After Dyson's death he was satirised in a pamphlet called ‘Extortion no Usury; or the merits of a late Election [for the city chamberlainship] discussed in a dialogue between Minos, Lord Russell, Charles Churchill, and Jeremiah Dyson, 1777.’ No terms but those of praise were passed on his private life. Sir John Hawkins bears witness to the attractiveness of Dyson's social life, and he was numbered among the friends of Samuel Richardson.
[Nichols's Lit. Anecd. iii. 134–5, iv. 596, v. 591–2, 627, viii. 514, ix. 522–3, 554–5, 715; Albemarle's Rockingham, i. 306–9, 346–7; Corresp. of George III and Lord North, i. 72, 140–1, 199, 212–13; Chatham Corresp. ii. 394, iv. 121; Grenville Papers, iv. 225, 250; Walpole's George III, i. 398, ii. 63, 300, 330–6, iii. 48, 318, iv. 72, 110, 350; Walpole's Letters, vi. 134; Walpole's Journals, 1771–83, i. 27, 197, 327, ii. 67; Satirical prints at Brit. Museum, iv. 499, 559, 657, 662, 670; Gent. Mag. 1776, pp. 416, 436; Johnson's Poets, sub ‘Akenside;’ Bucke's Akenside, passim; Manning and Bray's Surrey, i. 168, 179, iii. App. p. xxxvii; Hatsell's Precedents (ed. 1818), ii. 253, 257, 263; Alex. Carlyle's Autobiog. pp. 354, 508; Thorne's Environs of London, i. 233; Cavendish's Debates, i. 207, 482.]
DYVE, Sir LEWIS (1599–1669), royalist, son of Sir John Dyve of Bromham, Bedfordshire (d. 1607), and Beatrice Walcot, was born on 3 Nov. 1599. About 1611 Beatrice Dyve married Sir John Digby, afterwards Earl of Bristol. Lewis Dyve was probably brought up in Spain, was knighted in April 1620, and married in 1624 Howarda, daughter of Sir John Strangways of Melbury Sampford, Dorsetshire, and widow of Edward Rogers of Bryanston (W. M. Harvey, History of the Hundred of Willey). He is mentioned in Howell's letters as attending Prince Charles in his stay at Madrid (ed. 1754, p. 133), and Sir Kenelm Digby narrates an encounter between himself, ‘Leodivius,’ and fifteen Spanish bravoes in the streets of that city (Private Memoirs, pp. 154–65). Dyve took part also in the famous quarrel between Lord Digby and William Crofts (1634), and himself fought a duel with Crofts (Strafford Papers, i. 261, 358, 426). In the parliaments of 1625 and 1626 he represented Bridport, in that of 1627–8 Weymouth, but he had no seat in the Long parliament, though he is often stated to have been member for Bridport (Report on the names of Members returned to serve in Parliament, i. 488). On 13 July 1641 he was voted a delinquent by the House of Commons for having published Lord Digby's speech against the attainder of the Earl of Strafford (Old Parliamentary History, ix. 447). Lord Digby designed Dyve for the appointment of governor of the Tower in December 1641, when Balfour [see Balfour, Sir William] was removed; but the accidental absence of Dyve from London led to the appointment of Sir Thomas Lunsford instead (Clarendon, Rebellion, iv. 147). In the following February a letter from Lord Digby to Dyve was intercepted, which led to the impeachment of Digby, and the temporary arrest of his brother (Rushworth, iv. 555; Old Parliamentary History, x. 309). He was released almost immediately, and then joined the king at York. When Charles made his first attempt to obtain possession of Hull, Dyve was sent to acquaint Hotham with his coming, and, finding Hotham resolved not to admit the king, formed the design of killing him, or throwing him over the walls; but the governor forestalled the plot by arresting Dyve. On 29 April parliament ordered Dyve to be sent for as a delinquent, but he thought best to fly to Holland (Clark, Life of James II, i. 2). When preparations for war began he returned to England, took part in the skirmish at Worcester which opened the campaign, and was there wounded (Warburton, Prince Rupert, i. 409). In April 1643 he assisted in the attempt to raise the siege of Reading (Coates, History of Reading, p. 36), and in October following was charged to fortify Newport Pagnell, in order to hinder the communication between London and the eastern association. Essex advanced to recover the town, and, owing to a mistake in his orders, Dyve, instead of maintaining his position, abandoned the place (Clarendon, Rebellion, vii. 288; Warburton, Prince Rupert, ii. 322). He served under Prince Rupert at the relief of Newark on 21 March 1644 (Rushworth, v. 307). In October 1644 he was appointed sergeant-major general of the county of Dorset, and established his headquarters at Sherborne (Walker, Historical Discourses, his Majesty's happy Progress in the Year 1644, p. 99). In this position he distinguished himself by his activity and daring. A manifesto, in the form of a warrant, issued by him against the parliamentary committee of that county is printed in the ‘Old Parliamentary History’ (xiii. 334). His chief aim was to capture Weymouth, and on 13 Feb. 1645 he was able to write to the king announcing that his forces had successfully stormed it (Warburton, Prince Rupert, iii. 58). But the town being negligently guarded was regained by Colonel Sydenham before the end of the month (Vicars, Burning Bush, p. 118; Harvey, pp. 91–4). In August 1645 Sherborne was besieged by Fairfax and the new model army, and in spite of a gallant defence the castle was taken on
