Ada Jane Summers (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Broome; 1861–1944) was the first British woman to sit as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

, and one of the first women in England to become a Justice of the Peace. She was also the first female

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

, mayor and

freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

Stalybridge Stalybridge () is a town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, it had a population of 26,830. Historic counties of England, Historically divided between Cheshire and Lancashire, it is east o ...

near

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. She was also a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Early and personal life

She was born in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

in 1861, where her father George Broome owned a textile mill. In 1881, she married John Summers JP, of the John Summers & Sons steelworks. His family owned the Globe Ironworks in Stalybridge. They had four children, Kathleen, John Broome, Gerald, and Ada. John died in 1903, aged nineteen, when he fell from a hotel window in St Ives, Cornwall. Their son Gerald Summers (1885-1969) became a painter. Her husband died in 1910.

Political and judicial career

Summers was elected as a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

councillor in Stalybridge in 1912. She was then elected mayor in November 1919, and served until 1921. As Mayor of Stalybridge, she was ''ex officio'' a Justice of the Peace, and was sworn in as the first female Justice of the Peace in England on 31 December 1919, one week after the

Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexual reproduction, sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an o ...

came into force. In October 1920 she was appointed a Justice of the Peace in the borough in her own right, again the first woman in Britain to be so appointed. She was appointed a Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1918, and became an honorary

Freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

of the borough in 1939.

Philanthropy

Summers used the wealth inherited from her husband to pursue philanthropic aims, including funding a maternity and child welfare centre, and an employment centre in Stalybridge, the Ladies Work Society. She set up a nurses' home in 1926. At Christmas she would give presents to local children, and she paid for a

Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

. She served as president of Stalybridge Mechanics Institute from 1926 until 1936. She founded a boys club in January 1929, which became known as "Mrs Summers Boy's Club". She was president of the Stalybridge branch of the

British and Foreign Bible Society The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply the Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world. The ...

. She was also involved with the probation and social services of the Police Court Mission. She was among the first contributors to the Young Men's Christian Association National War Service Fund when she donated £100 in 1939. After her death, she was described (without irony) as " Lady Bountiful".

Legacy

Summers died in 1944. There is a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

about her at Stalybridge Civic Hall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summers, Ada 1861 births 1944 deaths English justices of the peace English philanthropists Mayors of places in Greater Manchester Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Oldham English women philanthropists English women judges Liberal Party (UK) councillors Women councillors in England Women mayors of places in England First women mayors