The eldest son of Robert Williamson, of Sunny Beech, Ripon, was born on February 8th, 1852. He entered Rugby School under Dr Temple in April, 1866, and left in September, 1870. On October 14th, 1871, he matriculated as a Junior Student of Christ Church, Oxford. He took a 1st class in Natural Science at his BA in 1875. In 1879 he was elected Radcliffe Travelling Fellow. He studied further at St Thomas's Hospital, being Prosector at the Royal College of Surgeons, and was acting as House Surgeon when he died at Florence, of typhoid fever, on January 6th, 1882. Thus an exceptionally brilliant career as a student in his aim to become a surgeon was early cut short.