 Jun 1827		3	William Dickson	10 Jun 1798	5 Jan 1868	69
5 Jan 1868		4	Colpoys Dickson	21 Aug 1807	21 May 1868	60
21 May 1868		5	Alexander Collingwood Thomas Dickson	1 Aug 1810	22 Jun 1884	73
22 Jun 1884		6	John Poynder Dickson (Dickson‑Poynder from 12 Jan 1888) He was subsequently created Baron Islington in 1910 with which title the baronetcy then merged until its extinction in 1936	31 Oct 1866	6 Dec 1936	70
DIGGS of Chilham Castle, Kent
6 Mar 1666 to     1672	E	1	Maurice Diggs Extinct on his death	c 1638	1672
DILKE of Sloan Street, Chelsea, London
22 Jan 1862	UK	1	Charles Wentworth Dilke MP for Wallingford 1865‑1868	18 Feb 1810	11 May 1869	59
11 May 1869		2	Charles Wentworth Dilke MP for Chelsea 1868‑1886 and Forest of Dean 1892‑1911; President of the Local Government Board 1882‑1885; PC 1882 For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	4 Sep 1843	26 Jan 1911	67
26 Jan 1911		3	Charles Wentworth Dilke	19 Sep 1874	7 Dec 1918	44
7 Dec 1918		4	Fisher Wentworth Dilke	5 Jan 1877	25 Mar 1944	67
25 Mar 1944		5	John Fisher Wentworth Dilke	8 May 1906	28 Jun 1998	92
28 Jun 1998		6	Charles John Wentworth Dilke	21 Feb 1937	14 Nov 2022	85
14 Nov 2022		7	Timothy Fisher Wentworth Dilke	1 Aug 1938
DILLINGTON of Knighton, Isle of Wight
6 Sep 1628	E	1	Robert Dillington MP for Isle of Wight 1654‑1655		1664
1664		2	Robert Dillington MP for Newport (IOW) 1660‑1661 and 1670‑1685	c 1634	25 Apr 1687
25 Apr 1687		3	Robert Dillington MP for Newport (IOW) 1689	c 1664	13 May 1689
13 May 1689		4	John Dillington		5 Mar 1706
5 Mar 1706 to     7 Jul 1721		5	Tristram Dillington MP for Newport (IOW) 1707‑1710 and 1717‑1721 Extinct on his death For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	c 1678	7 Jul 1721
DILLON of Lismullen, Meath
31 Jul 1801	UK	1	John Talbot Dillon MP [I] for Wicklow Borough 1771‑1776 and Blessington 1776‑1783	1739	17 Jul 1805	66
17 Jul 1805		2	Charles Drake Dillon	c 1770	12 Jan 1840
12 Jan 1840		3	Arthur Richard Dillon	c 1772	3 Jul 1845
3 Jul 1845		4	William Dillon	1 Jul 1774	31 Mar 1851	76
31 Mar 1851		5	Arthur Henry Dillon	7 Jan 1828	30 Dec 1852	24
30 Dec 1852		6	John Dillon	1 Dec 1806	28 Nov 1875	68
28 Nov 1875		7	John Fox Dillon For further information, see the note at the foot of this page	1843	1 Nov 1925	82
1 Nov 1925 to     25 Dec 1982		8	Robert William Charlier Dillon Extinct on his death For information on this baronet's brother, see the notes at the foot of this page	17 Jan 1914	25 Dec 1982	68
DILLWYN-VENABLES-LLEWELLYN of Penllergaer and Ynis-y-gerwn, Glamorgan
20 Mar 1890	UK	1	John Talbot Dillwyn-Llewellyn MP for Swansea 1895‑1900 For information on this baronet's first two sons, see the note at the foot of this page	26 May 1836	6 Jul 1927	91
6 Jul 1927		2	Charles Leyshon Dillwyn-Venables-Llewellyn MP for Radnorshire 1910; Lord Lieutenant Radnorshire 1929‑1949	29 Jun 1870	24 Jun 1951	80
24 Jun 1951		3	Charles Michael Dillwyn-Venables-Llewellyn Lord Lieutenant Radnorshire 1949‑1974	23 Feb 1900	15 Mar 1976	76
15 Mar 1976		4	John Michael Dillwyn-Venables-Llewellyn	12 Aug 1938
DIMSDALE of London
23 Jul 1902	UK	1	Joseph Cockfield Dimsdale MP for London 1900‑1906; PC 1902	19 Jan 1849	9 Aug 1912	63
9 Aug 1912		2	John Holdsworth Dimsdale For further information of the death of this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	10 Feb 1874	10 Apr 1923	49
10 Apr 1923 to     7 Feb 1978		3	John Holdsworth Dimsdale Extinct on his death	31 Dec 1901	7 Feb 1978	76
DINELEY-GOODERE of Burhope, Hereford
5 Dec 1707	GB		See "Goodere"
DIXIE of Bosworth, Leics
14 Jul 1660	E	1	Wolstan Dixie	c 1603	13 Feb 1682
13 Feb 1682		2	Beaumont Dixie	c 1630	May 1692
May 1692		3	Wolstan Dixie	25 Mar 1657	10 Dec 1713	56
10 Dec 1713		4	Wolstan Dixie	c 1701	29 Jan 1767
29 Jan 1767		5	Wolstan Dixie	9 Mar 1737	12 Jan 1806	68
12 Jan 1806		6	Beaumont Joseph Dixie	6 Jul 1769	14 Jul 1814	45
14 Jul 1814		7	Willoughby Wolstan Dixie For further information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	c 1775	26 Oct 1827
26 Oct 1827		8	Willoughby Wolstan Dixie	16 Oct 1816	23 Jul 1850	33
23 Jul 1850		9	Alexander Dixie	1780	29 Dec 1857	77
29 Dec 1857		10	Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie	24 Dec 1819	8 Jan 1872	52
8 Jan 1872		11	Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie For further information on this baronet's wife, see the note at the foot of this page	22 Dec 1851	21 Aug 1924	72
21 Aug 1924		12	George Douglas Dixie	18 Jan 1876	25 Dec 1948	72
25 Dec 1948 to     28 Dec 1975		13	Alexander Archibald Douglas Wolstan Dixie Extinct on his death For information on his daughter's attempt to claim the baronetcy, see the note at the foot of this page	8 Jan 1910	28 Dec 1975	65
DIXON of Ballymenoch, co. Antrim
7 Oct 1903	UK	1	Daniel Dixon MP for Belfast North 1905‑1907	28 Mar 1844	10 Mar 1907	62
10 Mar 1907		2	Thomas James Dixon Lord Lieutenant Belfast 1924‑1950; PC [NI] 1930	29 May 1868	10 May 1950	81
10 May 1950		3	Herbert Dixon He had previously been created Baron Glentoran in 1939 with which title the baronetcy remains merged	23 Jan 1880	20 Jul 1950	70
DIXON of Warford, Cheshire
7 Feb 1918 to     10 Dec 1920	UK	1	Alfred Herbert Dixon Extinct on his death	22 Feb 1857	10 Dec 1920	63
DIXON of Astle, Cheshire
15 May 1919	UK	1	George Dixon	23 May 1842	1 Apr 1924	81
1 Apr 1924		2	John Dixon	13 Jun 1886	7 Aug 1976	90
7 Aug 1976		3	John George Dixon	17 Sep 1911	7 Oct 1990	79
7 Oct 1990		4	Jonathan Mark Dixon	1 Sep 1949
DIXON-HARTLAND of Middleton Manor, Sussex
13 Oct 1892 to     15 Nov 1909	UK	1	Frederick Dixon Dixon‑Hartland MP for Evesham 1881‑1885 and Uxbridge 1885‑1909 Extinct on his death	1 May 1832	15 Nov 1909	77
DIXWELL of Tirlingham, Kent
27 Feb 1628 to     28 Dec 1642	E	1	Basil Dixwell MP for Hythe 1626 Extinct on his death	27 Dec 1585	28 Dec 1642	57
DIXWELL of Broomehouse, Kent
19 Jun 1660	E	1	Basill Dixwell	22 Jun 1640	7 May 1668	27
7 May 1668 to     28 Mar 1750		2	Basill Dixwell MP for Dover 1689‑1690 and 1695‑1700 Extinct on his death	11 Dec 1665	28 Mar 1750	84
DIXWELL of Coton Hall, Warwicks
11 Jun 1716 to     14 Jan 1757	GB	1	William Dixwell Extinct on his death	c 1688	14 Jan 1757
DODDS of West Chiltington, Sussex
10 Feb 1964	UK	1	Sir Edward Charles Dodds	13 Oct 1899	16 Dec 1973	74
16 Dec 1973 to     24 May 2015		2	Ralph Jordan Dodds Extinct on his death	25 Mar 1928	24 May 2015	87
DODSWORTH of Newland, Yorks
22 Jan 1784	GB		See "Smith-Dodsworth"
DOLBEN of Findon, Northants
1 Apr 1704	E	1	Gilbert Dolben MP for Ripon 1685‑1687, Peterborough 1689‑1698 and 1701‑1710, and Yarmouth (IOW) 1710‑1715	c 1659	22 Oct 1722
22 Oct 1722		2	John Dolben	12 Feb 1684	20 Nov 1756	72
20 Nov 1756		3	William Dolben MP for Oxford University 1768 and 1780‑1806 and Northamptonshire 1768‑1774	12 Jan 1727	20 Mar 1814	87
20 Mar 1814 to     27 Sep 1837		3	John English Dolben Extinct on his death	c 1750	27 Sep 1837
DOMVILE of Templeogue, Dublin
21 Dec 1686	I	1	Thomas Domvile MP [I] for Mullingar 1692‑1693	c 1655	15 Apr 1721
15 Apr 1721 to     13 Mar 1768		2	Compton Domvile MP [I] for Dublin County 1727‑1768; PC [I] 1743 Extinct on his death	1696	13 Mar 1768	71
DOMVILE of Templeogue, Dublin
22 May 1815	UK	1	Compton Pocklington Domvile MP for Bossiney 1818‑1826, Okehampton 1826‑1830 and Plympton Erle 1830‑1832	c 1775	23 Feb 1857
23 Feb 1857		2	Charles Compton William Domvile	24 Dec 1822	10 Jul 1884	61
10 Jul 1884		3	William Compton Domvile	20 May 1825	20 Sep 1884	59
20 Sep 1884 to     22 Apr 1935		4	Compton Meade Domvile Extinct on his death	24 Oct 1857	22 Apr 1935	77
DOMVILLE of St Albans, Herts
28 Jul 1814	UK	1	William Domville	26 Dec 1742	8 Feb 1833	90
8 Feb 1833		2	William Domville	22 Mar 1774	21 May 1860	86
21 May 1860		3	James Graham Domville	29 Jun 1812	21 Feb 1887	74
21 Feb 1887		4	William Cecil Henry Domville	30 Dec 1849	22 Apr 1904	54
22 Apr 1904		5	James Henry Domville For information on the death of this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	10 Dec 1889	13 Sep 1919	29
13 Sep 1919		6	Cecil Lionel Domville	14 Sep 1892	3 Feb 1930	37
3 Feb 1930 to     10 Oct 1981		7	Gerald Guy Domville Extinct on his death	3 Mar 1896	10 Oct 1981	85
DON-WAUCHOPE of Newton, Berwick
7 Jun 1667	NS	1	Alexander Don		1687
1687		2	James Don		c 1710
c 1710		3	Alexander Don		13 Apr 1749
13 Apr 1749		4	Alexander Don		2 Oct 1776
2 Oct 1776		5	Alexander Don		5 Jun 1815
5 Jun 1815		6	Alexander Don MP for Roxburghshire 1814‑1826	5 May 1780	11 Apr 1826	45
11 Apr 1826		7	William Henry Don For information on this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	4 May 1825	19 Mar 1862	36
19 Mar 1862		8	John Don-Wauchope	10 Jul 1816	12 Dec 1893	77
12 Dec 1893		9	John Douglas Don-Wauchope	15 Sep 1859	28 Apr 1951	91
28 Apr 1951		10	Patrick George Don-Wauchope	7 May 1898	15 Sep 1989	91
15 Sep 1989		11	Roger Hamilton Don-Wauchope	16 Oct 1938
DONNER of Oak Mount, Lancs
28 Nov 1907 to     29 Dec 1934	UK	1	Edward Donner Extinct on his death	2 Aug 1840	29 Dec 1934	94
DORINGTON of Lypiatt, Gloucs
12 Feb 1886 to     5 Apr 1911	UK	1	John Edward Dorington MP for Stroud 1874 and Tewkesbury 1886‑1906; PC 1902 Extinct on his death	24 Jul 1832	5 Apr 1911	78
DORMAN of Nunthorpe, Yorks
21 Jul 1923	UK	1	Sir Arthur John Dorman	8 Aug 1848	12 Feb 1931	82
12 Feb 1931		2	Bedford Lockwood Dorman	6 Apr 1879	5 Sep 1956	77
5 Sep 1956		3	Charles Geoffrey Dorman	18 Sep 1920	2 Sep 1996	75
2 Sep 1996		4	Philip Henry Keppel Dorman	19 May 1954
DORMER of Wyng, Bucks
10 Jun 1615	E	1	Robert Dormer He was subsequently created Baron Dormer later that month with which title the baronetcy remains merged	26 Jan 1551	8 Nov 1616	65
DORMER of Lee Grange, Bucks
23 Jul 1661	E	1	John Dormer	c 1640	7 Nov 1675
7 Nov 1675 to     9 Mar 1726		2	William Dormer Extinct on his death	28 Sep 1669	9 Mar 1726	56
DOUGHTY-TICHBORNE of Tichborne, Hants
8 Mar 1621	E		See "Tichborne"
DOUGLAS of Glenbervie, Kincardine
28 May 1625	NS	1	William Douglas		c 1660
c 1660		2	William Douglas		c 1680
c 1680		3	Robert Douglas		24 Jul 1692
24 Jul 1692		4	Robert Douglas	c 1662	27 Jan 1748
27 Jan 1748		5	William Douglas	c 1690	23 Jul 1764
23 Jul 1764		6	Robert Douglas	1694	24 Apr 1770	75
24 Apr 1770 to     28 Nov 1812		7	Alexander Douglas On his death the baronetcy became dormant	1738	28 Nov 1812	74
DOUGLAS of Kelhead, Scotland
26 Feb 1668	NS	1	James Douglas	19 Feb 1639	c 1707
c 1707		2	William Douglas	c 1675	10 Oct 1733
10 Oct 1733		3	John Douglas MP for Dumfriesshire 1741‑1747	c 1708	13 Nov 1778
13 Nov 1778		4	William Douglas MP for Dumfries Burghs 1768‑1780	c 1731	16 May 1783
16 May 1783		5	Charles Douglas He subsequently succeeded to the Marquessate of Queensberry in 1810 with which title the baronetcy remains merged	Mar 1777	3 Dec 1837	60
DOUGLAS of Carr, Perth
23 Jan 1777	GB	1	Charles Douglas	1727	17 Mar 1789	61
17 Mar 1789		2	William Henry Douglas	28 Jul 1763	25 May 1809	45
25 May 1809		3	Howard Douglas MP for Liverpool 1842‑1847	1 Jul 1776	9 Nov 1861	85
9 Nov 1861		4	Robert Percy Douglas	29 Aug 1805	30 Sep 1891	86
30 Sep 1891		5	Arthur Percy Douglas For information on the death of this baronet, see the note at the foot of this page	15 Oct 1845	6 Sep 1913	67
6 Sep 1913 to     5 Nov 1940		6	James Stewart Douglas Extinct on his death	25 Mar 1859	5 Nov 1940	81
DOUGLAS of Maxwell, Roxburgh
27 Jun 1786	GB	1	Sir James Douglas [kt 1759] MP for Orkney & Shetland 1754‑1768	1703	2 Nov 1787	84
2 Nov 1787		2	George Douglas MP for Roxburghshire 1784‑1806	1 Mar 1754	4 Jun 1821	67
4 Jun 1821		3	John James Douglas (Scott‑Douglas from 10 Jul 1822)	18 Jul 1792	24 Jan 1836	43
24 Jan 1836		4	George Henry Scott‑Douglas MP for Roxburghshire 1874‑1880	19 Jun 1825	26 Jun 1885	60
26 Jun 1885		5	George Brisbane Douglas	22 Dec 1856	22 Jun 1935	78
22 Jun 1935 to     16 Jul 1969		6	James Louis Fitzroy Scott Douglas Extinct on his death	24 Oct 1930	16 Jul 1969	38
DOUGLAS of Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbright
17 Jul 1801 to     Jun 1809	UK	1	William Douglas Extinct on his death		Jun 1809
DOUGLAS of Glenbervie, Kincardine
30 Sep 1831	UK	1	Kenneth Mackenzie Douglas		22 Nov 1833
22 Nov 1833		2	Robert Andrews Douglas	1807	1 Nov 1843	36
1 Nov 1843		3	Robert Andrews Mackenzie Douglas	19 Jul 1837	28 Feb 1884	46
28 Feb 1884		4	Kenneth Douglas	29 May 1868	28 Oct 1954	86
28 Oct 1954 to     9 Jun 1986		5	Sholto Courtenay Mackenzie Douglas Extinct on his death	27 Jun 1890	9 Jun 1986	95
DOWDALL of Athlumney, Meath
24 Nov 1663	I	1	Luke Dowdall		31 Aug 1689
31 Aug 1689 to     6 Apr 1691		2	Laurence Dowdall Baronetcy forfeited by attainder 1691		by 1700
DOWNING of East Hatley, Cambs
1 Jul 1663	E	1	George Downing MP for Carlisle 1656‑1658 and Morpeth 1660‑1685	Aug 1623	24 Jul 1684	60
Jul 1684		2	George Downing	c 1656	Jun 1711
Jun 1711		3	George Downing MP for Dunwich 1710‑1715 and 1722‑1749	24 Oct 1685	10 Jun 1749	63
10 Jun 1749 to     6 Feb 1764		4	Jacob Garrard Downing MP for Dunwich 1741‑1747, 1749‑1761 and 1763‑1764 Extinct on his death	c 1717	6 Feb 1764
DOYLE of Guernsey, Channel Islands
29 Oct 1805 to     8 Aug 1834	UK	1	John Doyle MP [I] for Mullingar 1783‑1799; MP for Newport (IOW) 1806‑1807 Extinct on his death	1756	8 Aug 1834	78
DOYLE of Boscombe, Wilts
18 Feb 1828	UK	1	Francis Hastings Doyle	3 Jan 1783	6 Nov 1839	56
6 Nov 1839		2	Francis Hastings Charles Doyle	21 Aug 1810	8 Jun 1888	77
8 Jun 1888		3	Everard Hastings Doyle	9 Feb 1852	21 Feb 1933	81
21 Feb 1933		4	Arthur Havelock James Doyle	21 Feb 1858	19 Feb 1948	89
19 Feb 1948 to     10 Feb 1987		5	John Francis Reginald William Hastings Doyle Extinct on his death	3 Jan 1912	10 Feb 1987	75
D'OYLY of Shottisham, Norfolk
29 Jul 1663	E	1	William D'Oyly MP for Norfolk 1654‑1655, 1656‑1658 and 1659, and Great Yarmouth 1660‑1677	c 1614	Nov 1677
Nov 1677		2	William D'Oyly	c 1637	c 1680
c 1680		3	Edmund D'Oyly	c 1666	24 Oct 1700
Oct 1700		4	Edmund D'Oyly		1763
1763		5	Hadley D'Oyly	c 1709	30 Jul 1764
30 Jul 1764		6	John Hadley D'Oyly MP for Ipswich 1790‑1796	Jan 1754	5 Jan 1818	63
5 Jan 1818		7	Charles D'Oyly	18 Sep 1781	21 Sep 1845	64
21 Sep 1845		8	John Hadley D'Oyly	29 Sep 1794	21 Mar 1869	74
21 Mar 1869		9	Charles Walters D'Oyly	21 Dec 1822	11 Jul 1900	77
11 Jul 1900		10	Warren Hastings D'Oyly	6 Apr 1838	16 Feb 1921	82
16 Feb 1921		11	Hastings Hadley D'Oyly	26 Jan 1864	20 Mar 1948	84
20 Mar 1948		12	Charles Hastings D'Oyly	3 Jul 1898	10 Jan 1962	63
10 Jan 1962		13	John Rochfort D'Oyly	19 Apr 1900	29 Apr 1986	86
29 Apr 1986		14	Nigel Hadley Miller D'Oyly	6 Jul 1914	1 May 2000	85
1 May 2000		15	Hadley Gregory D'Oyly	29 May 1956
D'OYLY of Chislehampton, Oxon
7 Jul 1666	E	1	John D'Oyly MP for Woodstock 1689‑1690	17 Nov 1640	13 Apr 1709	68
13 Apr 1709		2	John D'Oyly	c 1670	1746
1746		3	Thomas D'Oyly	c 1701	6 Feb 1759
6 Feb 1759 to     24 Nov 1773		4	John D'Oyly Extinct on his death	c 1702	24 Nov 1773
D'OYLY of Kandy, Ceylon
29 Aug 1821 to     25 May 1824	UK	1	John D'Oyly Extinct on his death	6 Jun 1774	25 May 1824	49
DRAKE of Buckland, Devon
2 Aug 1622	E	1	Francis Drake MP for Plympton Erle 1624‑1625 and Devonshire 1628‑1629	16 Sep 1588	11 Mar 1637	48
11 Mar 1637		2	Francis Drake MP for Bere Alston 1646‑1648 and Newport 1660‑1662	25 Sep 1617	6 Jan 1662	44
6 Jan 1662		3	Francis Drake MP for Tavistock 1673‑1685, 1689‑1695 and 1696‑1701	1 May 1647	15 Jun 1718	71
Jun 1718		4	Francis Henry Drake MP for Tavistock 1715‑1734 and Bere Alston 1727‑1728 and 1734‑1740	2 Mar 1694	26 Jan 1740	45
26 Jan 1740		5	Francis Henry Drake MP for Bere Alston 1747‑1771 and 1774‑1780	3 Sep 1723	22 Feb 1794	70
22 Feb 1794 to     Mar 1810		6	John Savery Drake Extinct on his death	c 1740	Mar 1810
DRAKE of Shardeloes, Bucks
17 Jul 1641 to     28 Aug 1669	E	1	William Drake MP for Amersham 1640‑1648 and 1661‑1669	28 Sep 1606	28 Aug 1669	62
DRAKE of Ashe, Devon
31 Aug 1660	E	1	John Drake MP for Bridport 1660	4 Apr 1625	6 Jul 1669	44
6 Jul 1669		2	John Drake	13 Jan 1647	13 Mar 1684	37
13 Mar 1684		3	Bernard Drake		1687
1687		4	William Drake MP for Honiton 1690‑1715 and Dartmouth 1713‑1715	12 Jul 1658	28 Feb 1716	57
28 Feb 1716		5	John Drake	c 1689	4 Sep 1724
4 Sep 1724 to     21 Oct 1733		6	William Drake Extinct on his death	c 1695	21 Oct 1733
DRAKE of Prospect, Devon
28 May 1782 to     19 Nov 1789	GB	1	Francis Samuel Drake Extinct on his death	14 Sep 1729	19 Nov 1789	60

	Sir Cholmeley Dering, 4th baronet
	The following is based upon the Wikipedia entry for Sir Cholmeley Dering.
	On 7 May 1711, Sir Cholmeley Dering was dining at an inn near Hampton Court when he became involved in a dispute with Richard Thornhill. As the argument became more heated, the two men came to blows and in the ensuing struggle Thornhill received a kick in the mouth from Dering, causing him to lose several teeth. After the fight had been broken up by both parties' companions, Thornhill challenged Dering to a duel, which took place on the morning of 9 May 1711 at Tothil Fields in Westminster. According to The Spectator (number 84, 6 June 1711), Dering and Thornhill fought so close that their pistols touched each other. Dering was wounded and died shortly thereafter. Thornhill was tried and convicted of manslaughter, but three months later was murdered by two men on Turnham Green, apparently in a revenge attack, since it was reported by Jonathan Swift, in his Journal to Stella that, as the two men stabbed Thornhill to death, they bade him remember Sir Cholmeley Dering.
	A fuller account can be found in the records of the London Central Criminal Court, which reads:-
	Richard Thornhill of St. Margaret's Westminster, was Indicted for the Murder of Sir Cholmeley Deering, Baronet, by giving him one Mortal Wound under the Right Pap with a leaden Bullet discharg'd from a Pistol, on the 9th instant, of which he soon after died. He was likewise Indicted upon the Coroner's Inquest for the Murder aforesaid. It appeared by the Evidence, that the Prisoner and the Deceased were at the Toy at Hampton Court with about 15 other Gentlemen, on the 27th of April: That there they dined very friendly together, but towards the Evening some Words happen'd between them. Upon which the Deceased struck the Prisoner in the Face, beat him down, and when he arose, his Lip was observ'd to be swell'd, and several of his Teeth out. A Drawer hearing a noise, came up, and found the Prisoner and the Deceased against the Wainscot of the Room, but immediately parted by the Gentlemen. After this they sat down, and seemed to be friendly again, but look'd a little disturb'd. This Evidence further depos'd, that as they sat together, the Prisoner said, Sir Cholmeley, you know where to find me. Upon which Sir Cholmeley reply'd, I know not where to find you; and then the Prisoner gave him the Lie. This witness observ'd the Prisoner's Lip much swelled before the giving the Lie, but saw not the Blows given. It further appear'd, that the Deceased seemed to beg the Prisoner's Pardon at that time; but the Prisoner told him, asking of Pardon was not Satisfaction for the Loss of his Teeth. As to the Fact: It appear'd that the Prisoner and the Deceased were seen in Tuttle Fields, about 12 Yards distance from one another, with Pistols in their Hands, that they advanced very boldly toward each other till they were within 4 yards, and then fir'd at one another. That the Deceased dropt, and the Prisoner lifting up his Hands in token of Sorrow, willingly surrender'd himself, and offer'd one a Guinea, and another a Half-Guinea to go for a Surgeon. It further appear'd, that a Surgeon was sent for, who dress'd the Deceased's Wound upon the Spot, and sent him in a Chair to a Gardiner's House. He being ask'd by several of his Friends, as well as others, the Occasion of the Dewel, reply'd to this effect: That the Prisoner was a Man of Honour, and acted like a Gentleman; and desir'd his Friends to be spoke to, least one Misfortune should follow another, and that he heartily forgave him, etc. It further appear'd, that he said he was challeng'd, but gave no Account after what manner, whether by Word of Mouth or by Writing. Neither did it appear from him by whom he was challeng'd, but when his Papers were taken out of his Pocket, a Relation of his had receiv'd one, among the rest. (but from what hand he did not know) which he put into his Pocket, and read after the Deceased was dead, and found it to be a Challenge. It is as follows.
	"SIR
	May 8th, 1711
	I shall be able to go abroad tomorrow Morning, and desire you will give me a Meeting with your Sword and a Brace of Pistols, which I insist on. The worthy Gentleman who brings this will concert with you for the Time and Place. I think Tuttle Fields may do well. Hide Park is at this time of Year full of Company. I am Your very Humble Servant, Richard Thornhill."
	This Challenge being produced in Court, a Person of Honour, one of the Prisoner's intimate Friends, who had seen his Hand frequently, being ask'd whether he believ'd it to be the Prisoner's Hand, reply'd, that according to the best of his Knowledge it was not, for he us'd to write in another sort of Character, but a Foot-boy belonging to the Prisoner having the Letter shewn to him, said he did believe it to be his Master's Writing, upon which it was read.
	The Prisoner in his Defence produc'd Evidence, to prove how much he was abus'd by the Deceas'd; how that from the time of his Wounds given, he hath lain in inexpressible Pain and Anguish, so that he could take only Broth and small Beer, for almost a Fortnight, for his Sustenance, was thrown into a Fever, and his Life dispair'd of, and his Jaw-bone at this time in great Danger of mortifying, and the Necessity of loosing more of his Teeth. He further prov'd that the Morning the Dewel was fought, the Deceas'd sought after him, came at 6 in the Morning to Kensington, where he formerly lodg'd, to enquire where he then lodg'd; that he came by 7 to his Lodging in a Hackney-Coach, with a Brace of Pistols in his Hands; went in, and run up the Stairs, and was let into his Dining-Room. Upon which the Servant acquainted the Prisoner, that Sir Cholmeley was there, that the Prisoner then got up, and ask'd him whether he would drink a Dish of Tea, or any small Beer, the Deceas'd chose the latter; and when he had drunk, and the Prisoner was dress'd, they both went down and took the same Coach the Deceas'd came in, and went directly to the Place where they fought the Dewel; and as to the written Challenge, the Boy that swore to it, swore likewise, that he never saw him write it in all his Life time, and so might possibly be mistaken. The Prisoner likewise produc'd a great Number of Witnesses, Men of Quality, that had been his intimate Friends and Acquaintances from a Boy; all which gave him the Character of a very kind, affable and courteous Gentleman, never given to Quarrelling in the least: And on the contrary, produced Evidence, who prov'd the Deceas'd was unhappy that way; he likewise produc'd Evidence, who proved his Serviceableness to the Deceas'd in his Election for Member of Parliament, of his expending several Hundreds of Pounds in his Service, and procuring about 800 Votes for him; and that there had been an entire Friendship between them. Till this sad Accident. After the Trial was over, the Jury went out; but return'd to be inform'd, whether there was two, or four Pistols mentioned by the Witnesses; and the Witness to the Fact being call'd up, depos'd, that there was four Pistols found in the Field: Upon which they went out again; and in a little time return'd, and found him guilty of Manslaughter only.
	Sir James Dick, 1st baronet [NS 1677 and 1707]
	Sir James was present at the sinking of the Gloucester, an English man of war which was transporting the Duke of York (later James II) between London and Edinburgh, when, on 6 May 1682, the ship ran aground on a sand-bank and broke up, resulting in large loss of life. The following letter, written by Sir James Dick to a friend in London, describes his ordeal. The letter was included in William Playfair's British Baronetage published in 1811.
	Upon Sunday last at eight o'clock at night, his Royal Highness [the Duke of York] and his retinue that were alive, arrived safe here, there being a most sad disaster upon the Saturday before. At seven o'clock in the morning, the man of war called the Gloucester, Sir John Berry [c 1636‑1690], Captain, where his Highness was, and a great retinue of noblemen and gentlemen, whereof I was one; the said ship did strike in pieces, and did wholly sink, upon the bank of sand called the Lemon and Oar, about some twelve leagues from Yarmouth. [The entry for Sir John Berry in the DNB places the sinking off the Yorkshire coast, whereas the Oxford DNB places it 25 miles ENE of Cromer, which substantially agrees with Sir James's account.] This was occasioned by the wrong calculation and ignorance of a pilot, which put us all in such consternation, that we knew not what to do, the Duke and the whole that were with him being all in bed when she struck; the helm of the said ship having broke, and the man being killed by the force thereof, at the said first stroke. When the Duke had got his clothes on, he inquired how things stood, she being sunk nine feet of water in the hold, and the sea coming in at the gun ports; and all the seamen and passengers were not at command, every man studying his own safety, forced the Duke to go out at the large window of the cabin, where his little boat was ordered quietly to attend him, lest the passengers and seamen should have thronged so in upon him as to drown the boat: which was accordingly so conveyed, as that none but Earl Winton [George Seton, 4th Earl of Winton], and the President of the Session (Sir George Gordon, of Haddo, afterwards Earl of Aberdeen), with two of his bed-chamber men, (one of these was John Churchill, afterwards Duke of Marlborough), went with him, but were forced to draw their swords to hold people off. We seeing his Highness gone, did cause tackle out with great difficulty the ship's boat, wherein the Earl of Perth [James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth] got in, and then I went by jumping off the shrouds in the boat; the Earl of Middleton [Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton] immediately after me did jump into the same upon my shoulders; withal there came the Laird of Touch, with several others, besides the seamen that were to row, which we thought a sufficient number for her loading, considering there was going such a great sea, occasioned by the wind N.E., and that we saw that at the Duke's boat there was another overwhelmed by reason of the greatness of the sea, which drowned the whole in her except two men, who we saw riding on her keel, which they say were saved. This made us desire to be gone; but before we were aware, there leaped from the shrouds about twenty or twenty-four seamen in upon us, which made all the spectators and us to think we were sinking; but not being able to come at, being so thronged, and all having given us over for lost, did one hundred more to leap in upon us. Among them that were left, were my Lord Roxburgh, and Laird Hopetoun, and Mr. Littledale, Roxburgh's servant, and Dr. Levingston, the President of the Session's man; all being at the place I jumped would not follow, since it seems they concluded more safety to stay in the vessel, than to expose themselves to any other hazard, all which persons in an instant were washed off and all drowned. There perished in this disaster above two hundred persons; for I reckoned there were above two hundred and fifty seamen, and I am sure there were eighty noblemen and gentlemen, their servants being excluded; my computation was we were about three hundred and thirty in all, of which I cannot understand one hundred and thirty to be saved.
	Our difficulties and hazards that were in that boat were wonderful to be all saved, for if they had not thought us all dead men, I am sure there would have been many more jumped into the boat above us, for we were so thronged we had no room to stand; so when we were forcing ourselves off the ship, she being sinking by degrees all the time, was like to sink our boat down, and besides, the waves were so boisterous that we were like to be struck in pieces upon the wreck so sinking; this was not but with great difficulty we forced out the boat from the ship; and when we came to row to the nearest yacht, the waves were such, and we overloaded, that we every moment thought to be been drowned; and being about midway to the yachts, there were a great many swimming for their lives, who catched all a dead gripe of our boat, holding up their heads above water crying help; which hinderance we kept off, and their hands loosed, telling them they would lose both themselves and us. This would not do to make them loose their grip; but they were forced by several in our boat, except one that took hold of me, which I caused catch in the boat, lest I should have been pulled down; and when it pleased God to bring us wonderfully to one of the yacht's sides, being much less as one quarter mile distant, they not daring to come nearer by reason of the bank of sand on which we were lost. And if it had not been that there were guns shot from our ship, showing them our distress by that sign, the other men of war that were immediately following, would have come into that same disaster; but they immediately did bear off, and the four yachts came up as near as they durst, and sent off their boats to help; but all that could be done could not prevent this great loss of two hundred men, as I have said.
	I was in my gown and slippers lying in bed when she first struck, and escaped as I have said in that condition. When unexpectedly and wonderfully we came to the yacht's side called Captain Saunders; we were like to be crushed to pieces by the yacht, which by reason of the great seas was like to run us down, till at length a rope was cast which was so managed that we came to the leeside, and there every man clam for his life, and so did I taking hold of a rope, and so made shift upon the sides till I came within men's reach, when at last I was hauled in. When I looked back, I could not see one bit of the whole great ship above water, but about a Scot's ell [about three feet] of the staff, upon which the royal standard stood, for with her striking she came off the sand-bank which was but three fathom; and her draught was eighteen feet, so there was eighteen fathom water on each side, where she struck, for she broke in the deepest place. Now, if she had continued on the three fathom, and broke in pieces there, all would have had time to save themselves; but such was the misfortune, that she wholly overwhelmed and washed all into the sea that were upon her decks, expecting relief by boats which certainly would have been, if she had but staid half an hour more. So that to conclude this melancholy account, all the above persons, our countrymen there were of respect I have told. There are of English respect dead, my Lord Obrien, and my Lord Hyde's brother, who was and so made shift upon the sides till I came within men's reach, when at last I was hauled in. Lieutenant of the ship.
	The special remainder to the baronetcy of Dickson created in 1803
	From the London Gazette of 31 August 1802 (issue 15511, page 929):-
	The King has been pleased to grant the Dignity of a Baronet of the United Kingdom and Great Britain and Ireland unto Archibald Dickson, of Hardingham Hall, in the County of Norfolk, Esq; Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet, and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten, with Remainder to his Nephew Archibald Collingwood Dickson, Esq; Captain in the Royal Navy, (eldest Son of William Dickson, Esq; also Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty's Fleet) and the Heirs Male of his Body lawfully begotten: Provided such His Majesty's Concession and Declaration be registered in his College of Arms, otherwise to be void and of none Effect.
	Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd baronet
	In July 1885 Sir Charles, who was a Cabinet minister in Gladstone's administration and thought by many to be a future Prime Minister, was accused of seducing Virginia Crawford, wife of Donald Crawford (MP for Lanarkshire North East 1885‑1895). This was alleged to have happened in 1882 when Virginia was only 19. She claimed the affair continued on an irregular basis for the next two and a half years.
	Dilke had, both before and after his first marriage, been the lover of Virginia's mother, Ellen Eustace Smith. The accusations of his relationship with Virginia destroyed Dilke's political career, and caused him to lose his parliamentary seat at the 1886 general election.
	Inevitably, Donald Crawford petitioned for a divorce. The only evidence offered was her husband's account of Virginia's confession - Virginia was not in Court - and some vague accounts made by the servants. Dilke did not give evidence, probably because of his vulnerability over his affair with Virginia's mother. The Judge, Mr Justice Butt, said "I cannot see any case whatsoever against Sir Charles Dilke." In a masterpiece of paradox, he found that although Virginia had been guilty of adultery with Dilke, there was no admissible evidence which proved that Dilke had been guilty of adultery with Virginia. He therefore dismissed Dilke from the case and granted Crawford his divorce.
	The paradoxical nature of Mr Justice Butts' finding left doubts hanging over Dilke's respectability. He therefore sought to clear his name by applying, in April 1886, via the Queen's Proctor, to annul Crawford's decree nisi before it became absolute. Unfortunately for Dilke, his legal team blundered badly. Though they planned to subject Virginia to rigorous cross-examination, Dilke, having been dismissed from the case in the first hearing before Mr Justice Butt, had no standing, since he was not a defendant, merely a witness, and he proved to be an unconvincing one under devastating cross-examination by Henry Matthews (later Viscount Llandaff). The jury found, after only 15 minutes deliberation, that the decree absolute should be granted. Dilke was ruined and for a time seemed likely to be tried for perjury.
	After the trial, various rumours circulated about Dilke's alleged sex-life - for example, he had invited a maidservant to engage in 'troilism', where he had introduced her to 'every kind of French vice'.
	Dilke spent much of the remainder of his life and much of his fortune in trying to exonerate himself. He returned to Parliament in 1892 and remained an MP until his death in 1911.
	In hindsight, the balance of opinion today appears to be that it was likely that Virginia lied. She (and her sisters) appear to have been promiscuous. They are reputed to have visited a Knightsbridge brothel where they met a Captain Henry Foster. One theory has been proposed that it was to protect Foster that Dilke was falsely named. Other theories have implicated the Earl of Rosebery and Joseph Chamberlain.
	Sir Tristram Dillington, 5th baronet
	The Dillington baronets lived at Knighton Gorges, one of the largest houses on the Isle of Wight, situated near Sandown on the island's eastern coast. The house itself was demolished in 1821 by its then-owner, whose daughter had married a clergyman without his permission. In order to prevent the daughter from inheriting the house, the owner had it torn down and all that remains today are two stone gateposts. These gateposts feature in ghost stories, usually being sighted with gargoyles being perched atop them, even though no such gargoyles exist.
	The area around the demolished house is said to be haunted by various ghosts, and even the vanished house is said to reappear on occasions. One story has it that a man was out walking when he came across a large house and, peering through a window, saw a crowded drawing-room full of revellers in Georgian costume.
	The last of the Dillington baronets was Sir Tristram, the 5th baronet. He is alleged to have committed suicide in 1721. The cause of his suicide is variously stated to be grief over the death of his wife and their children from a 'fever'; alternatively, other sources say that he killed himself after incurring heavy gambling debts after the death of his wife. In any event, all stories agree that Sir Tristram's faithful valet (or butler) let Sir Tristram's favourite horse loose, with the baronet's dead body mounted on the horse, in order to fake a riding accident. This was done in order to mask the fact of suicide, since, in those times, the property of suicides reverted to the Crown. It is said that a ghostly Sir Tristram mounted on a horse can be seen on the anniversary of his death.
	Sir John Fox Dillon, 7th baronet [UK 1801] and Laurence Michael Dillon, brother of the 8th baronet
	The following account of the burning of Sir John Dillon's house during the fighting in Ireland in the early 1920s appeared in the London Daily Telegraph on 9 April 1923:-
	The residence of Sir John F. Dillon at Lismullen, co. Meath, half-way between Navan and Dunshaughlin, on the high road leading to Dublin, was burned to the ground on Saturday morning by six armed men. Sir John, his wife and daughter and the servants were preparing to go to bed about 11.30, when the strangers entered the house and made known their intentions, adding that they were very sorry. "Surely," said Sir John, "you will not burn down my house after all I did for you." This was in reference to a friendly turn done by Sir John in the days before the present conflict. It appears his motor-car was lent to some of the Republican party who were then in occupation of the Four Courts, Dublin, under Rory O'Connor [1883‑1922, an Irish Republican revolutionary, who, together with Liam Mellows, was executed in 1922 in reprisal for the assassination of Sean Hales - for further information see the note at the foot of the page containing details of the constituency of Meath North]. They kept the car a week, and returned it with a letter thanking Sir John and Lady Dillon for their kindness.
	The men consulted and went outside. They returned soon after, expressing their regret at being unable to do anything for Sir John, and adding that they had to comply with their orders. They, however, told him that they would give him time to save any articles of value which he selected, and they assisted him to save some small things. Then the usual proceedings followed, and soon the place was consumed by the flames, only portions of the servants' quarters being saved.
	The 7th baronet's kinsman, Sir Robert Dillon, inherited the title on the death of the 7th baronet in 1925. Reference books of the time show that he had a younger sibling, Laura Maud Dillon, born 1 May 1915.
	The following passage is extracted from My Forty Years with Debrett by Cyril Hankinson [Robert Hale Limited, London 1963]:-
	One day I was informed that a Dr Dillon wished to see me. On entering our interviewing room I found a little man with a luxurious red beard puffing away at a pipe - so much smoke did he emit that one might have thought the place was on fire. He had already removed a volume of Debrett from the book-case and was poring over it. Having greeted me he put his finger against the name of Laura Maud Dillon, sister of Sir Robert Dillon, 8th Bt, of Lismullen, county Meath, and said "That's me."
	Naturally I looked somewhat startled so he went on to explain that he had changed his sex and had, therefore, become the heir to his brother's baronetcy. In proof of his statement he produced an altered birth certificate in which the names Laura Maud had been amended to Laurence Michael. He said he would like his name changed in Debrett and to be shown as "brother living" of the baronet. This, of course, I agreed to do. He then begged me not to mention anything about the matter to anyone as he was most embarassed by the situation. He added that he was leaving England shortly to become a ship's doctor on a vessel plying between India and Japan and would not be returning to this country for some years. I promised not to reveal what had transpired at our interview to anyone outside the office, but warned him that the alteration which had been made was almost bound to be spotted sooner or later.
	Eventually, but not for a surprisingly long time, the change from 'sister living' to 'brother living' was noticed by a reporter who found that Burke's Peerage stated that Sir Robert Dillon had a sister living, whereas Debrett said he had a brother. I refused to comment on the matter, but the story was published. I feel able to reveal some particulars of this case as Dr Dillon's death [on 15 May 1962] was reported shortly after I retired. In an obituary notice it was stated that after publicity was given in the press to his change of sex the doctor became a Buddhist monk and went to live in a monastery in Tibet.
	There is no doubt that Laurence Michael Dillon was heir to his older brother's baronetcy. The interesting question is: - what would have happened if Laurence had originally been the 8th baronet's older sister? Presumably, once Laurence had been granted an amended birth certificate, his brother would have been required to cede the baronetcy to him?
	For more detailed information on Laurence Dillon, see the note immediately following this one.
	Laurence Michael Dillon, brother of Sir Robert William Charlier Dillon, 8th baronet (1 May 1915 - 15 May 1962)
	Laurence Michael Dillon was born Laura Maud Dillon in 1915, and in 1946 became the first female-to-male transsexual to undergo sexual reassignment. The story of this change is told in a book entitled Michael nee Laura: The Story of the World's First Female-to-Male Transsexual by Liz Hodgkinson [Columbus Books, London 1989]. The following article, written by Kathy Sheridan, which appeared in The Irish Times on 8 May 1989, is a review of that book:-
	Trinity College, Dublin, has much to boast about in the alumni who have passed through its hallowed halls over the centuries. Now it can add yet another accolade to its list of distinctions. Michael Dillon, son of the heir to the baronetcy of Lismullen (County Meath), qualified there as a medical doctor in July, 1951. He was also the world's first female to male reconstructed transsexual.
	His story, as told in Liz Hodgkinson's new book, is a short, fascinating and ultimately tragic one, beginning with the birth, in a west London nursing home on May 1st, 1915, of an anatomically and biologically normal healthy female child - and ending with the mysterious death of the same individual, by now a Buddhist monk, in India aged 47.
	Seven months after she married his father, Robert Dillon, in London, Michael's mother, Laura Maud, gave birth to their first child, christened Robert William Charlier Dillon, a delicate, sickly baby. The mother, still not quite recovered from the birth, gave birth again within a year. This time it was a healthy, robust girl but Laura Maud (already a tragic widow when she met Dillon's father) died two days later of puerperal fever. She was 27.
	The father, distraught and unable to cope with the death of his young wife, refused to even look at the new baby. His only directive was that she was to be named Laura Maud - after her mother - and the birth was registered six weeks later, not by the baby's father but by the maternity nurse who attended the birth.
	Rejected by her father on the day she was born, never to know the love or pride of a mother, baby Laura and her brother were packed off to Folkestone to be reared in the all-female household of Dillon's three unmarried sisters. Laura remembers seeing her father only three times between then and his death when she was 10.
	Aunt Melita (known as Toto) ruled the roost and was a pathologically miserly woman with neither vision nor imagination, still less any of the sensitivity required in the rearing of two young children. They were reared according to strictly orthodox, upper-class convention; the boy to be a gentleman; the girl to be secondary, passive, kept in the background. From early on, Laura gave notice that this was a role that didn't greatly suit her.
	Far from being compliant, demure and pretty, she became a tomboy who turned her new-found sewing skills to fashioning a Red Indian suit in which to hunt down 'palefaces'.
	While on a visit to the barber's at around the age of five or six, she announced to the nanny that she wanted her hair cut just like Bobby's - but it remained in its girlish, beribboned bob. It was, ironically, her father's mistress, Mrs. Hearns - who was Irish - who first picked up on Laura's craving to be a boy. One of Laura's short and very few visits to the hotel owned by her father, and managed by Mrs. Hearne, the woman suddenly declared: "We'll take you to the blacksmith's and have you made into a boy."
	It was only when Bobby was sent to prep school while Laura remained at home with a governess, that she began to discover the profound differences between boys and girls, and not just in the anatomical sense. Not only was she excluded from Bobby's school, which she passionately wanted to attend, but she was also rigorously excluded from his new-found set of friends. When the seventh baronet died three weeks after Laura's father in 1925 the rift between her and her brother became final with Bobby's consequent elevation to the baronetcy.
	The Dillon's ancestral home at Lismullen, formerly a 14th century nunnery, was the last of the great houses to be burnt down by Sinn Fein. But with Bobby's accession to the title, Mrs. Hearn (as one of their guardians) decided that a new house should be built on the estate. The Government gave appreciable sums for new buildings but tiny amounts for restoration projects. Between the ages of 10 and 14 Laura spent summer holidays there in what was clearly a magical atmosphere for children, and estate of 360 acres which included a lake, pond and woods, plenty of barns, stables and haylofts.
	Meanwhile, she had begun to menstruate in the normal way, which was bad enough, but Laura was so horrified to find her breasts beginning to develop that she wore a belt around them to flatten them. At school, the singing mistress found her increasingly deep singing voice so objectionable that she recommended that she abandon her singing lessons. Her home life was unspeakably miserable and she responded to her aunts' insensitivity by becoming spiky, sullen and rude.
	She won a mighty battle with her aunts and succeeded in winning a place at Oxford but before going there she had an experience - a perfectly insignificant one to any observer - which was to change her life. Out on a walk with a friend, he stood back at one point to let Laura pass, just as he would for any woman. She was aghast. "He thinks I'm a woman," she thought and for the first time became aware that other people had an impression of her that was quite distinct from her own. She wasn't aware at that point that she was a transsexual but she knew for sure that she didn't feel like a woman. She was 5 foot 6, a perfectly normal biological woman with a slightly androgynous build. Otherwise, mentally and emotionally she was a man.
	Aged 24 and working in a laboratory, she at last found a sympathetic doctor, who subsequently got nervous and backed away - but not before giving her a supply of the male hormone, testosterone, newly available in tablet form. These stopped her menstruating; they also caused her voice to deepen and hair to grow on her face - but she continued to wear a shirt, a sight which made the garage proprietor blink twice when she applied for a job as a petrol pump attendant. For a miserable four years she stuck it out; it enabled her to make a lifelong friend in Gilbert Barrow, another garage hand, but it also allowed her to "disappear" while she made the changeover from female to male. She also began to call herself Michael.
	The breasts were the main source of anguish by now. When Michael underwent a bilateral mastectomy, it was one of the great moments of his life - in spite of the ugly triangular scars left behind and the continuous vomiting caused by the general anaesthetic. He became a man, officially, a fortnight before his 29th birthday, when his birth certificate was amended to read Laurence Michael instead of Laura Maud, and "girl" made to read "boy".
	"Male and female created He them" was Toto's reaction to the news but Bobby (managing his Irish estates and called to the Irish Bar) responded with a shudder of disbelief and horror and thereafter cut Michael out of his life and consciousness until his death in 1983 [sic - 1982]. (According to the book's author, even now, the remaining members of Michael's family are reluctant to discuss the matter).
	Undaunted, Michael got in contact with Sir Harold Gillies, who professed himself willing to have a go at constructing a penis on a biological female - something he had never attempted before.
	While waiting for the operation, Michael got a place in Trinity College's medical school (having failed the preliminary examinations at both Edinburgh and London) and arrived there in the autumn of 1945. A contemporary, Patricia Leeson, was one of the few who became his friend and knew of his past. "He was a very nice person, although always rather remote … quite hardworking, never brilliant, completely ordinary …"
	Dr James Morrow, another contemporary, recalled that he had heard that Dillon was a woman: "but to tell the truth, I didn't believe it."
	Michael's holidays were spent at Sir Harold Gillies's hospital at Basingstoke, where he underwent many protracted and painful operations. Gillies had mastered the "tube pedicle" technique, a means of transporting living flesh from one part of the body to another. By raising two abdominal tubes and inserting one into the other, he was able to produce a penile shaft and urethra. Into this he implanted a cartilage to produce a semi-erectile condition, and although it was "rough-hewn" by all accounts, it worked in a manner of speaking.
	At least the recipient could urinate from it, if nothing else. From this point of view, the operation was as successful as it could have been and Michael's new equipment apparently gave him no further cause for concern during the rest of his life.
	He qualified as a doctor in 1951. While in Ireland, he had had a paper published in the Irish Medical Journal while still a student. He also won first prize in the all-Ireland students' essay competition in which he spoke about the newly introduced National Health Service (he was against it).
	He bought a house at 9 Oaklands Park, Ballsbridge, in Dublin, and got a job as a resident medical officer "at a small hospital in the north of Dublin" which paid the princely sum of £1 a week. He used the experience to improve the quality of life for many long-stay hospital patients by introducing occupational therapy, head phones for each bed and days out in the country. Later, as a ship's doctor, he crossed what seemed to him the final hurdle in shedding his past for good. He called on the editor of Debrett's Peerage with his amended birth certificate and requested that the entry should now be changed to Laurence Michael. The editor readily agreed (acknowledging Michael's claim to the baronetcy as the next male in line to his married but childless brother Bobby) and assured him that changes in Debrett were automatically followed in Burke's.
	But Burke's failed to pick it up and it was the resulting discrepancy that led to Michael's eventual exposure. While his ship lay in Baltimore Harbour, he was handed a telegram. It read: "Do you intend to claim the title since your change-over?" For nearly 15 years he had taken his place as a man without challenge or comment and now Laura had come back to haunt him, thanks to this volley from the 'Daily Express'. His secret of 15 years standing was out.
	Although he met with some surprising kindness during this trauma, for Michael Dillon, what the 'Daily Express' had done (and others that followed) was unimaginably cruel. Assuming that his naval career must now be over, he put ashore at Calcutta on the next sailing and never returned to the West. He became a Buddhist monk, adopting a new name, Lobzang Jivaka, and instructed his Dublin lawyers to dispose of his estate while he was living. It was a hard way of life - certainly contributing to his early death.
	His money was all given away - and there were substantial amounts of it. Some of it went towards supporting struggling university students as well as his fellow Buddhists. His Aunt Toto's miserliness had had the opposite effect on him. But quite apart from that, Michael Dillon was a complete original. He embraced Buddhism long before it became a trendy religion in the West and championed greater tolerance to homosexuality and lesbianism when people were far more confined to stereotyped gender roles than they are now. He also wrote his memoirs which - in view of his crying need for secrecy - probably represented the most intimidating hurdle of all.
	The two oldest sons of Sir John Talbot Dillwyn Llewelyn, 1st baronet
	Sir John lost his two eldest children in accidents, the first by drowning and his second son in a gun accident. Taking the deaths in reverse chronological order, the following report is taken from The Dundee Courier & Argus of 28 August 1893:-
	A great sensation was caused at Swansea on Saturday morning by the news that Mr William Llewelyn, eldest [surviving] son of Sir John Dillwyn Llewelyn, had been found dead, shot through the heart, in Penllergaer Woods. It appears that the unfortunate gentleman was out on Friday with a shooting party, and as at a late hour he did not return home a search was made for him, when he was discovered lying dead with his gun by his side. The deceased, who was born in 1868, and was a Justice of the Peace for the county of Glamorgan, was engaged to be married shortly to the eldest daughter of Lord Dynevor. It is conjectured that Mr Llewelyn shot himself accidentally. The deceased was a nephew of Sir Michael Hicks‑Beach [later Earl St. Aldwyn]. Mr Llewelyn was a well-known cricketer, and was a member of the Oxford eleven. His young brother, Charles, was married as recently as Thursday to Miss Venables, and the house of festivity has thus been suddenly transformed into one of mourning. Deceased's elder brother was drowned some years ago in Caswell Bay.
	The subsequent inquest was reported in the Nottinghamshire Guardian of 2 September 1893:-
	The inquest on the body of the deceased was held on Saturday afternoon. Sir John Llewelyn, the father of the deceased, said he last saw his son alive at 11 o'clock on Friday morning, when he was returning from Dynevor Castle. At about 12.30 on that day he suspected something was wrong, because his son was not at the house to meet the Hon. Miss Gladys Rice, the young lady to whom he was about to be married, and he made a search for him but was unsuccessful. The deceased had gone out with his gun and fishing rod, as he was frequently in the habit of doing. In the evening a further search was made in the neighbourhood of the Cai Garw Lake, where the deceased's basket, fishing rod, and hat were found, and about 20 yards distant the body was discovered. There was a gunshot wound over the heart, and deceased's waist-coat was singed. The gun was found lying by the side of the body with the nozzle pointing towards deceased. Witness had no doubt that the deceased met his death by accident. The gun was a hammer gun, which had not been used for two years, and there might have been an element of danger in going back to it after using others. A tenant on the estate said he saw the deceased in the morning, when he told him to tell all the men who had been in camp at Aldershot that he intended giving them 2s. 6d. each that evening. They were to meet deceased in the Drill Hall. - Dr. Ebor Davies said death had occurred several hours previous to the discovery of the body. The left lung was penetrated, and the large vessels of the heart were divided. Death must have been instantaneous. Everything pointed to accident. A verdict of "Accidental death" was returned, and a vote of condolence passed.
	The elder brother referred to at the end of the Dundee Courier & Argus report was John Michael Dillwyn Llewelyn, who drowned while swimming on 27 August 1878, as reported in the Cardiff Western Mail of 29 August 1878:-
	On Tuesday afternoon a sad occurrence happened in Caswell Bay, near the Mumbles [near Swansea in Wales], by which John Michael Dillwyn Llewelyn, the eldest son of Mr. John Talbot Dillwyn Llewelyn, of Ynisygerwn, Neath, and high sheriff of Glamorganshire, lost his life. It seems that Mr. Llewelyn is now staying with his family at Caswell, and on Tuesday afternoon the deceased, who was 12 years of age [other reports give his age as 14], went into the sea with his two brothers to bathe. This was about four o'clock, and shortly afterwards the attention of Mr. John Lewis, of Fairfield House, was called to the boy, who appeared to be in distress. The sea is generally rough in Caswell Bay, and on Tuesday it appears to have been unusually strong. Mr. Lewis, however, proceeded as fast as he could to the place where the deceased was struggling, and succeeded in getting hold of him once, but the sea threw him about with such force that he was compelled to let go his hold, and the unfortunate boy disappeared beneath the waves in the sight of his mother, who was on the beach at the time. Miss Maskelyne, a cousin of the deceased, then attempted to rescue him. She swam boldly out, heedless of the danger which she was encountering, and bravely battling with the waves which seemed at times to render her helpless - in fact, those on shore thought that she too would become a victim in her bold attempt. Unfortunately she did not succeed in finding her cousin, and after being in the water for a considerable time, she was thrown against the rocks in an exhausted condition … From that time until midnight search was made for the body amongst the rocks and on the sands by the large number of persons who had by this time assembled, but it was not until about twelve o'clock that it was washed ashore almost at the feet of … the father …
	As the baronetcy still exists, details of the members of the family can be found in Burke's Peerage. However, not all members are shown - there is no mention at all of John Michael Dillwyn Llewelyn, nor, as far as I can tell, has there ever been any mention of him in my earlier editions of Burke's, going as far back as 1900. It is as if he never existed.
	Sir John Holdsworth Dimsdale, 2nd baronet, and his wife
	The inquest on Sir John Holdsworth Dimsdale, Bart., son of a former Lord Mayor of London, found dead from bullet wounds in Seasalter Churchyard, Whitstable, ended yesterday evening in a verdict of suicide whilst of unsound mind.
	Evidence showed that Sir John, who had been residing at the Bear and Key Hotel, Whitstable, received a telephone message from a local bank manager on Tuesday morning that a cheque for nine pounds drawn on another bank had been returned marked "Not sufficient". Sir John, surprised, said he had paid in £250 to the bank in question on the previous day. At his request the cheque was presented again.
	Other evidence showed that, meanwhile, on Tuesday, after ordering breakfast, Sir John went apparently to Seasalter and shot himself with a revolver, being discovered lying dead in the evening by a local builder. No valedictory letter was left.
	Lady Elizabeth Grace Dimsdale [sic], his wife, who had been living in the hotel opposite Sir John's, stated that she thought the motive must be financial worry. The Coroner said it seemed a very unlikely motive for a man to take his life because of £9.
	The witness said that Sir John had told her that there was no occasion to worry about money matters. She had been married to Sir John nearly eleven years. He had many times threatened to take his life when he was cross, but she did not take any notice of it.
	The Coroner, in summing up, said the motive did not seem to him to be an adequate one. It was, however, the only evidence that had been given.
	After Sir John's death, his widow apparently could not carry on. A report in the Manchester Guardian of 27 October 1923 states that "Lady Dimsdale was again before the county magistrates at Canterbury yesterday charged with attempted suicide." The use of the word 'again' indicates that this was not the first occasion she had attempted to kill herself. Lady Dimsdale admitted that she had made several attempts to drown herself by walking into the sea at Whitstable, but on each occasion the waves had washed her back to shore.
	The magistrates dismissed the charge on the condition that Lady Dimsdale enter a home for girls at Maidstone, where she would be placed in the home's kitchen to assist the matron.
	Unfortunately, her stay in the girl's home was merely a temporary solution. After leaving the home, Lady Dimsdale was employed as a 'social mistress' at a school in Greenwich, Connecticut, but had returned to England at the time of her death in October 1926, when she died as a result of drinking a bottle of Lysol, a popular cleaner and disinfectant.
	Sir Willoughby Wolstan Dixie, 7th baronet
	Sir Willoughby spent the last few years of his life in hot water, being twice arrested on different charges. The first report is taken from the Caledonian Mercury of 30 July 1825, reprinted from the Leicester Journal:-
	The town of Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, has been thrown into an unusual state of excitation during the past week, owing to the committal to the county gaol of its principal inhabitant, Sir Willoughby Woolston Dixie, Bart., on a charge of maliciously shooting.
	It appears that as the Rev. Mr. Wright, the vicar of that place, and his son, who is also a clergyman, were returning in a gig from the visitation held at Leicester, on Saturday, they were fired at from a window in the Baronet's house. Not having been living of late upon the best terms with their wealthy but eccentric neighbour, the Reverend Gentlemen naturally became alarmed at the occurrence, and lost no time in laying the facts before the Rev. Mr. Fell, a Magistrate of the county, who appointed Monday last to investigate the matter. Mr. Bond of this town [i.e. Leicester], Sir Willoughby's solicitor, having been sent for, the affair underwent inquiry at the public room at Bosworth, which ended in the Rev. Magistrate making out his warrant of committal against the Baronet, who is to take his trial upon the charge at our Assizes next week. This circumstance becoming known, the inhabitants, with great numbers of whom the Baronet is very popular, began to assume a tone and attitude which rendered it necessary to call in a strong civil power. In consequence thereof, the Under Sheriff (Mr. Miles) procured the assistance of a considerable number of constables from the surrounding neighbourhood, who, arming themselves with staves, hedge stakes, etc. took their station in the town, to preserve the public peace. Notwithstanding these precautions, however, a chaise, which had been sent for from Hinchley, had its traces cut, and other symptoms of a turbulent disposition were manifested, which rendered it advisable not to remove the prisoner till the crowd had dispersed. There appearing little probability that this would be the case up to a late hour, it was determined that he should be brought up to Leicester early the next morning. Accordingly, at break of day, a chaise and four drove up to the George Inn, and Sir Willoughby having taken his seat therein, with a constable on one side, and his solicitor on the other, drove off for Leicester, followed by six constables on horseback. About five o'clock the Baronet reached the county gaol. On getting out of the chaise he surveyed the building, and then walked into prison with his usual sang froid. His carriage and four fine iron-grey horses entered the town shortly after, and drove to the Bell Hotel. Sir Willoughby has apartments in front of the gaol, but is not allowed to have his servants wait upon him. He has, however, a person in attendance, who is constantly with him. His solicitor, of course, is also permitted to see him. We understand that the Baronet has been in the habit of frequently shooting at birds from the window above alluded to, which is his billiard room, and that the defence to be set up to the charge upon which he is committed will be, that he was doing so on the day in question. The distance of the premises from the road on which the Messrs. Wright were passing is more than 150 yards, and the shot discharged at them was of the description used in killing small birds. None of the shot took effect upon their persons, although they fell very near them. Bail to any amount has been offered, but refused.
	Although Sir Willoughby was committed for trial, when the time came to hear the charges the two clergymen declined to prosecute the matter any further, and Dixie was therefore released.
	Sir Willoughby returned to the news in 1827, when in May of that year he was again arrested. The following report appeared in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser on 12 October 1827 [which illustrates the time taken for English news to reach Australia in the days before the opening of the international telegraph line]:-
	On Thursday week, a warrant was issued for the apprehension of the above gentleman [Sir Willoughby Dixie], living in the county of Leicester. The charge preferred against the Baronet is of a most serious and revolting nature, inasmuch as the warrant set forth, that he has "violated and feloniously made an assault upon his own daughter, Eleanor Francis Anna Dixie, an infant under the age of ten years." The warrant was placed in the hands of Unwin and Lambert, two experienced officers in the borough of Leicester. The Magistrates suspecting that some resistance would be offered in the execution of their fiat, ordered Unwin and Lambert, not only to arm themselves, but to select four other officers to assist them in the business. Accordingly, the six individuals alluded to took a post-chaise from the Crowns Hotel, Leicester, two of them as outriders, and proceeded about four o'clock in the afternoon of the day mentioned, to Bosworth-hall, a distance of fifteen miles, and arrived there about six o'clock. The outer door of the mansion was open, and three of the officers, with Unwin at their head, entered, and inquired of the footman where his master could be found. He replied he could not possibly be seen. He was then charged in the King's name to aid and assist, which he also refused, and endeavoured to obstruct the officers in the execution of their duty. Unwin then produced his fire-arms, and expressed his determination to shoot him or anyone else who interfered. The premises being very extensive, the officers perambulated the various passages, and tried all the doors they could find, two of which they broke open, and entered one of the rooms. He was not, however, to be found, till after the lapse of two hours, when the room they suspected was forcibly entered with the assistance of a carpenter, and there they discovered the Baronet. He made no resistance, but insisted upon remaining in the house all night; this was complied with, as the officers knew how extremely popular the prisoner was amongst his tenantry, at Bosworth. During the night, he made several observations to the officers, denying the charge in toto: and further added, that "if he had loaded his six-pounder and fired it off, he should have blown them all to ---- together." [At] five o'clock in the morning permission was granted that Sir Willoughby should ride to Leicester in his own carriage, in consequence of a doctor's certificate, which stated that the chaise would not be a proper conveyance, owing to an inflammation in the Baronet's leg, which required it to be kept in a horizontal position. The equipage, with four grey horses, drew up at the hall door, but Unwin insisted that the postillion from the Crowns [Hotel] should drive the leaders, with two officers as outriders. They arrived in Leicester about seven, and the Baronet was safely placed in the county gaol. At first he refused to get out unless the gaoler came to receive him with proper honours. On Saturday the Magistrates entered into an investigation of the affair at the county public-office, which lasted several hours, and the case stands adjourned till a future day.
	In early September 1827, the Leicester Journal reported that "the case of Sir Willoughby Dixie, Bart., for an alleged violation of his own daughter, did not come before the Court at our assizes. It is said to have been disposed of in a private room of the Castle, between the Counsel on both sides." Sir Willoughby died shortly after.
	Lady Florence Caroline Dixie, wife of Sir Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie, 11th baronet
	Lady Florence was the sister of the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, famous for implementing the Marquess of Queensberry Rules for boxing and for his vendetta against Oscar Wilde. Lady Florence was born 24 May 1855 and married, on 3 April 1875, Sir Alexander Beaumont Churchill Dixie, 11th baronet. Due to his initials, Dixie was known as Sir A.B.C.D.
	In March 1883, she caused a sensation when she claimed to have been kidnapped by Irish agitators. According to the report in The Times of 19 March 1883:-
	On Saturday afternoon [17 March] in broad daylight and attempt was made by two persons to assassinate Lady Florence Dixie, whose letters in reference to the funds of the Irish Land League are supposed to constitute the motive for the outrage. The miscreants were dressed in female attire, but are supposed to have been men in disguise. Sir Beaumont and Lady Florence Dixie reside at the Fishery, a pleasant riverside residence on the Berks[hire] shore of the Thames, two miles and a half from Windsor and between that town and Maidenhead. The high road passes close to the house, which is situated between the road and the river. On Saturday afternoon about 4 o'clock Lady Florence Dixie was walking in the road between the Fishery and Surly-hall, which is a short distance off, when two persons, seemingly women, approached her. Lady Florence turned into the grounds adjoining her residence and observed the two persons follow her by the same entrance. She was at that time leaning against some railings, but she at once faced and walked towards them. One asked her what o'clock it was, and Lady Florence replied that she had not got her watch with her. Immediately one of the assailants rushed upon her, knocked her down, and filled her mouth with mud to prevent any cries for assistance being heard. The other then stabbed her with a knife or dagger in two places in the left breast, the point both times apparently striking the steel of her stays, and preventing the weapon from penetrating the body. Lady Florence had with her a large Mount St. Bernard dog, which attacked the assailants; and as a cart was heard passing along the road the miscreants made off. Sir Beaumont Dixie was at the river side at the time of the occurrence, and before he was aware of what had occurred they had disappeared. No trace of them has since [been] discovered. Sir Beaumont immediately procured a conveyance from Surly-hall Hotel, proceeded to Windsor and gave information to Mr Superintendent Hayes, of the Windsor Borough Police, of the occurrence. It was a quarter to 6 when he arrived at the station. The crime not having been committed within the borough, Mr Hayes directed Sir Beaumont to the Berks County Police-station at Clewer, near which he must have passed on his way to Windsor. Some valuable time was lost; but telegrams were quickly sent to Maidenhead and Reading, and Superintendent Iremonger, of the former place, at once sent out men in search. Information was also telegraphed to Scotland-yard. The dress worn by Lady Florence Dixie at the time has been examined by the police, who find that a knife has passed through the bodice to the steel of the stays, as stated above. Her life had been saved by the circumstance of the weapon striking a hard substance. Lady Florence became faint on returning to her house, but this morning had almost recovered from the shock which the attempt on her life had naturally occasioned, as she only complained of being a little dizzy. Her impression is that she had a blow on her head, although there is no mark there. She is able to give only a very imperfect description of the two persons who attacked her. One wore a veil, and both had smooth faces. She was also unable to say what direction they took on leaving the grounds. It is supposed that they came from the direction of Windsor, as just before the occurrence a village cart was seen going at great speed along the road from Windsor, and in this cart there were two women - as they appeared to be - huddled up. The police have as yet obtained very little information. There were people on the road near the Fishery, including a soldier, who from his uniform is supposed to be a pioneer of the Grenadier Guards, and who, it is thought, may have seen something of the two persons. In the evening information was conveyed to the Queen. The police are still engaged in making inquiries, but with very little hope of success. Lady Florence Dixie was not attended by any medical man as the injuries were not such as to render it necessary; her hands were, however, much cut in her efforts to seize the weapon.
	Lady Florence's story was front-page news in all of the contemporary papers, but, as time passed, the words used in the various headlines began to subtly change. Initially, the headlines were of the nature of 'Dastardly attack on Lady Florence Dixie', but over the next fortnight, the tone of the headlines began to change, firstly to the 'Reported attack on Lady Dixie' and then to the' Alleged attack on Lady Dixie'. Eventually, the headlines began to query whether she had been attacked at all - for example, some newspapers reminded their readers that Lady Florence had been mistaken on other occasions, citing a recent incident in which she had published a letter from the Zulu king, Cetewayo, which he denied having written. She had also published a poem in 1879, following the death of the Prince Imperial [son of Napoleon III of France], which she claimed to have written six years earlier as a result of a prophetic dream.
	Her credibility was seriously damaged by the evidence of 'an Eton gentleman' who swore that he had Lady Florence in his sight during the whole of the period in which the alleged attack was supposed to have taken place and that no such attack was made. Nothing was ever proved either way, as far as I can ascertain, nor were any suspects ever arrested, but it seems that a good proportion of the public believed that the alleged attack was a figment of Lady Florence's imagination.
	Notwithstanding this incident, Lady Florence was remarkable in many other ways. She travelled throughout Patagonia and published a book detailing her travels; she was a war correspondent during the First Boer War and the Anglo-Zulu War; played a major role in establishing the Women's Football Association and was an early feminist, publishing in 1890 the book Gloriana; or the Revolution of 1900 which is described by I F Clarke in his Tale of the Future as "a melodramatic romance written around a campaign for women's rights." Lady Florence died on 7 November 1905, aged 50.
	The attempt in 1976 to claim the Dixie baronetcy
	Following the death of Sir Alexander Archibald Douglas Wolstan Dixie, 13th baronet, in December 1975, the baronetcy became extinct. However, he was survived by two daughters, the elder of whom attempted to claim the baronetcy for herself. The following article appeared in The New York Times on 23 June 1976:-
	Bosworth Park, England - A pub in this pastoral Leicestershire village is named for the Dixie family. Nearby is the now defunct Dixie Grammar School, which gave Samuel Johnson his first teaching job. The Dixie's ancestral home still stands, although now it is the local infirmary.
	Three Dixies live here today, all women. There is Penelope Lady Dixie and her daughters, Eleanor, 23 years old, named for the wife of Henry III, and Caroline, 16. The daughters' paternal great-grandfather gambled away the old house and nearly everything else of value, but there is no apparent concern over depleted fortunes.
	What does worry them is that Eleanor, the elder child of the late Sir Wolstan Dixie, has been banished from the ranks of the English nobility, probably with all future Dixies. The reason is simply that Miss Dixie is a woman.
	Miss Dixie has stirred up a storm over her plight, appealing all the way to Queen Elizabeth II, a woman who was able to ascend to the throne. In a country where traditions and titles are often more highly prized than money, property or anything else, Miss Dixie's difficulties have aroused considerable interest.
	"My father," she said, "was a baronet. He was the 13th in a line of Dixie baronets. I want the baronetcy to go on."
	Other noble family trees have withered in Britain when they stopped sprouting men, and that was the end of them. But Britain has awakened to womens' rights, and late last year the Government enacted a comprehensive law against sex discrimination. It took effect just hours after Sir Wolstan's death on Dec. 28, 1975.
	So far, though, the law hasn't helped. Miss Dixie wrote first to the Queen, who passed the letter on to the Home Office for advice. The Home Office told Miss Dixie that it had advised the Queen against granting the appeal but did not give a reason. Miss Dixie then wrote to the Equal Opportunities Commission, which was created under the new sex discrimination act. But the commission told her that the law did not cover hereditary titles.
	Miss Dixie is now collecting signatures for a petition that she will present to the Home Office. In only three days, 400 people signed it, but she wants hundreds of thousands. "The idea," she said, "is to make them change their mind about their advice to the Queen."
	The Dixies live in a large brick house whose ground floor they have made into a restaurant and low-keyed discotheque. It stands on the edge of Bosworth Field, where in 1485 an embattled Richard III is said to have offered his kingdom for a horse. He died there instead.
	The house is bathed in family history. Large oil portraits of the baronets of Bosworth Park and their wives fill the walls. Part way up the stairs is an elaborate chart tracing the evolution of the family's coat of arms. Miss Dixie and her mother seal their letters in wax, stamping it with the family crest on their rings.
	Within easy reach in the house is a weathered sheet of parchment creating the baronetcy in 1660, about 20 years after Charles I authorized it. There, in laboriously written Latin, are the words behind Miss Dixie's difficulties.
	They say that the baronetcy, the lowest order of hereditary nobility, may be passed on only through the male line. Sometimes the rules creating noble families allow daughters to inherit titles in the absence of males. But that is not the case in most noble families and it is not the case for the Dixies.
	The baronetcy could go to a male cousin, but the only one the Dixie women recall died at Dunkirk. An American Dixie could try to claim it, but the cost of tracing his lineage back to Boswell Park could be prohibitive. Two centuries ago, a branch of Dixies settled in Harlem, where they tried to grow tobacco. They failed and moved south.
	The first Wolstan Dixie, Lady Dixie said, rallied to the cause of Charles I, providing him with funds to field a regiment for three years. Charles believed he ruled by divine right, a position that cost him his head at the hands of a Parliament against which he had waged civil war.
	Before then, though, Charles took care of Wolstan Dixie. "The Crown couldn't afford to pay him back," Lady Dixie said. "Even kings get hard up, you know. So instead he gave out honors."
	Eleanor Dixie is hardly a feminist revolutionary, or any other kind of revolutionary. She still supports male prerogatives when there are males around to claim them. And if she is asking the state to modify a tradition that discriminates against women, she is doing it to preserve a tradition that discriminates on the ground of one's parentage.
	"My aim, " she said, "is to have the title lie dormant until I produce a male heir."
	Sir James Henry Domville, 5th baronet
	Sir James committed suicide by shooting himself in September 1919. The following report of the subsequent inquest appeared in The Manchester Guardian on 16 September 1919:-
	At the inquest at Westminster yesterday on Sir James Domville, a retired naval officer who was found at the United Services Club on Saturday suffering from a gunshot wound, and subsequently died in hospital, his brother, Cecil Lionel Domville, a retired army officer, who succeeds to the title, gave evidence of identification.
	The witness said he did not know from his own personal knowledge that his brother was in financial difficulties, but he had read so in the papers. He believed his brother had domestic troubles, and that there was a petition out against him for a divorce. He was very bad with enteric [typhoid fever] after serving in the Mediterranean.
	A valet at the club said he saw Sir James before midnight on Friday, when he came to the witness and made arrangements about sending his things to his mother. The witness was under the impression that Sir James was leaving town. The next morning witness found him lying on the bed, fully clad, in evening dress. Blood was flowing, and a revolver was lying at his right side as if it had fallen from his hand.
	The night porter said he took a cup of tea to the bedroom at 5 a.m. on Saturday, and Sir James was then lying on the bed and was fully dressed. He asked for some brandy, which witness took him, and left him reading.
	A letter found in the room was addressed to the secretary of the club, and said:- "I much regret this should have taken place in the club. Glad if you will convey this sentiment to your committee."
	The verdict was of suicide whilst of unsound mind, brought about by physical, financial, and domestic troubles.
	Sir William Henry Don, 7th baronet
	Sir William died in Hobart, Tasmania, in March 1862, where he was engaged in a very successful series of theatrical performances. The following article appeared in the Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal (reprinted from The European Times) on 2 August 1862:-
	The career of Sir William Don has been rarely paralleled in real life for its chequered and adventurous character. Born in 1825, the eldest son and heir of an old Scottish baronet, he lost his father when he was only two years old [he was actually less than a year old], and from a very early age he seems to have become his own master, and to have made a very bad use of such a privilege. Although, according to his own statements, the family estates of Newton‑Don, in Berwickshire, were worth at least £3,800 a year, he had, before attaining his majority, not only run through the immense profits which ought to have accumulated from his father's death, but his debts were so heavy as to compel him to alienate the whole property. This was in 1846, and after rambling about the Continent for some time, "living upon his wits", he determined upon embarking for America. He accordingly landed in Canada about the beginning of 1848, and having adopted the stage as a profession, he passed the ensuing years in various parts of the United States, gaining, it is said, some reputation as a light comedian. His money, however, was spent as fast as it was made, and in 1855, when he wished to return home, he had not the wherewithal to pay his passage, and was forced to engage as an ordinary seaman. Soon after landing in England we find him carrying on business as a brickdealer, and afterwards as an underwriter; but these pursuits must have been very unprofitable, for in 1856 he became a bankrupt under the Scottish law. After securing his discharge he again turned to the stage, his attachments to which had probably increased through his marriage with a very pleasing actress - Miss Emily Saunders. But his expenditure was still maintained far beyond his income, and in December, 1857, only after 18 months after the Scotch bankruptcy, and while Sir William was carrying out a temporary engagement in Bristol, he was apprehended by the bailiffs, under a writ of ca. sa. [capias ad satisfaciendum - a writ of execution]. In consequence of this catastrophe he petitioned for relief, as an insolvent debtor, and his case was heard at great length by Sir Eardley Wilmot, Bart., in March, 1858, when he again obtained his discharge. Since that time he has been continually engaged as a comedian in all parts of the country, and though his talent as an actor was far from extensive, and his eccentricity was remarkable, he has always been somewhat popular with the lovers of the drama. Last year he made a very profitable engagement for a series of performances in Australia, where he has died just as he had seemed to have turned the corner of a luckless career.
	Sir Arthur Percy Douglas, 5th baronet [GB 1777]
	Sir Arthur Douglas was Under-Secretary for Defence in New Zealand between 1895 and 1903, before returning to England. His wife, Mary, died in 1909, and it became Sir Arthur's annual custom to visit her grave at Minsterworth, in Gloucestershire. It was while on this journey on 2 September 1913 that Sir Arthur received fatal injuries and subsequently became one of the 16 passengers who died following the collision of two trains at Ais Gill, the highest point on the line between Settle and Carlisle in what is now Cumbria. Fourteen passengers died in the collision and two, including Sir Arthur, died later from their injuries.
	The best account of the accident is to be found in L.T.C. Rolt's Red for Danger, which I strongly recommend for anyone interested in the history of railway accidents. Unfortunately his account is too long for inclusion here, and I have therefore limited myself to a report that appeared in the Mount Gambier, South Australia, Border Watch on 6 September 1913:-
	A dreadful railway smash has occurred near Aisgill, Yorkshire, on the Midland Line. The Glasgow express stopped at 3 o'clock on Tuesday morning for want of steam near the top of Aisgill summit. It was pitch dark at the time, and but a few moments later the Aberdeen express crashed into the rear of the stationary train. A terrific smash ensued. Several carriages were telescoped, and others derailed. To add to the horror of the scene the wrecked carriages caught fire, and many of those pinned in the wreckage were burned to death without the rescue party being able to succour them. Thirteen bodies have been recovered. Sir Arthur Douglas, formerly Under Secretary for Defence in New Zealand, was among the passengers, and he was badly bruised, and his condition is serious.
	As was usual with any such accident, the Board of Trade conducted an investigation, led by Major J.W. Pringle, later Sir John Wallace Pringle. He reported that:-
	Two south-bound express passenger trains were concerned in this case. The first comprised vehicles from Stranraer and Glasgow; the second from Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh. They were due to leave Carlisle at 1.35 a.m. and 1.49 a.m. Respectively. The second train overtook the first, which was at a stand-still on the up road, and a collision, with disastrous effects, ensued.
	The engine of the second express crashed through the last vehicle - a bogie brake van - of the standing train, and buried itself midway in the passenger coach in front of the van. The roof of the wrecked van, under which the engine passed cut through the three passenger compartments of the composite carriage which travelled behind the engine of the second train. Fire broke out very shortly, if not immediately, after the collision, and the last three vehicles of the first train were burnt.
	I report, with deep regret, that fourteen passengers lost their lives in the collision, and their bodies were wholly or largely destroyed by fire. Two more passengers subsequently died from the effects. Thirty-eight others suffered more or less serious injuries, or have complained of the effects of shock or exposure. All the fatalities occurred to passengers travelling in the last passenger vehicle of the leading express, and those at all seriously injured were occupants either of this coach, or of the front vehicle of the second express.

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