Dame Alix Hester Marie Kilroy, Lady Meynell, DBE (1903–1999)John Commander. Obituary: Dame Alix "Bay" Meynell, ''The Independent'' (London), 2 September 1999. was one of the first two women to have entered the administrative grade of the Civil Service by examination (in 1925). She was given a desk at the

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for Business and Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

, where she ascended to Under-Secretary and where she served for 30 years (aside from a brief spell at the newly formed Monopolies Commission). She retired in 1955. She marked her 95th birthday by publishing a new book: ''What Grandmother Said'' (published February 1998), was the last of her writings. Her 1988 autobiography, ''Public Servant, Private Woman'', charted her progress through government.

Early years

"A.K." or "Bay" as she was known to friends, was the daughter of a Surgeon Commander of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, educated at Malvern Girls' College and at

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. It began admitting men in 1994. The colle ...

, where she read Modern Greats. Her unconventional relationship (without benefit of marriage until 1946) with

Francis Meynell Sir Francis Meredith Wilfrid Meynell (12 May 1891 – 10 July 1975) was a British poet and printer at The Nonesuch Press. Early career He was the son of the journalist and publisher Wilfrid Meynell and the poet Alice Meynell, a suffragi ...

, a poet, book designer and founder of ''

Nonesuch Press Nonesuch Press was a private press founded in 1922 in London by Francis Meynell, his second wife Vera Mendel, and their mutual friend David Garnett,Miranda Knorr"The Nonesuch Press: A Product of Determination" An Exhibit of Rare Books at the Ok ...

'', was childless, although she was devoted to her husband's large family of nephews and nieces. Marriage in 1946 bestowed, as the wife of a "K" (he was knighted that year), the title of "Lady", although this honorific was, technically, to be trumped by the DBE awarded her in 1949. At about the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the couple acquired "Cobbold's Mill" between

Lavenham Lavenham is a village, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the Babergh District, Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Lavenham Guildhall, Guildhall, Little ...

and

Hadleigh, Suffolk Hadleigh () is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. The town is situated next to the River Brett, between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 censu ...

, and there, for more than 20 years, they combined keeping open house to a multitude of friends with, until retirement, pursuit of their respective careers. She and her husband took up small-scale farming there. She was also active in anti-Suez activism and early post-war socialism. She was chair of the Southeastern Gas Consultative Council from 1956. Later, she was to become a founder-member of the SDP, and as late as the 1997 election she encouraged her friends to vote Lib-Dem rather than Labour on the grounds that this could end the

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

stranglehold on Suffolk South; however, it did the opposite.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kilroy, Alix 1903 births 1999 deaths People from Babergh District People from Malvern, Worcestershire British activists British women activists British writers British women writers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Wives of knights