Judith Josa Duckworth , also known as Judy Duckworth, (''née'' Verdon; 1933 – 2016) was a British government officer and philanthropist. In 1994, she became the first woman to serve as

High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient officer, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...

, having been appointed by Elizabeth II. In 2005, she became the first woman to serve as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Lancashire, having been appointed by

Charles Kay-Shuttleworth, 5th Baron Shuttleworth Charles Geoffrey Nicholas Kay-Shuttleworth, 5th Baron Shuttleworth, (born 2 August 1948) is a British hereditary peer. He is the son of Charles Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, 4th Baron Shuttleworth, and his wife, Anne Elizabeth Phillips. Lord Shuttl ...

. Duckworth also served as president of the Lune Valley chapter of the

Royal National Lifeboat Institution The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

and as Chairman of the Garstang chapter of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Early life

Duckworth was born Judith Josa Verdon in Liverpool in 1933 to Frank and Beatrice Verdon.

Public life

In 1973, she was appointed as a magistrate at

Garstang Garstang is an ancient market town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is north of the city of Preston and the same distance south of Lancaster. In 2011, the parish had a total resident population of 4,268 ...

, Fleetwood, and Lancaster, serving in that capacity for thirty years. In 1994, she was appointed by Elizabeth II, as Duke of Lancaster, to serve as

. Upon her appointment, she became the first woman to serve in this office. She was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant by Lord Lieutenant

and, in 2005, was appointed as Vice- Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, serving in this capacity for three years. In 2006, Duckworth represented Lancashire at the Queen's 80th birthday service at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in London. She also hosted royal visits to the county by the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent, the

Duke of Gloucester Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curren ...

, and the Earl of Wessex. In August 2007, Duckworth attended the Pride of Lancashire Awards Evening, where she presented an award, along with Chief Constable Steve Finnegan and High Sheriff Ruth Winterbottom, to Lancashire police constables Kazim Garda and Michael Woods for rescuing Roberta Clarke from a fire. Duckworth also served as president of the Lune Valley chapter of the

and as Chairman of the Garstang chapter of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Personal life and death

In 1959, she married Peter Duckworth, with whom she had three children. She and her husband lived in Arkholme, Bleasdale, and Sedbergh before retiring to Kirkby Lonsdale. Duckworth died in 2016. Lord Shuttleworth, the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, made a statement after her death, saying, "Through all the grand events and people, Judy never forgot the human side of it all, her interest in others and the importance of her family." A Catholic funeral was held on 13 December 2016 at

St Peter's Church, Stonyhurst St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish Church in Stonyhurst. It is the parish church for Hurst Green, Lancashire and a chapel for Stonyhurst College. It was built from 1832 to 1835 and designed by Joseph John Scoles in the Gothic Revival sty ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duckworth, Judith Josa 1933 births 2016 deaths Deputy Lieutenants of Lancashire English justices of the peace English Roman Catholics English women philanthropists High Sheriffs of Lancashire Politicians from Liverpool Royal National Lifeboat Institution people Vice-Lieutenants Women sheriffs