My wife's ancestors - Dicey - Contents
William Dicey
- References:
- Sources yet to be consulted:
- Will of William Dicey, [NA.UK] PROB 11/829.
- Will of William Dicey and other documents, Northamptonshire Record Office, Northampton, MS Yz 4711-4737
- Will of Robert Dicey,
[NA.UK]
PROB 11/118.
- W.W. Hadley, The Bi-centenary Record of the Northampton Mercury, Northampton, 1920.
- Victor E. Neuburg, 'The Diceys and the chapbook trade', The Library, vol 24, no 3 (1969), 219-31
- J. Burnby, 'Printers ink and patent medicines: the story of the Diceys', Pharmaceutical Journal, 14 (Aug 1982), 162-3, 169
- Susan Pederson, "Hannah More Meets Simple Simon: Tracts, Chapbooks, and Popular Culture in Late Eighteenth-Century England," Journal of British Studies, 25 (1986): 84-113.
- Gilles Duval, 'The Diceys revisited', Factotum, 35 (1992), 9-11
- M. Hobbs, 'The Diceys revisited', Factotum, 36 (1993), 27
- Gilles Duval, 'More facts, afterthoughts and conjectures about the Diceys', Factotum, 40 (1995), 13-18
The location of the Cluer/Dicey family printing business,
at "the Maiden-Head", opposite the S door of Bow-church, in Bow Church Yard, London, also listed as "No. 10, Bow Church-Yard".
The church is the spire on Cheapside.
Click to toggle map/satellite view. Click to zoom in/out. Drag to move.
From Google Maps. See also street view from N side of church.
Early 19th century patent medicine bottles (such as this picture from here) show Dicey and Co. still at "No. 10, Bow Church Yard".
William Dicey,
born 25 Dec 1690,
printer and newspaper owner,
originally of Basingstoke, Hampshire,
first apprenticed as "leather seller",
mar pre-1714 to Mary Atkins,
they were living in St Giles Cripplegate, London, in 1719,
co-founded Northampton Mercury newspaper 1720 with his partner Robert Raikes the Elder,
this was the first press in Northampton, press near All Saints' Church, Northampton,
co-founded Gloucester Journal 1722 with Robert Raikes, this was the first press in Gloucester,
they divided the business 1725, Raikes became owner of Gloucester Journal, Dicey became owner of Northampton Mercury, he was based in Northampton,
he built up a successful business, as printers and sellers of books and maps and prints,
he also built up a major business selling patent medicines,
he, John Cluer and Robert Raikes were involved by 1726 with Benjamin Okell in funding and promoting "Dr. Bateman's Pectoral Drops",
his son Cluer joined him in the business,
in 1736 he took over the running of his late brother-in-law John Cluer's London printing business from his sister and her 2nd husband, his son Cluer was sent to run it,
the Diceys sold patent medicines throughout Britain and Ireland, and even sold to the American colonies (from at least as early as 1737) and Antigua, see [Simmons, 2000],
Mary died 28 Dec 1748,
he printed a catalogue of their publications with his son Cluer, 1754, it shows they printed a range of maps, prints, music and chapbooks, "Printed and sold by William and Cluer Dicey, at their warehouse, opposite the south door of Bow-church in Bow-Church-yard",
they were "easily the most important figures of their time in popular publishing" [DNB],
he died 2 Nov 1756, Northampton, age 65 yrs,
had issue:
-
Cluer Dicey,
eldest son, born 28 Jan 1714.
- William Dicey,
birth (think 1719) registered at St Mary-le-Bow (near Bow Church Yard), London [DNB]. - Robert Dicey, born 16 Jan 1720,
managed the Northampton Mercury for his father from 1747 until his death,
died 28 Mar 1757, age 37 yrs,
will pr 9 April 1757. - Rev. Edward Dicey, born 8 Feb 1721,
educ Trinity College, Cambridge,
died 31 Mar 1790, age 69 yrs.
"The Diceys are well known to print and book historians. No other producers of cheap print
operated on the scale suggested by the Catalogue
and the family has generally been regarded as its"
[cheap print's]
"most important printers and sellers in the eighteenth century to about the 1790s."
- [Simmons, 2000].
|
"Daffy's Cordial, warm and spicy, Sold in Bow-Church-Yard by Dicey" |
- Ad for Daffy's patent medicine sold by William Dicey in London.
Quoted in [DNB] and [Neuburg, 1977], which says it "must have been one of the earliest of advertising jingles".
