Jean Barker, Baroness Trumpington
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
---|---|
In office 4 February 1980 – 24 October 2017 Life peerage | |
Personal details | |
Born | Jean Alys Campbell-Harris 23 October 1922 London, England |
Died | 26 November 2018 Chelsea, London, England | (aged 96)
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse |
William Alan Barker
(m. 1954; died 1988) |
Children | 1 |
Occupation |
|
Jean Alys Barker, Baroness Trumpington,
Early life
She was born as Jean Campbell-Harris, a daughter of Major Arthur Campbell-Harris, an officer in the
Trumpington took dancing lessons at Madame Vacani's school in
Educated at Princess Helena College, Trumpington, aged 15, left school never having taken an exam, although she was fluent in French, German and Italian. She then went to a finishing school in Paris to study art and literature.[2] Her father took her on holiday to Biarritz.
I was a very good, left-handed tennis player. I had coaching all year round and there was serious talk of junior Wimbledon.
— Trumpington
She spent a year at Montrichard receiving coaching from French tennis champion Jean Borotra. In Paris, she stayed with Madame de Benouville, whose husband Jean was a member of the royalist group Action Française. When war broke out, she returned to England
She had two brothers educated at
Bletchley Park, World War II and its aftermath
Initially during World War II, Lady Trumpington was attached to Lloyd George's Sussex arable farm, where she
She was billeted at
Life only really began when I went to Bletchley. That's when I made my real friends, and it was exciting being a part of something important. We used to meet up in Claridge's, and throw bread at each other and sing and behave so badly. Five shillings was the most you could spend during the war, so it was as affordable as anywhere.[9]
— Trumpington
At war's end, she spent four years working for the European Central Inland Transport Organization, shipping and distributing supplies to the war-torn continent with the same job description, filing clerk. But she was soon working as the effective transport manager from a 5th floor office in the
Moving in political circles, she returned to London to work for an imperial Conservative, Victor Montagu, Viscount Hinchingbroke.[11]
New York socialite
In 1952, Trumpington moved to America, travelling on board RMS Mauretania and arriving at New York on 28 January.[12] She shared a flat above the Stork Club on East 52nd Street, off Park Avenue.[13] She was able to secure a position with an advertising agency, Fletcher Richards at the Rockefeller Center, off 5th Avenue. Shopping on 6th Avenue, she made friends with Riv Winant, son of John Gilbert Winant, a former American ambassador to London; their friendship turned out to be long-term. They frequented haunts of wealthy high society New Yorkers such as the Round Hill Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut, and the River Club of New York City, and the homes of East Hampton, Long Island, with membership of the exclusive Maidstone Club. Fascinated by wealth,[citation needed] she got on the guest list of billionaire philanthropist, Walter Annenberg. Ronnie Furse taught her to water-ski in the Chesapeake Bay.[14] For her, the physical prowess was unnecessary, but part of the tour. Working as a secretary, she moved into a flat on 137 East 73rd Street next to Furse.[15]
Whilst in America, she met an Englishman, (William) Alan Barker, a master at
Return to England
After working at Eton, her husband was Headmaster of
On the day that Harold Wilson resigned in 1970, she invited Heath to view the cricket pitches, which was reciprocated by a visit to No.10. Other royalty continued to attend from Bahrain and Tonga. She promoted the school with her own brand of conservatism, taking care of mental health and epilepsy in the school. With Eton's help they started a boat club, spent time at Cliveden and in 1962 included among their friends, the Astors.[19] The Macmillan era was rounded off with a world tour to drum up school business.
The couple had one son, Adam Campbell Barker, born on 31 August 1955. Adam was educated at
Conservative politics
Since 1945, Mother and Baby Homes (otherwise known as maternity homes) had been places for the poor to wean their offspring. She was appointed governor of the one in Cambridge, and moved to Cambridge where her voluntary work continued.[20] The United Cambridge Hospital Board, the Cambridge Social Services Committee, and the Cambridge Folk Museum all received her patronage. She was a member of the Rheumatism and Arthritis Association, which began serious research work on debilitation at Cambridge laboratories.
In 1963, she was elected as councillor for
Before the local government and administration of justice re-organisation, it was usual for the upper classes to sit on the bench as a matter of public duty. She re-entered politics in 1973, when she was elected to Cambridgeshire County Council for the Trumpington division but resigned in 1975 over the rapist scandal.[21][clarification needed] She sought election to Parliament, and reached the short list for the Isle of Ely for the October 1974 election.[2] (Dr Thomas Stuttaford was selected instead and lost to Clement Freud.) That year marked a watershed in her political career. Stepping up a gear, she moved into a visibly national profile: her son was by now fully grown and starting a career. Continuing a gradual move up the career ladder into public life, Barker matured into a serious-minded public figure; she was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the women's gaol attached to Pentonville Prison in London. She was one of the few who could get along well with the leader of her party, Margaret Thatcher.[22]
In addition, the former councillor was appointed by the Labour government to the
Her interest in women's affairs became known for all the world to see when Thatcher became Prime Minister. Appointed as UK Representative to the
On a different canvas, the noble Baroness, Lady Trumpington, then UK representative at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, helped to unite the international voice of women through her irresistible humour and sense of fun. It was good to be so involved in those days.[26]
Sent by Mrs Thatcher to Copenhagen, she headed a delegation to UK's first female ambassador, Anne Warburton. At the UN she crossed the floor to greet Suzanne Mubarak, who made a brave speech for advancing peace in the Middle East.
Lady Trumpington was a steward of
Ministerial office from the Lords
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2019) |
In almost her first debate she found herself on two sides of the same debate: discussing Clause no.23 amendment sponsored by Duke of Norfolk to Education Bill No. 2 1980.[28] In June 1983, she joined the Lords Works of Art Committee. She became a resident expert on the committee, where she sat until 2010.[29]
On leaving the UN post and entering the House of Lords, she was introduced as a
Moving to the Ministry of Agriculture, which suited her temperament better than social security, at the height of the Thatcher boom period from 1987 to 1989, she was made
Her last role was once again as a Baroness-in-waiting to the Queen
The
Her sense of order, propriety and taste got her into trouble: mocked by a Labour peeress for commenting on the drab and dishevelled appearance of the House of Lords, she more than once appeared a
When she tried to debate the "plight of rural veterinary practices", the peeress pretended to be deaf: she had long railed against the most absurd forms of political correctness.[clarification needed] In 2000–01, she was made President of the South of England Agricultural Show, taking the opportunity to promote animal health, a cause for which she had in 1995 been awarded an Honorary Membership of the British Veterinary Association, in response to her work in that ministry.[36] Declining rural practices was caused directly by the government's farming policies; the yawning gap between policy and practice exposed weaknesses in the EFRACOM report. She had initiated the debate on 24 June 2004, and was widely praised for so doing.[37] Throughout her career, she was notable for having raised uncomfortable truths about topics most politicians have avoided, such as the plight of women in prisons, or the fate of single mothers with mental health issues.[citation needed]
In December 2012, she acknowledged the campaign for the government to give official recognition to the work of
She retired from the House of Lords on 24 October 2017, one day after her 95th birthday.[39][40]
Honours
Trumpington was appointed an
Media
As a castaway on Desert Island Discs in 1990 she chose as her luxury item the Crown Jewels in order to maximise her chances of being rescued.[44]
In 2011, she published a jaunty
On 30 November 2012, Trumpington was a guest panellist on the BBC TV's satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You; at the age of 90 she was the oldest guest to have appeared on the programme. In December 2013 she was a guest on BBC Three chat show Backchat with Jack and Michael Whitehall. In 2014 she was a guest judge in the finals of the Great British Menu.
At the end of December 2017, she was
She was referenced as suffering from the fictional "Slimmels disease" in the spoof news and current affairs satire The Day Today.
Later life and death
Lady Trumpington was widowed in 1988.[2] In later interviews with The Guardian she described enjoying her grandchildren. She also enjoyed contract bridge, needlepoint and horse racing.[21] In January 2010, while she was out, her flat in Battersea caught fire; her possessions were badly damaged.[2]
She died in Chelsea, London,[47] on 26 November 2018. Her death was confirmed by her son, Adam Barker, on Twitter later that night. He wrote: "My mother passed away this afternoon in her sleep ... she had a bloody good innings."[48]
Notes
References
- ^ "Baronness Trumpington". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Grice, Elizabeth (14 August 2012). "Baroness Trumpington: 'At my age, I don't give a damn what I say'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ Memoirs, pp.12, 14, 17, 21–2.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Baroness Trumpington". BBC News. 27 November 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4472-5677-9.
- ISBN 978-1-84513-539-3.
- YouTubeRetrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ "Obituary: Lady Jean Fforde, aristocrat said to have auctioned off an earldom to pay for central heating". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- ^ "The enigmatic life of Lady Trumpington". The Guardian. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ Memoirs, p.71
- ^ see: Antony Colville Diaries
- ^ Memoirs, pp.98–9
- ^ Memoirs, p.100
- ^ Memoirs, p.107, 116.
- ^ Memoirs, pp.110–11
- Pan Macmillan.
- ^ Memoirs, p.118.
- ^ New York Herald, 22 October 1953; The New York Times, 22 October 1953; The Times, 2 November 1953
- ^ Trumpington, p.162
- ^ Trumpington, pp.177–8
- ^ a b c d "The Rt Hon the Baroness Trumpington, DCVO, PC". Debrett's. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington profile: From Lloyd George to the Lords". BBC News. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Lord Trenchard said "like Lady Trumpington's expert knowledge in relation to air mail". HL Deb 30 April 1980 vol 408 cc1284-333 Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "POST OFFICE SERVICES". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 30 April 1980.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, 107th edition, vol.III.
- ^ "Address in Reply to Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 23 November 2004.
- ^ Burke's 107th ed. (London 2003), vol.III, p.1949
- ^ "EDUCATION (No. 2) BILL". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 13 March 1980.
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington". UK Parliament.
- ^ "Administration and Works Committee". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 21 December 2004.
- ^ Weds 15 March 2005, Hansard01 see also: Hansard HL Deb 09 March 2005 vol 670 cc727-9
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou.
- ^ "Crime Prevention". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 8 December 2004.
- ^ Baroness Billingham HL Deb 23 November 2004 vol 667 cc5-20 Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ "House of Lords' V-sign makes X-rated viewing | Media Monkey". The Guardian. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ Trumpington, p. 210
- ^ "Veterinary Practices". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 24 June 2004.
- ^ Ben Summerskill (20 July 2013). "Pardoning Alan Turing is a pointless exercise". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington". Parliament of the United Kingdom.
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington Retires". 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Life Peerages – T". Cracroftspeerage.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ "No. 48091". The London Gazette. 7 February 1980. p. 1977.
- ^ "No. 57665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2005. p. 3.
- ^ "Desert island Discs".
- ^ Jean Trumpington, Coming Up Trumps: A Memoir, London: Macmillan, 2011.
- ^ "Today". BBC Radio 4. 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
- doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380416. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ "Baroness Trumpington, Bletchley Park code-breaker with celebrated V-sign, dies". Shropshire Star. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
Sources
- Trumpington, Jean (2011). Coming Up Trumps: A Memoir. London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4472-5677-9.
Further reading
- Cooke, Rachel (27 April 2014). "Enigmatic Baroness Trumpington". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- Grice, Elizabeth (14 August 2012). "Baroness Trumpington: 'At my age I don't give a damn what I say'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- "Visit of Health Minister to Clinical Genetics Society" (PDF). Journal of Medical Genetics. 24: 235–249. 1987. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- Walker, Andy (11 November 2014). "Baroness Trumpington profile: From Lloyd George to the Lords". BBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2019.