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Lady Edith Stewart Dixon, DBE
Oil on canvas by Henrietta Rae, collection Larne Borough Council
Born
Edith Stewart Clark

c 1871
Scotland
Died20 January 1964(1964-01-20) (aged 92–93)
Malone Park, Belfast
NationalityBritish
Known forCharitable Works
Logo of Anchor threads, on the mill gates
Wilmont House in Dixon Park, also donated by Edith Dixon to Belfast
Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, which Edith Dixon left to the City of Belfast in 1959 in memory of her husband[1]
Cairndhu

Dame Edith Stewart Dixon, Lady Dixon DBE was a philanthropist largely based in Northern Ireland.

She is perhaps best remembered for Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, which she bequeathed to the city of Belfast. She also donated several buildings and a park to the town of Larne, County Antrim, along with her husband, Sir Thomas Dixon.

Early life and family

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Edith Stewart Clark was born in Scotland. She had one brother and three other sisters.[2]

Her father, Stewart Clark (1830-1907)[3] was a native of Paisley in Renfrewshire. He inherited a sewing thread business, along with his brothers, at Anchor Mills, which had been developed into a hugely profitable textile concern by their father, John Clark. In 1896, two years after John Clark's death, the Clark Thread Company amalgamated with their largest competitor, Coats to form the largest thread firm in the world.[4][5]

In 1899, Stewart Clark bought the castle and farmland at Dundas Castle in Linlithgowshire.[6]

In 1860, Stewart Clark had married Annie Smiley (1836-1910) of Larne, Northern Ireland. They were already distantly related by marriage. When their daughter Edith was nine, in 1880, the Stewart Clarks purchased a small house and large estate near Ballygally Head, Larne, the present-day location of Cairndhu Golf Course.[2]

The Stewart Clarks changed the name of the house from Seaview to Cairndhu and enlarged it considerably. Although their main base was to remain Scotland, they summered at Cairndhu. The young Edith Stewart Clark sailed across the North Channel each summer on the family steam yacht Vanduara.[2]

  • Part of the Anchor Mills complex, Paisley, from which the Clark family made its money
    Part of the Anchor Mills complex, Paisley, from which the Clark family made its money
  • Dundas Castle in Scotland, Edith Stewart Clark's family home before her marriage
    Dundas Castle in Scotland, Edith Stewart Clark's family home before her marriage
  • Edith Stewart Clark married in Dalmeny Church; this illustration is from five years before in 1901
    Edith Stewart Clark married in Dalmeny Church; this illustration is from five years before in 1901
  • A gouache by Tommaso de Simone, 1906, of the Vanduara steam yacht, owned by Stewart Clark, Edith's father
    A gouache by Tommaso de Simone, 1906, of the Vanduara steam yacht, owned by Stewart Clark, Edith's father
  • The view from Carnfunnock in Northern Ireland, near Cairndhu House, where she spent her summers as a girl, and after 1918 resided with her husband
    The view from Carnfunnock in Northern Ireland, near Cairndhu House, where she spent her summers as a girl, and after 1918 resided with her husband

Move to Ireland

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In 1906, when Edith was 35, she married Thomas Dixon, the eldest son of Daniel Dixon, the first Lord Mayor of Belfast. The wedding took place at Dalmeny Church, near her home at Dundas Castle.

After marriage, the couple lived in various places, including Hillsborough Castle, when it was still a private home and not the official residence of the governor of Northern Ireland, as well as in Doagh, Graymount in Belfast, and in Dublin, Luttrellstown Castle and Lucan.[2]

In 1918, they settled in Larne. Four years previously, the east wing of Cairndhu had been damaged by fire. Thomas Dixon bought the house and land from the surviving members of the Clark family still living there.[2]

Thomas and Edith Dixon renovated the house and increased the staff. They increased the size of the estate by buying the additional land of Doagh and Carnfunnock, bought extensive herds of sheep and beef cattle (mostly Shorthorns and Galloway), and knocked down hedges, the extended grazing fields for these which can still be seen today around Carnfunnock Park.[2]

Lady Dixon was responsible for the gardens. These she developed into six tiers, and the remains of which are open to the public today as part of Carnfunnock Country Park.

World War I

Philanthropy in Larne

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  • 1918 - Served on Cairncastle Prisoners of War Fund
  • 1921 - made Dame of the British Empire, in recognition of her work during WWI
  • 1939 - Served on Central Committee for War Hospital Supply Depots
  • 1939 - President, Ulster Gift Fund and War Hospital Supply Depot for Serving Forces (Larne Depot)
  • 1939 - President, Larne St John's Ambulance Brigade
  • 1939-1941 First ever Lady Mayoress of Larne when her husband was elected
  • Committee of Management - Maternity Hospital Building Fund
  • President - Annie Clark Trust Fund (set up by her mother)
  • President - Larne District Nursing Society
  • Appointed Freeman - Borough of Larne
  • Vice President - Ulster Women's Unionist Council

She is buried in Dundonald cemetary in a mausoleum, along with her husband who predecesed her.

She married Belfast shipowner, Sir Thomas Dixon, 2nd Baronet on 7 February 1906. The couple would donate more than £100,000 to good causes. For this philanthropy, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the Honours List for the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland in July 1921.[7] Lady Dixon died on 20 January 1964, aged 92. [where?]

Dixon park larne http://www.larne.gov.uk/template1.asp?pid=1144&area=6&parent=1117

File:Ice House, Carnfunnock Country Park - geograph.org.uk - 797983.jpg

in 1919 they bought the Wilmont estate

Sir Thomas and Lady Edith Dixon photo [1]

Dixon park larne Carnfunnock country park Smiley Park in Larne. Her father was Mr Stewart-Clark,

Philanthropy in Larne

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including the Cairndhu Convalescent Home, Dixon Park and Dixon Hall. The Larne Borough Council offices are known as the Sir Thomas Dixon Buildings in recognition of donations by Edith Dixon.[8]

The Japanese garden at Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, which Edith Dixon left to the City of Belfast in 1959 in memory of her husband[1]

Belfast

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as a 'home for old people'[9]

died Malone Park, Belfast

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Belfast City Council, Culture, Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park
  2. ^ a b c d e f Zoe Lindsay (2009) Carnfunnock Country Park:A Tale of Two Estates, History Guide, Larne Borough Council
  3. ^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 Edith Stewart Clark
  4. ^ Paisley Thread Mill Museum (2008)History
  5. ^ Renfrewshire Council, About Renfrewshire, Heritage and Local History, John Clark
  6. ^ Dundas Castle, About Us, Later History
  7. ^ "No. 32387". The London Gazette. 12 July 1921.
  8. ^ Larne Borough Council, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, History of Dixon Park
  9. ^ Eileen Black, Lisburn Historical Society, Wilmont, Dunmurry: A Profile
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Category:1870 births Category:1964 deaths Category:British philanthropists Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Date of birth missing

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