Occupation: Doctor? Carpenter? Teacher?

Family stories:

--      James Dickson was a ship’s carpenter on Lord Nelson’s ship called the “Victory”.  He was present at the Battle of Trafalgar when the British beat the French Oct 21, 1805. 

--    At the age of 17 while a medical student, he was pressed into the British Navy in which he served for over 60 years.  He served under Nelson at the battle of the Nile, Trafalgar and others.  He was also on the “Victory” when Nelson was shot saying, “Thank God, I have done my Duty”.  He acted as a surgeon and he was on the Bellerophon when Napoleon was taken to St. Helena. 

--   According to Winnifred Colt, James Dickson was probably a carpenter, not a doctor, on Lord Nelson’s ship.  Winnie has seen some of his carpentry tools, owned by Henry Styles and had checked the list of officers on board the Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, James Dickson was not listed. A carpenter’s hand square once owned by James Dickson was given to John Edwards Caswell.

--   Only one James Dickson was listed at the Battle of Trafalgar.  James was an “able bodied seaman” on the Orion and was from Scotland.  In 1805 our James would have been 39.  Probably not ours as I believe our James was from Ireland.

--   Notes copied from Rob Caswells notebook: Mother was a descendant of James Dixon, one of the first five protestant teachers sent from England to educate the Irish people in the English language.

--  In Biddulph school boys loved to congregate to listen to his tales of adventure.  He always greeted them with, “young man, do you know your tables?”

     Who knows?  Often ships carpenters were called upon to perform amputations so this may have been the reason family members assumed he was a doctor or medical student.  His grandsons were top notch finishing carpenters so carpentry makes sense as his occupation.   

      It is Rob’s statement that again is the most puzzling.  Was James a teacher?  Was the comment about “one of five teachers sent to Ireland” referring to James father?  Could it be James wife, Margaret Wallace who was descended from one of the teachers?  Rob, as the youngest spent more “alone” time with his mother and probably heard more of her stories.

      “Young man, do you know your tables?” implies a teacher.  An argument supporting each profession could be made.  Perhaps more information will eventually surface.

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