The 16th January 2024 marks 100 years since Halifax elected its first woman Councillor – Miriam Lightowler. She was quite a character, and as well as a Councillor she was became the first woman to hold a number of positions in the municipal life of Halifax.
Miriam was born on 29th June 1875 at Preston Place in Halifax. Her parents were James Ryder Butler and Elizabeth (nee Mitchell). Her father was the founder of the Butler Machine Tool Company Ltd and served as a Liberal Councillor between 1892 and 1895. Miriam started her political career campaigning for her father. She later also campaigned for her husband Henry Charles Lightowler who served as a Conservative on Halifax Borough Council.
Miriam entered public life in her own right when she was elected to the Halifax Board of Guardians (who oversaw the workhouse, poor law hospital, children’s home and out relief) in 1914.
Halifax Evening Courier 20/07/1914 pg.3
She served on the board for a number of years and was particularly noted for her work on the Children’s Committee. In 1928 she was elected the first woman chair of the Board of Guardians. In his proposal that Miriam should take the Chair, a Mr Lent said “Every one of the 43 members of the Board knew Mrs Lightowler’s fitness for the position. They had had experience of her sound judgement, her wide outlook, her knowledge of men and women, her almost uncanny capacity of reading character and her attitude for translating mature thoughts into speeches” Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian 25/04/1928 pg.3
The following year saw her unveiling a new clock at Gibbet Street institution (poor law hospital) named after herself!
During the speeches a Mr Longbottom (Clerk of the board) described how he had a great respect for Mrs Lightowler “as a woman and as an intellectual woman. In the latter he had learned very greatly to admire and esteem their chairman. She was par excellence in this in this town, the leading lady bar none, and he would hesitate to say that there was any position in Local Government onwards which she could not fill. She had the happy knack of saying the right thing at the right time and the rare quality that prevented anything she said from embittering her opposition” Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian 11/09/1929 pg.8
During World War One Miriam served on various war committees including the War Pensions and Food Control Committees; as well as sitting on the panel for the Ministry of Labour. When in 1920 the appointment of women Justices of the Peace (JPs) was approved in England, Miriam was the first to be appointed in Halifax along with Mary Alice Taylor and Lady Hattie Fisher Smith. The Halifax Courier commented that her work in the Ministry of Labour should serve her in good stead for magisterial administration.
In January 1924 Miriam was elected unopposed to become Halifax’s first woman Councillor. She ran as a Conservative. It was 10 years before she was joined by another woman (Jennie Latham)
Shortly after being elected to Halifax Town Council, her personality shines though as she makes a speech at a fund raising event organised by the women’s auxiliary of the YMCA. She said “it seemed to be the same old old story of men’s organisations getting into debt and appealing to the women folk to get them out..” She went on to say that she was sure that “members of the ladies’ auxiliary had proved that women were ‘very good things’ to have about and it was her intention, she avowed to prove this to the Halifax Borough Council” To much laughter she then went on to say “at the time Adam was created, when the great creator looked at him, he found that he was good but he also found that he was absolutely useless and so created Eve”
She kept busy whilst on the town council, sitting on a number of committees. In 1930/1931 she was chair of the Public Assistance Committee and sat on the Housing and Town Council Planning Committee, Watch committee, Education Committee, Libraries and Museums Committee, Maternity and Child Welfare Committee.
In 1934 she became the first Mayor of Halifax. Her husband had died some years ago and she chose her daughter in law Edith to be her Mayoress (Edith is often referred to as Mrs A L or Mrs Laurie Lightowler but this is her husband’s name).
On taking office as Mayor she made what the Halifax Courier describes as a ‘Piquant speech’; stating “never shall it be said that a woman failed where a man won” and that when asking herself “what is the real purpose of life, only one answer comes back to me; not the accumulation of wealth, nor the gaining of power but service to the community in which I live”. Her predecessor described her as a ‘Worthy successor to 50 men’ being the 51st Mayor of Halifax since its incorporation. She seems to have been a popular choice. Although she was a Conservative; the Labour Councillor Alderman Longbottom paid tribute to “the wonderful adaptability that Mrs Lightowler had shown since becoming part of the Council, in trying to understand the many ramifications of the Corporation and also to the administrative ability she has shown”
Miriam went on to comment on the role of women saying “Although more than half the world’s population is female, it is only within recent years that woman has had a voice in the development and progress of humanity, or was considered wise enough to take a hand in the serious business of the nation” Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian 9th Nov 1934 pg. 7.
1934 also saw her promoted to Chief Magistrate at Halifax Borough Court, the first woman to hold this post. In his speech, the vice president of the Halifax Law Society, Leonard Shephard comments on the role of women in public life. He notes that “in 1907 women became qualified to become members of County Borough Councils but it was provided that no woman who became Mayor, by rights of her position should be entitled to sit as Justice of the Peace. It was considered that women were by nature illogical and had not the necessary judicial frame of mind. It was not until 1913 that the Sex Disqualification Act was passed, rendering it open to women to hold any civil or judicial office, enter any profession or vocation or even sit on juries. It had been a revelation to many people that so many splendid women had been found to have acted so well and rendered such great and wonderful service in various aspects of public life” Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian 16th Nov 1934 pg.7
In 1935, following her year as Mayor; Miriam was made an Alderman as well as Chairman of the finance committee. During 1935 Miriam also reformed the Halifax branch of the National Council of Women. Their aims included encouraging women in participating in public life and influencing matters relating to women. They campaigned for women police, magistrates and jurors as well as for equal pay. They also campaigned for various issues related to women’s health and wellbeing including reproductive health and education. If you want to find out more about this organisation then West Yorkshire Archive Service hold their records.
Miriam served for several years on the Watch Committee (who oversaw policing and the fire department). In 1936 she unveiled Halifax’s new fire escape ladder, named after herself!
Throughout her public life Miriam had an interest in the welfare of children. Whilst serving as Mayor Miriam launched a building fund to construct a new children’s holiday home at Norland Moor on behalf of the Halifax Children’s Welfare League (they had been providing holidays for 25 years but this was to be the first purpose built home). In a radio appeal on the BBC’s Northern Wavelength, she described how they provide holidays each summer for the ‘poor and ailing children who would otherwise not have been able to get away from the drab surroundings of our industrial district. The children are taken to a holiday home on the edge of the moors at Norland where the air is invigorating..’
She laid the foundation stone in June 1936 and the home opened in June 1937. The Halifax Courier and Guardian reported that nearly £4000 had been contributed to the building fund. Miriam commented that one donation had come from a donation from New Zealand from a couple who had ‘done most of their courting on Norland Moor!’
In 1938 she was given an OBE in King George VI first birthday honours list for political and public services in Halifax. The Halifax Courier described her as ‘a pioneer in the public life of Halifax in many directions’; she describes how she returned from holiday in Morcambe to a slew of telegrams congratulating her. In a discussion with the Courier she said how ‘seeing her photograph in the paper brought the reality of the honour home to her – “I saw the photograph, she said “and thought ‘that woman’s face looks familiar’, then I realised it was myself”
When the National Health Service began in 1948, she was appointed to the Halifax Hospital’s Area Management Committee.
Miriam continued to play a significant role in the public life of Halifax for many years. She only retired from the bench in 1950 aged 75 years old and remained on the Hospital Management Committee until 1956.
As well as her public service roles, she also co ran a business with her son – Lightowler & Co Ltd, who were Church furnishers.
Miriam died in 1958, aged 82 at St John’s Hospital. Her funeral took place at a packed full Halifax Parish Church. Representatives from numerous organisations she was involved with attended, as well as friends and family. She was interred at Stoney Royd. During the service, the fire brigade ladder, named Miriam, after her; was parked outside the Church.
Calderdale Local Studies Library 