Mary Holt (31 July 1924 – 17 February 2021) 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, barrister and judge.

Early life

Holt was born in July 1924. She gained her degree, an MA

LLB A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

with honours, from

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college at Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college status by the un ...

Career

Holt became a barrister in 1949 and practiced on the

Northern Circuit The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary. The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to the port of Whitehaven in the West, ...

. She was the member of parliament (MP) for Preston North from 1970 to 1974, when she lost the seat in the February election of that year to Labour's

Ronald Atkins Ronald Henry Atkins (13 June 1916 – 30 December 2020) was a British Labour politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Preston North for two terms: from 1966 until 1970, and from February 1974 until 1979. His career in British p ...

(from whom she had won the seat in 1970). She was the first woman to hold the Preston North seat. In Parliament, she was an advocate for the

Domicile and Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1973 In law and conflict of laws, domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal law", which includes the law that governs a person's status and their property. It is independent of a person's nationality. Although a domicile may change from time ...

, which allowed wives to have different addresses to their husbands. Her attempt to regain the seat in the October 1974 election was unsuccessful. Holt served as a circuit judge from 1977 to 1995.

Personal life

Holt never married. She died in Fulwood, Preston in February 2021 at the age of 96, weeks after the death of her predecessor (and successor)

at 104.

References

External links

* 1924 births 2021 deaths 20th-century British women politicians Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Lancashire Politics of Preston UK MPs 1970–1974 Place of birth missing 20th-century English women 20th-century English politicians 20th-century British women judges {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1920s-stub