Diana Margaret Pearson Maddock, Baroness Maddock, Lady Beith (' Derbyshire; 19 May 1945 – 26 June 2020) was a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in a 1993 by-election but lost the seat at the subsequent 1997 general election to Conservative

Christopher Chope Sir Christopher Robert Chope (born 19 May 1947) is a British politician and former barrister who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in ...

. She re-entered Parliament as a life peer as Baroness Maddock, of

in the County of Dorset, in 1997 where she remained until her death. As of 2024, she and fellow Liberal Democrats, Dame Annette Brooke and

Vikki Slade Vikki Slade (born 17 December 1972) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Mid Dorset and North Poole since 2024. She unsuccessfully contested the same seat in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Political car ...

, and Labour's

Jessica Toale Jessica Jade Toale (born May 1986) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bournemouth West since 2024. Career Toale attended the University of York, graduating with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and ...

, are the only women to date who represented

parliamentary constituencies in Dorset The ceremonial county of Dorset (which comprises the two Unitary authority, unitary authorities of Dorset (unitary authority), Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) is divided into 8 United Kingdom constituencies, parliamentary constit ...

Early life and early career

Diana Margaret Derbyshire was born in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...

on 19 May 1945, to Margaret (Evans) and Reginald Derbyshire. She spent her early years in Croydon and

Wantage Wantage () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Berkshire, it has been a ...

, but after her parents divorced, she was raised by her mother in

Lymington Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England. The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...

, in Hampshire. She was educated at Brockenhurst Grammar School, Shenstone Training College, and Portsmouth Polytechnic (now the

University of Portsmouth The University of Portsmouth (UoP) is a public university in Portsmouth, England. Comprising five Faculty (division), faculties, the university offers a wide range of academic disciplines. in 2022, with around 28,280 students enrolled in Unde ...

) and was a teacher of English as a foreign language. She married Bob Maddock in 1966. The couple lived in Sweden for a time, and she credited her time living there as an influence on her political beliefs and went on to serve as President of the Anglo-Swedish Society from 1999 until her death. They returned to England in 1972, and had two daughters.

Political career

Maddock joined the

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 ...

in 1976, and was elected to Southampton City Council in 1984. Maddock was not particularly political in her early life. She highlights her initial involvement came when she was pregnant and approached by a canvasser who convinced her to join the Liberal Party having voted for them previously. As she had stopped work, she had more time to be civically engaged which expanded to the point where she became involved with the Association of Liberal Councillors which promoted active engagement with community groups and she realised she enjoyed campaigning. She became leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council in 1986. While on Southampton City Council Maddock's primary areas of interest were housing and energy conservation, and she continued her work in these areas throughout her political career. Maddock unsuccessfully contested Southampton Test at the 1992 general election, coming third. She was elected as Member of Parliament for

at a by-election in 1993 that was caused by the death of Robert Adley, but lost the seat at the 1997 election to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate

. During her time in parliament, she was the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for housing. She was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baroness Maddock, ''of

in the County of Dorset'' on 30 October 1997. From 1998 to 2000, she was

President of the Liberal Democrats The president of the Liberal Democrats chairs the Federal Board of the Liberal Democrats of the United Kingdom. The responsibilities of the president are similar to that of chairman of the Conservative Party or chairman of the Labour Party, al ...

. In 2005, she was elected a member of

Northumberland County Council Northumberland County Council is the Local government in England, local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland in North East England. Since 2009 it has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, having also ...

for Berwick North Division and in 2007 also to Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council for Edward Ward. Maddock did not re-stand for election to the County Council at the expiry of her term in 2008 and the Borough Council was abolished in 2009 and absorbed into

Later life

Her marriage to Bob Maddock ended in divorce in 2000. She married secondly, to

Alan Beith Alan James Beith, Baron Beith (born 20 April 1943), is a British Liberal Democrat politician who represented Berwick-upon-Tweed as its Member of Parliament (MP) from 1973 to 2015. From 1992 to 2003 he was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democra ...

, then-MP for

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...

, in 2001. She and her husband were one of the few couples who each held peerages in their own right. She died from breast cancer on 26 June 2020, aged 75, at her home in Berwick-upon Tweed, Northumberland.

References

External links

*
Baroness Maddock
profile at the site of Liberal Democrats {{DEFAULTSORT:Maddock, Diana Maddock, Baroness 1945 births 2020 deaths Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of Northumberland County Council Presidents of the Liberal Democrats (UK) Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1992–1997 Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Spouses of life peers Wives of knights Alumni of the University of Portsmouth 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Dorset Women councillors in England English expatriates in Sweden Deaths from breast cancer in England Schoolteachers from Hampshire