Dame Mabel Crout DBE (6 January 1890 – 8 February 1984) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

politician, who served on the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

. Born in Plumstead, Crout joined the Labour Party in 1906. She was appointed as assistant secretary to the Woolwich Labour Party in 1912, the first woman to hold a paid post in the local party, and in 1920 she became the first woman to become 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 judic ...

in Woolwich. In 1919, she was elected to Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council, also becoming the party's assistant

election agent An election agent in elections in the United Kingdom, as well as some other similar political systems such as elections in India, is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is ...

for the borough. She served as Mayor of Woolwich in 1936/37. At the

1949 London County Council election An election to the County Council of London took place on 7 April 1949. The council was elected by First Past the Post with each elector having three votes in the three-member seats. The Conservative Party made substantial gains, achieving the ...

, she was elected for Woolwich East, serving until 1955, when she stood down. She continued on Woolwich Borough Council until 1964, and then was elected as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

to its replacement, the

London Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...

. In 1965, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 1959, she had been made a

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

. Crout finally retired in 1971, moving to

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

, where she died in 1984 at the age of 94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crout, Mabel 1890 births 1984 deaths Councillors in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Labour Party (UK) councillors Mayors of places in Greater London Members of London County Council People from Plumstead Women councillors in England