Susanna Dorothy (Forster) Dixon (1757 – 1822) was an English author who translated from the German, Uno von Troil's ''Letters on Iceland'', and published in 1780. Much of this entry is based on an article by

Benjamin Colbert Benjamin Colbert (born 1961) is a British-based American academic who is Reader in English at the University of Wolverhampton and an expert on historical travel writing. Educated at Tulane University, Oxford University and UCLA The Universi ...

titled "Women’s Travel Writing, 1780-1840: A Bio-Bibliographical Database," and published by University of Wolverhampton.

Life

She was the eldest of

Edward Forster the elder Edward Forster the Elder (11 February 1730 – 20 April 1812) was an English banker and antiquary. Life Forster was the son of Thomas Forster, and brother of Benjamin Forster, born on 11 February 1730. He was educated at Felsted School. He th ...

and his wife Susanna's seven children, and was born in

Walbrook Walbrook is a City ward and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name. The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House. The street runs ...

, London, on 1 August 1757. Her father retired to

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

in 1764, where she was educated alongside her brothers Thomas Furly Forster, Benjamin Meggot Forster and

Edward Forster the Younger Edward Forster the Younger (12 October 1765 – 23 February 1849) was an English banker and botanist. Life He was born at Wood Street, Walthamstow, 12 October 1765, the third and youngest son of Edward Forster the elder and his wife Susanna; ...

. She was the niece of Benjamin Forster and the aunt of the polymath

Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster (9 November 1789 – 2 February 1860) was an English astronomer, physician, naturalist and philosopher. An early animal rights activist, he promoted vegetarianism and founded the Animals' Friend Society with Lewis ...

. In 1798, she married the Rev. Francis Dixon fellow of St Benet's College Cambridge, and rector of Bincombe with Broadway, Dorset. They lived at Vicarage House, Henham, Essex. Following her husband's early death in 1801, she returned to live at the family home in Walthamstow, but continued her charitable work at Henham, ministering to the poor, to whom she bequeathed £100 in trust, the interest of which was to be distributed in food at Christmas. She died at Walthamstow on 9 October 1822, aged 65. She was buried with her husband in Henham.

Works

Following the family's move to Walthamstow, her father enjoyed increasing prosperity and influence in business, as well as his leisure pursuits: antiquarianism, sketching, and poetry. He formed lasting friendships with eminent men such as Thomas Gray, William Gilpin, and Richard Gough (Gough was also at Cambridge with her uncle Benjamin and he later bequeathed £100 each to Susannah Dorothy Dixon and her brothers). In these circles, Susannah, in her early twenties, undertook her project of translating the Swedish Lutheran bishop, Uno von Troil's ''Letters on Iceland'' from the German. Susanna's English translation, ''Letters on Iceland: containing observations on the civil, literary, ecclesiastical, and natural history; antiquities, volcanos, basaltes, hot springs; customs, dress, manners of the inhabitants, &c. &c. made, during a voyage undertaken in the year 1772, by Joseph Banks, assisted by Dr. Solander, Dr. J. Lind, Dr. Uno von Troil, and several other literary and ingenious gentlemen'' (originally written in Swedish and published at Upsala in 1777 and translated into German by J. G. P. Moller), was published in three editions, two in 1780 in London and Dublin and a final London edition in 1810. One of the contributors to the letters, was the family friend,

Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James ...

. It is unclear whether the translation of Troil's letters was Susanna's only contribution to publishing. Susanna's obituary in The Gentleman's Magazine,''The Gentleman’s Magazine'', Volume 92, Part 2 of 1822. details her attention to the poor of Henham, but makes no mention of her early literary work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon (Forster), Susanna Dorothy 1757 births 1822 deaths 18th-century English writers 18th-century English women writers