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 an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

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 of Easington (1787–1872), was the father of a younger

Henry Liddell Henry George Liddell (; 6 February 1811– 18 January 1898) was Dean (college), dean (1855–1891) of Christ Church, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1870–1874), headmaster (1846–1855) of Westminster School (where a house is n ...

, co-author (with Robert Scott) of the monumental work ''

A Greek-English Lexicon A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'', and father of the

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

who inspired ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

''.

Career

He succeeded his father in the baronetcy and to the family estates at Ravensworth Castle and Eslington Park and to extensive coal mining interests in 1791. He was High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1804 and served as

Member of Parliament for

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

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 architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

George Stephenson George Stephenson (9 June 1781 – 12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and Mechanical engineering, mechanical engineer during the Industrial Revolution. Renowned as the "Father of Railways", Stephenson was considered by the Victoria ...

from 1804 at his

Killingworth Killingworth is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, within the historic county of Northumberland. Killingworth was built as a new town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the new town ...

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 The River Tyne is a river in North East England. Its length (excluding tributaries) is . It is formed by the North Tyne and the South Tyne, which converge at Warden, Northumberland, Warden near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The ...

Personal life

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 ba ...

and Jean Nicholsen. Together, they had twelve children: *

Henry Thomas Liddell, 1st Earl of Ravensworth Henry Thomas Liddell, 1st Earl of Ravensworth (10 March 1797 – 19 March 1878) was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British peer and Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament who represented several constituenci ...

(1797–1878). * Maria Liddell (1798–1882), who married Constantine Phipps, 1st Marquess of Normanby. * Thomas Liddell (1800–1856), who married Caroline Elizabeth Barrington, daughter of George Barrington, 5th Viscount Barrington. * 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 so ...

. * Jane Elizabeth Liddell (1804–1883), who married William Keppel Barrington, 6th Viscount Barrington. * 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, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC (1709 – 11 December 1786) was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British politician and diplomat from the Villiers family. Clarendon was the second son of William Villie ...

. Their daughter Edith Villiers married

Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, (8 November 1831 – 24 November 1891), was an English statesman, Conservative politician and poet who used the pseudonym Owen Meredith. During his tenure as Viceroy of India between 1876 ...

. * Robert Liddell (1808–1888), who married Emily Ann Charlotte Wellesley, a daughter of Gerald Wellesley and granddaughter of Garret Wesley, 1st Earl of Mornington. * 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. * Sir 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), styled Viscount Cantelupe from 1761 to 1766, was a British Army officer, peer and courtier. Early life Born The Honourable John West, he was the son of John West, 1st Earl De La ...

. * Georgiana Liddell (1822–1905), who married John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield. Lady Ravensworth was the sister of Frances, Lady Paul, wife of Sir John Dean Paul, 1st Baronet, she was the niece of the Baroness Bradford as well as cousin of Lt Gen Sir Frederick Lester. He died in March 1855, aged 80, and was succeeded in his titles by his son

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, who was created Earl of Ravensworth in 1874.

In popular media

Liddell was portrayed as the character of Lord Ravensworth by actor Terence Alexander in the 1985 ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial '' The Mark of the Rani''.

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 201 Liddell baronets