390:
was passed into law the next day, on 24 December. She applied again to join
Lincoln's Inn that month, and was admitted as a student on 27 January 1920. Bebb attended a banquet at the House of Commons on 8 March 1920 to celebrate the passing of the Act, where she proposed a toast. In August 1920,
433:
A century after the passing of the law permitting women to be solicitors, one view is that there 'still work to be done to achieve real equality in law', others recognise 'the valuable work she did during her lifetime has led to nearly a century of women working in the law, bringing greater
324:(included in the law reports in 1914), a key statement in the Court's view was the “long uniform and interrupted usage, which we ought … to be very loth to depart from” that only men had become solicitors, therefore women were not able to do so.
327:
Bebb continued with political and feminist activism. The publicity from her case – the press was mostly in her favour – helped the campaign for women's admission to the legal profession in
Britain, and the passage of the
281:
as amended, and was therefore entitled to be admitted to the preliminary examination of the Law
Society. The judge, who had previously ruled a decade before, against another woman attempting to be a solicitor,
294:. And stated that this disability that must remain "unless and until" Parliament changed the law; in other words, that women could not be solicitors because no woman had ever been a solicitor.
423:
legal case, only Crofts succeeded in becoming recognised as a lawyer. Nettlefold left law, but went on to become the Deputy
Assistant Secretary at the Ministry of Food, the highest
920:
915:
476:
211:
In 1913, forty years after women first tried to become practicing professional lawyers, she and three other women started an unsuccessful legal action, known as
910:
313:
298:
255:
376:
409:. The premature baby died on 12 August, and Bebb herself died at a nursing home in Edgbaston on 9 October 1921, shortly before her 32nd birthday.
387:
329:
321:
317:
626:
194:. She completed her studies with First-Class degree marks in 1911, but at that time women were not awarded degrees or allowed to graduate.
667:
708:
171:
402:
Bebb was permitted with 51 other Oxford women, to graduate in 1920, then the only woman who had obtained a First Class Degree in Law.
816:
745:
790:
650:
368:
822:
751:
593:
164:
424:
348:
church in
Kensington, London, in April 1917. Her husband was born in 1872, the second son of Captain William Thomson of the
746:"Bebb [married name Thomson], Gwyneth Marjory (1889–1921), campaigner for women's admission to the legal profession"
501:
175:
930:
534:
468:
441:
said: “The legal profession owes an enormous debt of gratitude to
Gwyneth Bebb and her fellow aspiring female lawyers.”
183:
152:
567:
135:, a test case in the opening of the legal profession to women in Britain. She was expected to be the first woman to be
262:
386:
as a student barrister in 1918, but she was refused. She gave birth to a daughter, Diana, on 23 December 1919. The
430:
Crofts was the first woman solicitor and she became a partner in the law firm of Crofts, Ingram and Wyatt & Co.
590:"XP14A – Stephen, Karin (1890–1953) née Costelloe, psychologist and psychoanalyst – Karin Stephen collection (P14)"
357:
156:
213:
353:
250:
131:
113:
341:
925:
502:"Oh, That Glass Ceiling … More of a Bar than a Gate, Criminal Law & Justice Weekly (2009) 173 JPN 507"
438:
278:
160:
129:(27 October 1889 – 9 October 1921) (later Mrs Thomson) was an English lawyer. She was the claimant in
98:
905:
900:
361:
310:
274:
367:
In August 1917, Bebb now Mrs
Thomson was appointed assistant commissioner for enforcement for the
302:
644:
266:
884:
716:
632:
622:
270:
258:
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should be compelled to admit them to its preliminary examinations. The three other women were
136:
102:
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413:
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187:
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in order to study for the bar examinations, and help her husband in his legal practice in
306:
242:
226:
405:
A second daughter, Marion, was born on 10 August 1921, but the pregnancy was affected by
186:, from 1908. She was the sixth woman to study law at Oxford: her predecessors included
345:
234:
230:
198:
179:
17:
589:
894:
791:"'All These Barriers are Broken Down' – Five Remarkable Women Who Shaped the 1920s"
372:
238:
191:
140:
846:
775:
163:. She moved to Wales with her family after her father was appointed principal of
831:
760:
283:
222:
218:
526:
159:. Her mother, Louisa Marion (née Traer), was the daughter of the obstetrician
396:
291:
720:
636:
560:"Maud Crofts: "We women want not privileges but equality." – First 100 Years"
559:
86:
616:
277:, seeking a declaration that she was a "person" within the meaning of the
143:
was the first woman to qualify as a barrister in
England, in May 1922.
427:
role held by a woman to that date. Costelloe became a psychoanalyst.
64:
151:
Bebb was born in Oxford. She was the third of seven children of
621:(1st ed.). Chicago: American Bar Association. p. 403.
290:
that women were incapable of carrying out a public function in
709:"Landmarks in law: when female lawyers were declared 'people'"
139:
in
England; in the event, her early death prevented that, and
126:
39:
371:
in its
Midland Division, with work that included prosecuting
248:
Bebb became the first named party for the reported case,
496:
494:
554:
552:
434:
equality, diversity, and balance to the profession'.
668:"The Fascinating Lives Of The First Women Solicitors"
108:
94:
72:
46:
34:
826:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2011.
815:
755:(online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004.
744:
469:"The tragic case of the legal star history forgot"
592:. Archives.psychoanalysis.org.uk. 29 March 2016.
352:. Her husband had several brothers, including
8:
817:"Ingram, Maud Isabel (1889–1965), solicitor"
504:. Criminallawandjustice.co.uk. 8 August 2009
229:, who became a psychoanalyst after marrying
197:She became an investigating officer for the
921:Officers of the Order of the British Empire
739:
737:
462:
460:
458:
456:
454:
340:In the meantime, Bebb married a solicitor,
377:Officer of the Order of the British Empire
174:in Paddington, London (which later became
31:
789:Staveley-Wadham, Rose (7 January 2020).
618:Lawyer : a brief 5,000-year history
527:"UK | 75 years of women solicitors"
419:Of the four women who had contested the
273:on 2 and 3 July 1913, before Mr Justice
885:A feminist pioneer in law: Gwyneth Bebb
823:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
752:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
450:
388:Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
330:Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919
642:
267:Withers, Bensons, Birkett & Davies
707:Baksi, Catherine (15 February 2019).
521:
519:
7:
702:
700:
698:
662:
660:
305:when the decision was upheld in the
269:when her test case was heard in the
182:) and then studied jurisprudence at
916:Alumni of St Hugh's College, Oxford
795:blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
537:from the original on 17 March 2018
467:Rosemary Auchmuty (10 June 2011).
25:
596:from the original on 1 March 2018
570:from the original on 1 March 2018
479:from the original on 15 June 2015
176:St Mary's College, Lancaster Gate
911:British women's rights activists
437:Law Society president in 2019,
309:in December 1913, heard by the
861:"5 inspirational women in law"
332:allowed women to be lawyers.
1:
672:The Legal Copywriting Company
649:: CS1 maint: date and year (
412:Bebb's funeral took place at
847:UK public library membership
776:UK public library membership
391:she gave up her work at the
336:Later life, death and legacy
165:St David's College, Lampeter
153:Llewellyn John Montford Bebb
947:
358:William Montgomery Thomson
27:English lawyer (1889–1921)
887:, the f-word, 6 June 2011
382:Bebb had applied to join
254:. She was represented by
184:St Hugh's College, Oxford
157:Brasenose College, Oxford
83:October 9, 1921 (aged 31)
615:Andrus, R. Blan (2009).
214:Bebb vs. the Law Society
832:10.1093/ref:odnb/102120
761:10.1093/ref:odnb/101944
354:Henry Broughton Thomson
297:She was represented by
251:Bebb v. The Law Society
206:Bebb v. The Law Society
132:Bebb v. The Law Society
114:Bebb v. The Law Society
18:Bebb v. The Law Society
342:Thomas Weldon Thomson
123:Gwyneth Marjorie Bebb
51:Gwyneth Marjorie Bebb
931:Deaths in childbirth
865:Simply Law Jobs Blog
564:first100years.org.uk
533:. 19 December 1997.
375:. Bebb was made an
362:Seaforth Highlanders
217:, claiming that the
170:She was educated at
439:Christina Blacklaws
311:Master of the Rolls
279:Solicitors Act 1843
178:, before moving to
256:Stanley Buckmaster
161:James Reeves Traer
99:St. Hugh's College
867:. 6 February 2018
845:(Subscription or
774:(Subscription or
628:978-1-60442-598-7
320:and Lord Justice
314:Lord Cozens-Hardy
299:Lord Robert Cecil
271:Chancery Division
137:called to the bar
120:
119:
103:Oxford University
61:December 27, 1889
16:(Redirected from
938:
877:
876:
874:
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842:
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674:. 31 August 2017
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486:
484:
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414:Tewkesbury Abbey
407:placenta praevia
393:Ministry of Food
373:black-marketeers
369:Ministry of Food
350:78th Highlanders
265:, instructed by
188:Cornelia Sorabji
172:St Mary's School
82:
80:
60:
58:
32:
21:
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937:
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891:
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566:. 5 July 2016.
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379:(OBE) in 1921.
338:
316:, Lord Justice
307:Court of Appeal
243:Lucy Nettlefold
227:Karin Costelloe
209:
149:
90:
84:
78:
76:
68:
62:
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346:St Mary Abbots
337:
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235:Virginia Woolf
231:Adrian Stephen
208:
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199:Board of Trade
180:Gerrards Cross
155:, a fellow of
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118:
117:
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109:Known for
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50:
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26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
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6:
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3:
2:
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926:Women jurists
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384:Lincoln's Inn
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75:
71:
66:
49:
45:
41:
33:
30:
19:
869:. Retrieved
864:
855:
837:19 September
835:. Retrieved
821:
810:
798:. Retrieved
794:
784:
766:19 September
764:. Retrieved
750:
724:. Retrieved
713:The Guardian
712:
688:
676:. Retrieved
671:
617:
610:
598:. Retrieved
584:
572:. Retrieved
563:
539:. Retrieved
530:
506:. Retrieved
481:. Retrieved
473:The Guardian
472:
436:
432:
429:
420:
418:
411:
404:
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381:
366:
339:
326:
318:Swinfen Eady
303:R. A. Wright
296:
287:
263:R. A. Wright
249:
247:
239:Vanessa Bell
233:(brother of
212:
210:
205:
196:
192:Ivy Williams
169:
150:
141:Ivy Williams
130:
122:
121:
36:Gwyneth Bebb
29:
906:1921 deaths
901:1889 births
600:28 February
574:28 February
541:28 February
508:12 November
483:12 November
286:, ruled in
284:Bertha Cave
223:Maud Crofts
219:Law Society
895:Categories
871:13 October
849:required.)
800:13 October
778:required.)
726:13 October
678:13 October
445:References
397:Tewkesbury
322:Phillimore
292:common law
147:Early life
79:1921-10-09
57:1889-12-27
721:0261-3077
692:1 Ch. 286
645:cite book
637:428436866
167:in 1898.
95:Education
89:, England
87:Edgbaston
67:, England
594:Archived
568:Archived
535:Archived
531:BBC News
477:Archived
360:of the
301:KC and
241:), and
843:
772:
719:
635:
625:
475:. UK.
356:, and
65:Oxford
344:, at
275:Joyce
873:2020
839:2020
802:2020
768:2020
728:2020
717:ISSN
680:2020
651:link
633:OCLC
623:ISBN
602:2018
576:2018
543:2018
510:2011
485:2011
421:Bebb
288:Bebb
261:and
237:and
190:and
73:Died
47:Born
828:doi
757:doi
416:.
127:OBE
40:OBE
897::
863:.
820:.
793:.
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