Helena Normanton

Helena Florence Normanton, QC (14 December 1882 – 14 October 1957) was the first woman to practise as a barrister in England. In November 1922, she was the second woman to be called to the Bar of England and Wales, following the example set by Ivy Williams in May 1922.

Normanton was born in London, the daughter of a piano maker. After her father was found dead in a railway tunnel in 1886, her mother began letting rooms in the family home, before moving to Brighton run a grocery and later a boarding house.

Normanton won a scholarship to York Place Science School in Brighton (later Varndean School for Girls). She trained as a teacher at Edge Hill Teacher Training College in Liverpool between 1903 and 1905. There is a Halls of Residence called Normanton at the university in her honour.

She read modern history at the University of London, graduating with first class honours, obtained a Scottish Secondary Teachers' Diploma, and held a diploma in French language, literature and history from Dijon University. She lectured in history at Glasgow University and London University, and began to speak and write about feminist issues. She spoke at meetings of the Women's Freedom League and supported the Indian National Congress.

Normanton held ambitions to become a barrister from a young age. An application to become a student at Middle Temple in 1918 was refused, and she lodged a petition with the House of Lords. She reapplied in 1919, within hours of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 coming into force, and was admitted to Middle Temple. She married Gavin Bowman Watson Clark in 1921, but preserved her maiden name for professional reasons. In 1924, she became the first married British woman to be issued a passport in her maiden name.

...
Wikipedia