The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealt ...

John Robert Davison MP, QC (7 April 1825 – 15 April 1871) was an English barrister and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

from 1868 to 1871. Davison was the son of the Rev. Edward Davison, Rector of Harlington, Middlesex, and Vicar of St. Nicholas Church, Durham. He was educated at

Durham School Durham School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding and day school in the English Public school (UK), public school tradition located in Durham, England, Durham, North East England. Since 2021 it has been part of th ...

, and at the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charter in 1837. It was the first recognised university to ...

, graduating with his M.A. in 1849. He was called to the bar at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1849, and went on the

Northern Circuit The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary. The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to the port of Whitehaven in the West, ...

. In 1866 he was made a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

. He was a J.P. and chairman of the

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

for County Durham.Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
/ref> At the 1868 general election Davison was elected member of parliament for City of Durham. He was appointed Judge Advocate General on 28 December 1870 and ran unopposed in the January 1871 Durham City by-election. He held the seat until his death on 15 April 1871. Davison married in 1860, Jane Anna Wood, daughter of

Nicholas Wood Nicholas Wood (24 April 1795 – 19 December 1865) was an English colliery and steam locomotive engineer. He helped engineer and design many steps forward in both engineering and mining safety, and helped bring about the North of England Inst ...

of Hetton Hall, President of the Northern Institute of Mining Engineers. She died in November 1869. They had four children: Arthur Pearson, John Robert, Mary Frances, and Edith Lindsay (who married Sir Amherst Selby-Bigge). A stained glass window in

Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral, formally the , is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Durham, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Durham and is the Mother Church#Cathedral, mother church of the diocese of Durham. It also contains the ...

is dedicated to his memory.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davison, John Robert 1825 births 1871 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the City of Durham Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Durham School Alumni of University College, Durham