Mary G. W. Davis (née Taylor; 7 December 1938 – 24 February 2025), known as Gabrielle Davis, was a British

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 ...

politician who was a councillor for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, as well as serving as

Sheriff of Canterbury The Sheriff of Canterbury is a shrievalty in the city of Canterbury, England. The office was first held in 1461 by Richard Carpenter, when a charter of king Edward IV granted the city the perpetual status of a county independent of Kent itself. ...

from 2009 to 2010. She was notable for volunteering to head the "defence of our heritage" movement. This action moved against a vote by the

Canterbury City Council Canterbury (, ) is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climate. Canterbury is a popular tourist destination, wit ...

Executive Committee on 21 January 2010 to close Herne Bay Museum and Gallery and other repositories of local

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...

for the sake of saving £112,600 per year.

Background

Davis was born on 7 December 1938 in

, and lived in

Herne Bay Herne Bay is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in South East England. It is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne, Kent, Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury loca ...

, attending La Sainte Union Convent School which was run by the Sisters of La Sainte Union des Sacrés-Coeurs, and is now closed. She started as a journalist on local papers, including the ''

Coventry Telegraph The ''Coventry Telegraph'' is a local English tabloid newspaper. It is published by Coventry Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Reach PLC Midlands Ltd, along with a number of other local publications. Publication history It was founded as ' ...

'', before moving on to national titles, including the magazine '' Women’s Realm'' and the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

'', and interviewed many celebrities including Camilla-Parker Bowles. She lived in Herne Bay, wrote the Beltinge column for ''

Herne Bay Gazette Herne may refer to: Places Australia * Herne Hill, Victoria * Herne Hill, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth * Riverwood, New South Wales, formerly known as Herne Bay England * Herne, Kent, near the town of Herne Bay * Herne Bay, seaside town ...

'' and supported causes concerning pets and wildlife. She was fundraising officer for six years at Cats Protection in Canterbury, and was Trustee for Animals Worldwide.

Duties

Davis was elected a member of Canterbury City Council in 2003 and

in May 2009 and was a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

member for

Reculver Reculver is a village and coastal resort about east of Herne Bay on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. It is in the Wards of the United Kingdom, ward of the same name, in the City of Canterbury district of Kent. Reculver once o ...

. Until May 2010, she was the latest in the line of Sheriffs of Canterbury which goes back to 1461. In past centuries the post involved tax-collecting and police work, but since 1974 the Sheriff has been relieved of those duties and now represents the

City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

at functions and other civic duties. The postholder is elected at the annual

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

meeting in May, for one year. In May 2010 she was succeeded as Sheriff of Canterbury by Councillor Sally Pickersgill.

Defence of our heritage

In October 2009,

said it had to save £3.5m for budgeting purposes. The executive committee made its final recommendation to close the museum on 21 January 2010; the final vote to be taken on 18 February 2010. Councillor Davis was a founder-member of Herne Bay Improvement and Conservation Trust, and some of her colleagues on the Trust were members of Herne Bay Historical Society, which has charge of most of the collections at Herne Bay Museum. In response to the Council vote to close the museum, she volunteered to head "defence of our heritage", in spite of the fact that the vote for closure was made by her Conservative colleagues on the council. The Herne Bay Museum and Gallery reopened in 2015 as the Seaside Museum Herne Bay.

Personal life and death

Gabrielle Davis was married to Noel for 15 years before his death. In 2023, Davis moved to a care home in Cheshire to be close to her family. She died on 24 February 2025, at the age of 86.

Bibliography

Notes

References

External links

Canterbury City Council Online: Gabrielle Davis page

Canterbury City Council Online: The office of sheriff

Canterbury City Council Online: Agenda for Exec Committee 21 Jan 2010
(includes link to audio recording of meeting) {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Gabrielle 1938 births 2025 deaths British women in politics People from Herne Bay, Kent Sheriffs of Canterbury