Mary Elaine Sykes (24 August 1896 – 25 February 1981) was a British solicitor, politician and magistrate. She was one of the first women solicitors in England and Wales. She read English at

Royal Holloway College Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, is a public research university and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It has six schools, 21 academic departm ...

(1914–1917) and law at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

(1918–1919). She obtained a BA and

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

both from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

.University of London, University Archives (UoL/UP/2/8/2: The Historical Record, 1836–1926) Having been

articled Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

to her father, a partner in his own firm of solicitors in Huddersfield (Armitage, Sykes and Hinchcliffe), in November 1922, along with Mary Pickup, Carrie Morrison, and Maud Crofts, she was one of the first women to sit the Law Society’s Final Examination, the first time the examination was opened to women following the passing of the

Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It became law when it received Royal Assent on 23 December 1919.''Oliver & Boyd's new Edinburgh almanac and national repository for the year 1921''. p. 213 ...

. Morrison was the first of them to finish her articles, and was the first woman admitted to the role of solicitor. Sykes was admitted as a solicitor in 1923. She worked for her father’s firm until 1930, when she set up her own firm, Mary E Sykes & Co. She remained in practice as a solicitor until 1968. In 1980 Mary E Sykes & Co merged with Ramsdens Solicitors. Sykes was elected president of the Huddersfield Law Society in 1951 and in 1955 was appointed as a magistrate. In 1935 she was elected as a Labour councillor on the Huddersfield Borough Council. In 1938 she became Huddersfield’s first woman

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 ...

, and in 1945 she became the first woman to be elected as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Huddersfield. She was a member of the Labour Party and served as President of the Huddersfield Labour Party. She was a founder member of the Huddersfield branch of the

British Federation of Women Graduates The British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG) was founded in 1907 as the British Federation of University Women (BFUW) to "afford a means of communication and of united action in matters affecting the interest of women". It was renamed the Brit ...

, and a member of the Women’s Luncheon Club, the Business and Professional Women’s Club, and the Huddersfield

Soroptimist Soroptimist International (SI) is a global volunteer service organization for women with nearly 72,000 members in 121 countries worldwide. According to Soroptimist.org, their mission statement says that, "Soroptimist is a global volunteer organiza ...

Club. She was friends with the renowned naturalist Phyllis Kelway. She married Richard Harry Browne in 1953.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, Mary 1896 births 1981 deaths English solicitors 20th-century English lawyers