Dame Elizabeth Kathleen Lane, DBE (née Coulborn; 9 August 1905 – 17 June 1988) was an English barrister and judge. She was the first woman appointed as a judge in the

County Court A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more county, counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by t ...

, the first female High Court judge in England, and the first female

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...

Early and private life

Lane was born on 9 August 1905 in

Bowden Bowden may refer to: Places Australia * Bowden Island, one of the Family Islands in Queensland * Bowden, South Australia, northwestern suburb of Adelaide * Bowden railway station Canada * Bowden, Alberta, town in central Alberta England * Bowd ...

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...

to Edward Alexander Coulborn, a mill owner, and Kate Wilkinson. She was educated at home, and lived with her family in Switzerland for a year immediately before the outbreak of the First World War. After returning to England, she attended Twizzletwig School in

Hindhead Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England. It is the highest village in Surrey, with buildings at between 185 and 253 metres above sea level. It is best known as the location of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a beauty spot and site of special scientif ...

, Surrey, and then Malvern Girls' College, before deciding against studying at university. She spent time with her brother in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

in 1924, where she met Randall Lane. They were married in

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

on 14 January 1926, and later lived in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

. They had a son John in August 1928 who had brain damage, resulting from

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

, and died in his teenage years from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

Career

After Lane's husband decided to become a barrister in 1936, they both studied the law at the same time. She became a student member of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in November 1937 and she was called to the bar in summer 1940. She completed her pupillage with Geoffrey Howard as her supervisor and began practising on the Midland Circuit, specialising in civil work. In 1948, she was appointed as a member of the Home Office Committee of Enquiry to examine the use of depositions in criminal trials. She was appointed

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1950, the third female KC in England after

Rose Heilbron Dame Rose Heilbron DBE, QC (19 August 1914 – 8 December 2005) was a British barrister who served as a High Court judge. Her career included many "firsts" for a woman – she was the first woman to achieve a first class honours degree in l ...

and

Helena Normanton Helena Florence Normanton, QC (14 December 1882 – 14 October 1957) was the first woman to take advantage of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 and join an institution of the legal profession. In November 1922, she was the second wom ...

took silk the previous year. She was Assistant Recorder of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

from 1953 to 1961, when she served as Chairman of the Mental Health Tribunals in 1960 and Commissioner of the Crown at Manchester in 1961. From late 1961 until 1962, she was Recorder of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

. In 1962 she was appointed as the first female judge in the

. Three years later she became the first woman to sit in the High Court, assigned to the

Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...

, and was appointed a

Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, corresponding to the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

received on appointment by a male High Court judge. She was also made a

of the Inner Temple in 1966, becoming the first female bencher of any Inn of Court. From 1971 to 1973, she chaired a committee which investigated the operation of the Abortion Act and wrote the majority of the first volume of the report.

Retirement

Her husband became legal adviser to the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh la ...

and died in 1975. Lane retired in 1979, and moved to Winchester. Her High Court robes were passed to

Margaret Booth Margaret Booth (January 16, 1898 – October 28, 2002) was an American film editor. Early life and career Born in Los Angeles, she started her Hollywood career as a "patcher", editing films by D. W. Griffith, around 1915. Her brother was actor ...

who was appointed the same year, and subsequently worn by Brenda Hale and Jill Black. She continued to sit on the Court of Appeal from time to time and became an honorary member of the Western Circuit. She became an honorary fellow of

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

in 1986. She wrote an autobiography, ''Hear the Other Side'', which was published in 1985. She died in Winchester on 17 June 1988, aged 82.

Notes

External links

Portraits
at the National Portrait Gallery *
Hear the Other Side: audi alteram partem
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Elizabeth 1905 births 1988 deaths Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire English barristers English legal professionals English women judges Family Division judges Members of the Inner Temple People educated at Malvern St James British women lawyers Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division judges 20th-century women lawyers 20th-century English lawyers 20th-century English women 20th-century English people County Court judges (England and Wales)