Felicity Lane-Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(22 June 1918 – 17 April 1988) was a

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 ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

and champion of disability issues.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
retrieved 1 March 2013
/ref>''The Times'', 18 April 1988, p. 18. She was born in

Tadcaster Tadcaster is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, north-east of Leeds and south-west of York. Its historical importance from Roman times onward was largely as the lowest road crossing-point o ...

, Yorkshire, the daughter of Edward Lane-Fox, who was brother of George Lane-Fox, 1st Baron Bingley. At the age of 12 she was paralysed by an attack of

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

. Despite these difficulties, she and her parents enjoyed family activities together; in September 1945, they reportedly attended horse-related events at their

family seat A family seat, sometimes just called seat, is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families t ...

Bramham Park Bramham Park is a Grade I listed 18th-century country house in Bramham, between Leeds and Wetherby, in West Yorkshire, England. The house, constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with stone slate roofs in a classical style, is built to a l ...

, alongside Countess Wharncliffe, Sir George Martin, Mr and Mrs Middleton Joy and other

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

members. Like the Baroness, her family were supporters of the Conservative Party for which they reportedly held

fund-raising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

events at Bramham Park in the 1930s. In 1963 she became a member of the executive of the

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations The National Conservative Convention (NCC), is the most senior body of the Conservative Party's voluntary wing. The National Convention effectively serves as the Party's internal Parliament, and is made up of its 800 highest-ranking Party Office ...

. In the

1976 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1976 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1976 to celebra ...

she was appointed

for services to disabled people. On 19 May 1981 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 Lane-Fox, ''of Bramham in the County of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

''. Using an electric wheelchair, she was an active member of the House of Lords until her death. She was the aunt of

Robin Lane Fox Robin James Lane Fox, (born 5 October 1946) is an English classicist, ancient historian, and gardening writer known for his works on Alexander the Great. Lane Fox is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and Reader in Ancient History, ...

and great-aunt of his daughter Martha Lane Fox, Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane-Fox, Felicity Lane-Fox, Baroness 1918 births 1988 deaths Officers of the Order of the British Empire Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Conservative Party (UK) life peers People from Tadcaster 20th-century British women politicians