Sir Hedworth Williamson, 8th Baronet (25 March 1827 – 26 August 1900) was a British diplomat and

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1864 to 1874. Williamson was the son of

Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet Sir Hedworth Williamson, 7th Baronet (1 November 1797 – 24 April 1861) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1831 and 1852. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge. Williamson was the son ...

and his wife Hon. Anne Elizabeth Liddell, daughter of 1st Baron Ravensworth. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, later migrating to

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

. He was an attache at

St. Petersburgh Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

from 1848 to 1850, and at

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

from 1850 till 1856. In 1861 he inherited the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on the death of his father. He was a Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. for Durham and Captain Commandant of the

1st Durham Volunteer Artillery The 1st Durham Volunteer Artillery was a unit of Britain's Volunteer Force and Territorial Army from 1860 to 1956. During World War I, it was the only coastal defence unit to engage the enemy, and it also trained siege gunners for service on the ...

for 28 years from its formation in 1860, later becoming its honorary colonel.Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
/ref> Williamson was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

North Durham North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

at an unopposed by-election in 1864, and held the seat until he stepped down at the 1874 general election. He was then appointed

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the High Sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of D ...

for 1877. In 1880 Williamson donated land for

Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated; ...

in Sunderland, which was opened on 23 June 1880.Wearside On-line - Roker Park
/ref> Williamson married his cousin the Hon. Elizabeth Jane Hay Liddell, daughter of the 2nd Baron Ravensworth in 1863. Their son Hedworth inherited the baronetcy.

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* 1827 births 1900 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People from County Durham People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 Baronets in the Baronetage of England High Sheriffs of Durham {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub