Jenny Coutts (née Janet Maxwell Barclay) was the first female provost of

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; ; ) is a town and a Burgh of Barony (The Baron of Kirkintilloch) in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. Historically ...

Early life and education

Janet Maxwell Barclay was both in

Carnwath Carnwath (Gaelic: ''A' Chathair Nuadh''; English: "New Fort") is a moorland village on the southern edge of the Pentland Hills of South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The village lies about south of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It is bounded by the N ...

, Lanarkshire in 1909, the daughter of Gavin and Janet Barclay. She attended

Lanark Grammar School Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by Anne, Princess Royal, The Princess Anne. The school draws its pupils from the town of Lanark a ...

, and later became a secretary, working in offices in Bath Street,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. She met her husband, Willie Coutts at the International Club. The couple and their two sons moved to

Lenzie Lenzie () is a small affluent town by the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway in the East Dunbartonshire council area and the historic county of Dunbartonshire in Scotland. It is about north-east of Glasgow city centre and south of Kirkintilloch. At ...

in 1949, where she became involved in local politics. Both Jenny and her husband were pacifists during

World War II 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 ...

Political career

She became an independent councillor for the area in 1958, by a majority of five votes. By 1964, she was provost of Kirkintilloch. in 1973, she was awarded an MBE for her services to social work. As a magistrate, she was known for her liberal approach to crime and punishment and was in favour of abstinence from alcohol. She believed that party politics had no place in local councils.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutts, Jenny 1909 births 2008 deaths People educated at Lanark Grammar School Women provosts in Scotland Councillors in East Dunbartonshire Women councillors in Scotland Politicians from South Lanarkshire Scottish pacifists