DIXON

dixon, william hepworth (1821-1879), english author and traveller, was born at great ancoats, manchester, on the 30th of june 1821, a member of an old lancashire family. beginning life as a clerk at manchester, he decided, in 1846, to take up literature as a career. after gaining some journalistic experience at cheltenham he settled in london, on the recommendation of douglas jerrold, and contributed to the _athenaeum_ and _daily news_. his series of papers--"the literature of the lower orders"--in the last-named journal, and a further series, "london prisons," were widely noticed. in 1849 appeared his _john howard and the prison world of europe_, which proved a great popular success. these were followed by a _life of william penn_ (1851), in which he replied to macaulay's attack on penn; _life of blake_ (1852); and _personal history of lord bacon_ (1861), supplemented by _the story of lord bacon's life_ (1862). from 1853 to 1869 he was editor of the _athenaeum_. in 1863 he visited the east, and on his return helped to found the palestine exploration fund, and published (1865) _the holy land_. in 1866 he travelled through the united states, publishing, in 1867, _new america_, and, the following year, _spiritual wives_, two supplementary volumes. in the autumn of 1867 he journeyed through the baltic provinces, publishing an account of his trip in _free russia_ (1870). in 1871 he was in switzerland, and in 1872 in spain, where he wrote the greater part of his _history of two queens_. in 1874 he revisited the united states, giving the impressions of his tour in _the white conquest_ (1875). his other works, besides some fiction, were _british cyprus_ (1879) and _royal windsor_. he died on the 26th of december 1879. his daughter, ella n. hepworth dixon, became known as a journalist and novelist.