100 years ago today, 27 April 1920, Georgina Frost won a legal battle in the House of Lords allowing her to be Clerk of the Petty Sessions for Sixmilebridge & Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, Ireland, becoming the first woman to hold public office in the then UK.
Under the Petty
Under the Petty
Sessions Clerk (Ireland) Act 1881 the appointment needed approval from the Lord Lieutenant, who rejected her appointment by the local magistrates telling them to appoint someone else.
Justice Dunbar Barton in the Chancery Court in Dublin, dismissed her claim, telling Tim Healy
Justice Dunbar Barton in the Chancery Court in Dublin, dismissed her claim, telling Tim Healy
KC & James Comyn KC, women were not disqualified by ability, but due to concerns around "decorum" & "painful and exacting" duties. The Court of Appeal agreed.
The House of Lords hearing was on 27 April 1920. The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 was then law, removing any
The House of Lords hearing was on 27 April 1920. The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 was then law, removing any
legal bar. She was appointed, making her the first woman to hold public office in Great Britain or Ireland.
Her appointment was short-lived. In 1923, the Irish Free State abolished her job. Those 3 years during the Irish Civil War, saw Frost held at gunpoint by the IRA, the
Her appointment was short-lived. In 1923, the Irish Free State abolished her job. Those 3 years during the Irish Civil War, saw Frost held at gunpoint by the IRA, the
Newmarket-on-Fergus petty sessions court house destroyed, and a raid on the local RIC barracks.
Frost died, aged 60, on 6 December 1939 in at her home, Garna House, in Sixmilebridge.
Frost died, aged 60, on 6 December 1939 in at her home, Garna House, in Sixmilebridge.
