Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock

Diana Margaret Maddock, Baroness Maddock, Lady Beith (née Derbyshire; 19 May 1945 – 26 June 2020) was a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in a 1993 by-election but lost the seat at the subsequent 1997 general election to Conservative Christopher Chope. She re-entered Parliament as a life peer as Baroness Maddock, of Christchurch in the County of Dorset, in 1997 where she remained until her death.

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Maddock
Official portrait, 2018
President of the Liberal Democrats
In office
1 January 1999 – 31 December 2000
Preceded byRobert Maclennan
Succeeded byNavnit Dholakia
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
30 October 1997 – 26 June 2020
Life peerage
Member of Parliament
for Christchurch
In office
29 July 1993 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byRobert Adley
Succeeded byChristopher Chope
Personal details
Born
Diana Margaret Derbyshire[1]

(1945-05-19)19 May 1945
Died26 June 2020(2020-06-26) (aged 75)
Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal Democrat
Spouses
Bob Maddock
​
​
(m. 1966, divorced)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2001)​
    Alma materPortsmouth University

    As of 2023, she and fellow Liberal Democrat, Dame Annette Brooke, are the only women to date who represented parliamentary constituencies in Dorset.

    Early life and early career

    Diana Margaret Derbyshire was born on 19 May 1945 to Margaret (Evans) and Reginald Derbyshire.[1] She was educated at Shenstone Training College and Portsmouth Polytechnic[1] (now the University of Portsmouth) and was a teacher of English as a foreign language[2] until starting a family and becoming involved in politics in the mid-1970s. She spent some time teaching in Sweden and she credited her time living there as an influence on her political beliefs[3] and went on to serve as President of the Anglo-Swedish Society from 1999 until her death.[4]

    Political career

    Maddock joined the Liberal Party in 1976, and was elected to Southampton City Council in 1984. Maddock was not particularly political in her early life. She highlights her initial involvement came when she was pregnant and approached by a canvasser who convinced her to join the Liberal Party having voted for them previously.[5] As she had stopped work, she had more time to be civically engaged which expanded to the point where she became involved with the Association of Liberal Councillors which promoted active engagement with community groups and she realised she enjoyed campaigning.[6]

    During her time on the City Council, she was leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council. She unsuccessfully contested Southampton Test at the 1992 general election, coming third. She was elected as Member of Parliament for Christchurch at a by-election in 1993 that was caused by the death of Robert Adley, but lost the seat at the 1997 election to the Conservative candidate Christopher Chope.

    She was created a life peer as Baroness Maddock, of Christchurch in the County of Dorset on 30 October 1997.[7] From 1998 to 2000, she was President of the Liberal Democrats.[8]

    In 2005, she was elected a member of Northumberland County Council for Berwick North Division and in 2007 also to Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council for Edward Ward.[9][10]

    Maddock did not re-stand for election to the County Council at the expiry of her term in 2008[11] and the Borough Council was abolished in 2009 and absorbed into Northumberland County Council.

    Areas of policy interest

    While on Southampton City Council Maddock's primary areas of interest were housing and energy conservation.

    Personal life

    She married Bob Maddock in 1966. The marriage ended in divorce. She married secondly, to Alan Beith, then-MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed, in 2001.[12][13] She and her husband were one of the few couples who each held peerages in their own right. She died on 26 June 2020, aged 75, at her home in Berwick-upon Tweed, Northumberland.[14][15]

    References
    1. "Maddock, Baroness (Diana Margaret Maddock) (born 19 May 1945)". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u26264. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
    2. "Baroness Maddock". UK Parliament.
    3. Peplow, Emma; Pivatto, Priscila (2020). The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs: An Oral History of Parliament. Bloomsbury. pp. 48–49. ISBN 9781350089273.
    4. "Anglo-Swedish Society History". www.angloswedishsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
    5. Millar, Fiona (1996). "Diana Maddock talks to Fiona Millar". The House Magazine. March 4: 7.
    6. The political lives of postwar British MPs : an oral history of parliament. Peplow, Emma, Pivatto, Priscila. (First ed.). London [England]. 2020. ISBN 978-1-350-08929-7. OCLC 1178885088.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
    7. "No. 54938". The London Gazette. 4 November 1997. p. 12377.
    8. "Party President". Official Liberal Democrat Website. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
    9. "Chapter 23 Northumberland". Retrieved 7 August 2013.
    10. "Berwick-Upon-Tweed Borough Council Election Results 1973-2007" (PDF). The Elections Centre.
    11. "Local Election Results 2008 - Northumberland". Local Elections Archive Project.
    12. "Beith to marry Maddock". BBC News. 31 October 2000.
    13. "About Alan Beith". berwicklibdems.org.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
    14. Baroness Diana Maddock dead: Liberal Democrat peer dies aged 75, party confirms
    15. "Death of a Member: Baroness Maddock - Hansard". hansard.parliament.uk.
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