Jenny Coutts (née Janet Maxwell Barclay) was the first female provost of

Kirkintilloch Kirkintilloch (; sco, Kirkintulloch; gd, Cair Cheann Tulaich) is a town and former barony burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal and on the south side of Strathkelvin, about northeast of central Glasgow. ...

Early life and education

Janet Maxwell Barclay was both in Carnwath, Lanarkshire in 1909, the daughter of Gavin and Janet Barclay. She attended

Lanark Grammar School Lanark Grammar School is a secondary school in Lanark, Scotland. It was founded in 1183, and celebrated its octocentenary in 1983, including a visit by The Princess Anne. The school draws its pupils from the town of Lanark and many villages in t ...

, and later became a secretary, working in offices in Bath Street, Glasgow. She met her husband, Willie Coutts at the International Club. The couple and their two sons moved to Lenzie in 1949, where she became involved in local politics. Both Jenny and her husband were pacifists during World War II.

Political career

She became an independent councillor for the area in 1958, by a majority of five votes. By 1964, she was provost of Kirkintilloch. in 1973, she was awarded an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

for her services to social work. As a magistrate, she was known for her liberal approach to crime and punishment and was in favour of abstinence from alcohol. She believed that party politics had no place in local councils.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coutts, Jenny 1909 births 2008 deaths People educated at Lanark Grammar School Women provosts in Scotland Councillors in East Dunbartonshire Women councillors in Scotland Politicians from South Lanarkshire Scottish pacifists