By Thomas Bainbridge
Numerous theories abound as to how the Southern States of America obtained the name “Dixieland”. The most obvious is that they lie to the south of the Mason-Dixon line — the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania. But who were its namesakes, Mason and Dixon?
The latter was in fact the Durham lad, Jeremiah Dixon. Who would have thought that the energetic strains of Dixie, the favourite tune of Abrham Lincoln, referenced this obscure yet ingenious man, who gave his name to a great swathe of the country.
The discovery of the North American continent and its bountiful extent of territory gave a great impetus to the scientific and geographical community. Expeditions set out across the untamed wilderness to far distant corners to chart its rivers, valleys, mountains and lakes. These expeditions had colonial importance: To map out territory was as good as owning it, and those with more accurate maps could better assert their claims.
Later, Lewis and Clark, would achieve fame for their journey to the Pacific Ocean. However, before them stood two equally intrepid men who undertook another arduous task. Though Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were essentially solving a basic boundary dispute, their results would have monumental importance upon American history.
A Gifted Lad
Dixon was born in 1733 to a Quaker family in Cockfield, Durham, between Bishop Aukland and Barnard Castle. From to his early education, he became fascinated by mathematics and science, then called natural philosophy.
His connection to numerous luminaries within northern England gave him access to literally expand his horizons. He was acquainted with figures such as William Emerson, John Bird and Thomas Wright, all noted talents. It was Bird, a member of the Royal Society, the most forward thinking and wealthiest scientific organisation in the world, that perceived Dixon’s natural aptitude and recommended him for astronomical work. His first mission was to observe the transit of Venus — the period in which Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun.
Also involved was another man of a more humble origin. This was Charles Mason, the son of a butcher from Stroud in the West Country. The two, despite their mutual interest, had diverging temperaments. Mason was quiet and reserved, and diligent in his work, Dixon was brash, freethinking and a notorious drinker (which caused his puritanical family to disown him). Still, the two men soon cultivated a firm relationship, working together on various ventures in their early careers before being given a task that would grant them lasting fame.
Boundary Quarrel
A dispute had emerged around the extent of land granted during the early conquest of America. Due to the dubious wording of the Royal Charter of Pennsylvania in 1681, its southern border with Maryland became heavily contested in regard to the town of Newcastle in Delaware — a name all too familiar to Dixon due to his Geordie mother.
This was no idle debate. It led to armed hostilities between settlers of both colonies as they went in search of more bountiful areas for agriculture. In the 1730s, Cresap’s War began between Pennsylvanian Dutch (German) settlers and Marylanders, in which religious division was also a factor. Though a peace treaty between the parties was signed in London in 1738, it was necessary to draw the boundary accurately and settle the dispute. It would not be until 1763 when Mason and Dixon were contracted for their expertise to end it once and for all.
The patriarchs of the two families at the centre of the dispute: Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron of Baltimore, a Catholic, and William Penn, a Quaker.
Landing in the New World
Arriving in America in October, 1763, the tow men were paid the immense sum of £3,512, equivalent to over £500,000 today. However, this money would need to be used to fund their array of instruments and hire the men required for their party.
The pair set about their task, first travelling northwards to determine the tangent line which would henceforth be the border of Maryland and Delaware. From there, they could turn sharply to the west and follow their compass points, marking out the minute distances at each step. Their methods were cutting-edge. By employing their astronomical knowledge, they corrected their course by constant observation of the night sky, using implements such as sextants and chronometers to maintain crucial precision. If their calculations were incorrect by the slightest of margins, they would have drifted off course by miles. However, their level of accuracy was astounding.
This feat required, not only their mental but also, their physical exertion. Amid a harsh and variable climate, they trudged through dense wilderness, and ranged across mountains and rivers, slowly etching out their pathway. After nearly two years, they reached Savage Mountain in June 1765. This was the line of George III’s Proclamation which prevented settlers from crossing the Appalachian Mountains.
Chartered but Uncharted
From here, they were entering dangerous territory. Initially intending to stop, they pressed on with the dubious permission of the native Iroquois tribesmen. However, the perils of the expedition led to a large portion of their party abandoning the group and heading home. Still advancing, they were confronted by the Lenape tribe, coming face to face with Prince Pisquetomen. These were more hostile and suspecting of their intentions and bade the Englishmen to not delve further into their lands. Thus, in October 1767 the surveyors were forced to conclude their journey.
Regardless, they had surveyed 240 miles of the 312-mile-long border without diverging from their intended point. It was a phenomenal feat. But the scientific achievement also harboured a great deal of political importance that was yet to come. Though the line had solved the issue of the disputed colonial territory, it would soon demarcate the boundary of another crucial point of contention — slavery.
Ethical Division
After the formation of the United States from the original thirteen colonies, growing with each new addition of territory, the states became differentiated by their attitude towards the practise of the slavery. In the North, it was outlawed in varying degrees, whilst still widely practised in the South. The Mason-Dixon line, seemingly by accident, became the famed border between freedom and servitude. Many a runaway followed the North Star until they reached it and were assured of their liberty. Soon, the issue enflamed the entire nation, engulfing it in Civil War.
And Jery Dixon? Amongst other expeditions to Norway and lesser projects in his native Durham and Northumberland, he passed the remainder of his days in mathematics and scientific speculation in his place of birth, dying at the all too early age of forty-five, though his name is still so widely remembered.
His obiutuary in the Newcastle Courant of 30 January 1779 read: “Mr. Jeremiah Dixon: a gentleman eminently distinguished for his mathematical knowledge.”
Really interesting read