Thomas Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth (8 February 1775 – 7 March 1855), known as Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet, from 1791 to 1821, was a British peer and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician.

Early life

Liddell was the son of Sir Henry Liddell, 5th Baronet, and his wife Elizabeth Steele, a daughter of Thomas Steele of Hampsnett. His younger brother Henry Liddell,

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Easington (1787–1872), was father of a younger Henry Liddell, co-author (with Robert Scott) of the monumental work '' A Greek-English Lexicon'', and father of the Alice who inspired '' Alice in Wonderland''.

Career

He succeeded his father in the baronetcy and to the family estates at Ravensworth Castle and

Eslington Park Eslington Park is a privately owned 18th-century mansion house west of Whittingham, Northumberland, near the River Aln. It is the family seat of Lord Ravensworth. It is a Grade II* listed building. Eslington, first mentioned in the reign of Edw ...

and to extensive coal mining interests in 1791. He was

High Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

in 1804 and served 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 ...

for County Durham between 1806 and 1807. On 17 July 1821 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Ravensworth, of Ravensworth Castle in the County Palatine of Durham and of Eslington Park in the County of Northumberland. At Ravensworth he demolished the old 1724 house in 1808 and replaced it with a substantial mansion in the

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths ** Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken ...

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was a British civil engineer and mechanical engineer. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victorians In the history of the United Kingdom and the ...

from 1804 at his

Killingworth Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town in North Tyneside, England. Killingworth was built as a planned town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the Township. Other nearby towns an ...

colliery and encouraged and financed him in the development of steam power which was vital for the improvement of the efficiency of the wagonways which transported coal from the pit to the River Tyne.

Personal life

Maria, Baroness Ravensworth by Thomas Lawrence

On 26 March 1796, Thomas married Maria Susannah Simpson (1773–1845). She was a daughter of John Simpson, of Bradley Hall, Co. Durham, and Lady Anne Lyon. Her maternal grandparents were

Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Thomas Lyon, 8th Earl of Strathmore (1704 – 18 January 1753) was a Scottish nobleman, and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 to 1735, when he resigned upon succeeding to the peerage as Earl of Strathmore. Lyon was bapt ...

and Jean Nicholsen. Together, they had twelve children: * Henry Thomas Liddell, 1st Earl of Ravensworth (1797–1878). * Maria Liddell (1798–1882), who married

Constantine Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby Constantine Henry Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby, (15 May 1797 – 28 July 1863), styled Viscount Normanby between 1812 and 1831 and known as The Earl of Mulgrave between 1831 and 1838, was a British Whig politician and author. He nota ...

. * Thomas Liddell (1800–1856), who married Caroline Elizabeth Barrington, daughter of

George Barrington, 5th Viscount Barrington George Barrington, 5th Viscount Barrington (16 July 1761 – 4 March 1829), was a British minister and aristocrat. Early life Barrington was born on 16 July 1761. He was the third son of Maj. Gen. Hon. John Barrington, who died in Paris on 2 Ap ...

. * Anne Elizabeth Liddell (1801–1878), who married

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 ...

. * Jane Elizabeth Liddell (1804–1883), who married

William Keppel Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington William Keppel Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington (6 October 1793 – 9 February 1867), styled The Honourable from 1814 until 1829, was a British businessman and politician. Early life Born in London on 6 October 1793, Barrington was the eldest ...

. * Elizabeth Charlotte Liddell (1807–1890), who married Edward Ernest Villiers, a son of George Villiers and grandson of

Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon Thomas Villiers, 1st Earl of Clarendon, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family. Clarendon was the second son of William Villiers, 2nd Earl of Jersey, and his wife Judith Herne, daughter of ...

. Their daughter

Edith Villiers Edith Bulwer-Lytton, Countess of Lytton, (née Villiers; 15 September 1841 – 17 September 1936) was a British aristocrat. As the wife of Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, she was vicereine of India. After his death, she was a court-at ...

married

Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, (8 November 183124 November 1891) was an English statesman, Conservative politician and poet who used the pseudonym Owen Meredith. He served as Viceroy of India between 1876 and 1880durin ...

. * Robert Liddell (1808–1888), who married Emily Ann Charlotte Wellesley, a daughter of

Gerald Wellesley Gerald Valerian Wellesley (1809 – 17 September 1882) was a Church of England cleric who became the Dean of Windsor. More importantly, he was domestic chaplain to Queen Victoria and played a major advisory role regarding the royal family's ...

and granddaughter of

Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington Garret Colley Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington (19 July 1735 – 22 May 1781) was an Anglo-Irish politician and composer, as well as the father of several distinguished military commanders and politicians of Great Britain and Ireland. Early life ...

. * Susan Liddell (1810–1886), who married Charles Yorke, 4th Earl of Hardwicke. * George Augustus Frederick Liddell (1812–1888), who married Cecil Elizabeth Jane Wellesley, another daughter of Gerald Wellesley and granddaughter of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington. * Charlotte Amelia Liddell (1814–1883), who married Captain John Trotter (2nd Lifeguards) of Dyrham Park and had issue. * Adolphus Frederick Octavious Liddell (1818–1885), who married Frederica Elizabeth Lane-Fox, daughter of George Lane-Fox and Georgiana Henrietta Buckley. Georgiana was a granddaughter of

John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr John West, 2nd Earl De La Warr (9 May 1729 – 22 November 1777) was a British peer, politician and army officer. Early life Born The Honourable John West, he was the son of John West, 7th Baron De La Warr and his first wife, the former Lady Cha ...

. * Georgiana Liddell (1822–1905), who married John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield. He died in March 1855, aged 80, and was succeeded in his titles by his son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, who was created

Earl of Ravensworth Baron Ravensworth, of Ravensworth Castle in the County Palatine of Durham and of Eslington Park in the County of Northumberland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1821 for Sir Thomas Liddell, 6th Baronet. The ...

in 1874.

In popular media

Liddell was portrayed as the character of Lord Ravensworth by actor

Terence Alexander Terence Joseph Alexander (11 March 1923 – 28 May 2009) was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama ''Bergerac (TV series), Bergerac'', which ran for nine series on BBC One be ...

in the 1985 '' Doctor Who'' serial ''

The Mark of the Rani ''The Mark of The Rani'' is the third serial of the 22nd season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on BBC1 on 2 and 9 February 1985. The serial is set in the mining vi ...

''.

References

External links

His profile in Peerage.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravensworth, Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Peers of the United Kingdom created by George IV 1775 births 1855 deaths Liddell, Thomas Liddell, Thomas UK MPs who were granted peerages Liddell, Thomas High Sheriffs of Northumberland Barons Ravensworth