Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet (25 March 1827, Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

, Grand Duchy of Tuscany

Grand Duchy of Tuscany

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...

 – 26 August 1900, Whitburn

Whitburn, South Tyneside

Whitburn is a village in South Tyneside, on the coast of North East England. It lies just to the north of the City of Sunderland in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974, when the Local Government Act 1972 came into being, it was part of County Durham...

, County Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

) was a British diplomat and Liberal Party

Liberal Party (UK)

The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

 politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1864 to 1874.

Williamson was the son of Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet

Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet

Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1831 and 1852.Williamson was the son of Sir Hedworth Williamson, 6th Baronet...

 and his wife Hon. Anne Elizabeth Liddell, daughter of 1st Baron Ravensworth

Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth

Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth , known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Life account:...

. He was educated at Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

 and at Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

. He was an attache at St. Petersburgh from 1848 to 1850, and at Paris from 1850 till 1856. In 1861 he inherited the baronetcy

Williamson Baronets

There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Williamson, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....

 on the death of his father. He was a Deputy Lieutenant

Deputy Lieutenant

In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....

 and J.P.

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for Durham and captain commanding the 1st Durham Artillery Volunteers.

Williamson was elected as Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP) for North Durham

North Durham (UK Parliament constituency)

North Durham is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....

 at an unopposed by-election in 1864, and held the seat until he stepped down at the 1874 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1874

-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...

. He was then appointed High Sheriff of Durham for 1877.

In 1880 Williamson donated land for Roker Park

Roker Park (park)

Roker Park is a park in the Roker area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England.The land on which the park stands was donated by Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet and the Church Commissioners, and opened on 23 June 1880.-Bandstand:...

 in Sunderland,, which was opened on 23 June 1880.

Williamson married his cousin the Hon. Elizabeth Jane Hay Liddell, daughter of the 2nd Baron Ravensworth

Henry Liddell, 1st Earl of Ravensworth

Henry Thomas Liddell, 1st Earl of Ravensworth was a British peer and Member of Parliament for several constituencies....

 in 1863. Their son Hedworth inherited the baronetcy.

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