Encasing Cleopatras Needle for shipment to London Flickr 4615365424 50ab0f8583 o

Waynman Dixon (1844–1930) was a British engineer, known for his work on the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the biggest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient Worl ...

and for discovering the only Egyptian artefacts to be found inside that pyramid. The three objects found in the Great Pyramid of Giza, the so-called "Dixon Relics", are tools: a small

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...

ball, a copper hook (both now in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

in London), and a fragment of cedar wood in the

Marischal Museum Marischal Museum was a museum in Aberdeen, Scotland, specialising in anthropology and artifacts from cultures around the world. The museum was a part of the University of Aberdeen, situated at Marischal College, a grand neo-gothic building said ...

, Aberdeen. He also discovered two shafts out from the Queen's Chamber of the Great Pyramid, similar to those that connect the King's Chamber to the outside wall of the pyramid, although these don't extend all the way. Outside of his interest in Egypt, he worked as a manager of Sir Raylton Dixon & Co, a

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

-based shipbuilding company, alongside his brothers in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...

: he retired from the board of the company in 1917. He also served as an

honorary consul A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

of Japan in later life. One brother, John Dixon (1835–1891), designed the cylinder that transported

Cleopatra's Needle Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose I ...

from Egypt to London, and Waynman himself was tasked with building it around the obelisk. The other brother, Sir Raylton Dixon, was also an engineer and shipbuilder, and served as Mayor of Middlesbrough.

Honours

In 1896, Dixon was appointed a Knight of Grace of the

Venerable Order of St John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British British monarchy ...

(KStJ). He was awarded the Service Medal of the Order of St John in 1900. In 1922, he was awarded the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest tw ...

(Third Class) by the Emperor of Japan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Waynman 1844 births 1930 deaths 19th-century British engineers British Egyptologists British shipbuilders Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Honorary consuls Great Pyramid of Giza