Sir William Theodore Doxford (1 February 1841 – 1 October 1916) was a British

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

and politician.

Early life

Doxford was born at Bridge Street (leading to

Wearmouth Bridge Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea. Original bridge The original Wearmouth Bridge was designed by Thomas Paine and opened in ...

) in

Bishopwearmouth Bishopwearmouth is a former village and parish which now constitutes the west side of Sunderland City Centre, merging with the settlement as it expanded outwards in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is home to the Sunderland Minster church, which ...

, County Durham, on 1 February 1841. He was the eldest son of the eight surviving children of William Doxford (1812–1882) and his wife, Hannah Pile Doxford (1814–1895). He was baptised on 14 March 1841 in St Michaels, Bishopwearmouth (now the

Sunderland Minster The Minster Church of St Michael and All Angels and St Benedict Biscop (commonly known as Sunderland Minster) is the minster church of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Formerly known as "St Michael & All Angels' Church", it served as the pari ...

). After graduating from Bramham College in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

in 1857, Doxford began to work at his father's company,

William Doxford & Sons William Doxford & Sons Ltd, often referred to simply as Doxford, was a British shipbuilding and marine engineering company. History William Doxford founded the company in 1840. From 1870 it was based in Pallion, Sunderland, on the River Wea ...

, upon its creation in 1858 at its new headquarters at

Pallion Pallion is a suburb and electoral ward in North West Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England. Most of the buildings in the area were built during the Victorian Era and consist of large terraced houses built for shipbuilders, but also smaller one- ...

on the

River Wear The River Wear (, ) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At long, it is one of the region's longest rivers, wends in a steep valley through th ...

Family

On 9 April 1863, Doxford married Margaret Wilkinson (1842–1916), daughter of Richard Wilkinson, a local shipbuilder. They eventually had nine children, six of whom survived to

adulthood An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

: *Margaret Eveline (1864–1960), married John Hunt Hedley (1858–1914), a valuer. *William Theodore (1866–1870) *(Albert) Ernest (1867–1937), a marine engine builder; married Bertha Eleanor Warner (1866–1949). *Harold (1869–1869) *Mary Hannah (1870–1948), married Alfred Octavius Hedley (1861–1926; brother of the above John Hunt Hedley), a solicitor. *Theodore (1874–1876) *Norah (1876–1965), married (Andrew Leyland) Hillyar Cleland (1868–1943), son of John Cleland of

Stormont Castle Stormont Castle is a manor house on the Stormont Estate in east Belfast which is home to the Northern Ireland Executive and the Executive Office. It is a Grade A listed building. History Stormont Castle was completed c.1830 and was reworked in ...

. *(Annie) Greta (1878–1968), died unmarried. *(Wilhelmine) Vera (1883–1955), married Stanley Miller Thompson (1883–1948), creator of

The Silver Line The Silver Line is a free confidential telephone helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people in the United Kingdom, available 24 hours a day. As of 1 October 2019 The Silver Line joined forces with Age UK to help more of ...

Politics

After several years of success in his shipbuilding company (held jointly by him and his brothers since their father's death in 1882), Doxford became the first

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

in forty years to be elected for the two-seat constituency of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

, when he became a Unionist Member of Parliament in 1895.

Knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

for his services by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in t ...

on 9 February 1900, he retired from parliament in 1906. He was also present at

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

's funeral service at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

in 1898. Doxford had also been involved in local affairs, serving on

town council, as a River Wear commissioner and as a magistrate for Sunderland and County Durham. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant for County Durham from 1896 and was a founding member and second president of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders. Joining the

Institution of Naval Architects The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (also known as RINA) is an international organisation representing naval architects. It is an elite international professional institution based in London. Its members are involved worldwide at all levels ...

in 1878, he was elected a council member in 1896 and became vice-president in 1908. He also represented

Wearside Wearside () is a built-up area in both Tyne and Wear and County Durham, Northern England. It is named after the River Wear which flows through it and traditionally all in the County of Durham. In the 2011 census, its official name was the Sunder ...

on the National Federation of Shipbuilding Employers and was chairman of the Wear Shipbuilders' Association from 1908 to 1912.

Death

Doxford died on 1 October 1916, aged 74, at his home, Grindon Hall, a few months after the death of his wife. He was buried with his wife in

Bishopwearmouth Cemetery Bishopwearmouth Cemetery is a cemetery in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It lies between Hylton Road and Chester Road ( A183 road). History Due to the cholera epidemic of 1831 and the subsequent overcrowding of churchyards, it was decided ...

References

*Alan G. Jamieson, ''Doxford, Sir William Theodore (1841–1916)'',

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

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, 200
accessed 15 May 2008

External links