David Renton, Baron Renton
Encyclopedia
David Lockhart-Mure Renton, Baron Renton, KBE
, QC
, TD
, DL
, PC
(12 August 1908 – 24 May 2007) was a British
politician. He served for over 60 years in Parliament
, 34 in the House of Commons
and then 28 in the House of Lords
. He was Member of Parliament
for Huntingdonshire
for 34 years, from 1945 to 1979, initially as a Liberal National
and then in accordance with the party's successive mergers with the Conservatives, as a "National Liberal and Conservative", then in 1968 he was one of the final three National Liberal MPs who opted to wind up the party and become a full part of the Conservatives
. Renton became a life peer
in 1979, and was the oldest member of the House of Lords from 2004 until his death.
Renton was born in Dartford
, the son of a surgeon and a nurse. He was educated at Stubbington and Oundle School
and studied at University College, Oxford
, of which he was made an honorary fellow in 1990. Going up to read medicine, he switched to law. He was president of the Oxford University Liberal Club. He played Rugby Fives
for the University of Oxford
, and played cricket
and rugby union
for his college.
He was called to the Bar
at Lincoln's Inn
in 1933. He practised a mixed caseload of civil and criminal law on the South-east Circuit. He was elected as a member of the General Council of the Bar
in 1939, and was Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1979, the year he retired from the House of Commons.
He joined the Territorial Army in 1938, being commissioned in the Royal Engineers
. He transferred to the Royal Artillery
in 1940, and volunteered to serve overseas in 1942. He was posted to the Middle East
for three years. Promoted to Major, he served as a legal adviser at GHQ Cairo, before becoming president of the British Military Court of Tripolitania
, based in Tripoli
, in 1944.
He returned to England in 1945, and was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Huntingdonshire
in the 1945 general election
, as a Liberal National
. During his time in the Commons the party merged with the Conservatives at constituency level (and changed their name to "National Liberal", with Renton using the label "National Liberal and Conservative" in elections from 1950 onwards. In 1968 he was one of the final three National Liberal MPs who opted to wind up the party and become a full part of the Conservatives
. He continued to practise law throughout his political career, and became a QC in 1954. He befriended Margaret Roberts
(later Thatcher) when she was a student at Lincoln's Inn in 1950. He became a bencher
in 1962, and served as Treasurer in 1979. He was Recorder
of Rochester from 1963 to 1968 and Recorder of Guildford
from 1968 to 1973. He was vice-chairman of the Council of Legal Education
from 1968 to 1973, and served as a member of the Senate of Inns of Court.
Renton joined the British delegation to draft the European Convention on Human Rights
in 1950. He became a junior minister in the governments of Sir Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan
in the 1950s, serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
at the Ministry of Fuel and Power under Aubrey Jones
from 1955 to 1957, and then at the Minister of Power from 1957 to 1958, where he assisted to pass the Clean Air Act
. He moved to the Home Office
as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
from 1958 to 1961 and then as Minister of State
from 1961 to 1962. Serving under Home Secretary
Rab Butler
, he pushed through acts including the Life Peerages Act 1958
, the Street Offences Act 1958 and the Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962. He was sacked in the Night of the Long Knives
in July 1962, but received the consolation of being sworn of the Privy Council
. He later sat on a number of House of Commons committees. He received the KBE in 1964, and won an RSPCA bronze medal the same year for rescuing horses and pigs from a fire hear his home.
He supported Britain joining the European Community, but later supported the Save the Pound campaign. In 1971, he was a member of the Kilbrandon Commission, the Royal Commission on the Constitution
which rejected complete self-government for Scotland and Wales, suggesting instead a limited form of devolution. At the invitation of Ted Heath, he chaired the Committee on Preparation of Legislation which reviewed the methods for drafting Acts of Parliament. The Renton Report was published in 1975, recommending drafting which was more based on principles than specific details to address every possible situation.
He served as Deputy Lieutenant
for Huntingdonshire in 1962, for Huntingdon
and Peterborough
in 1964, and for Cambridgeshire
in 1974.
He stood down from his Huntingdonshire seat at the 1979 general election
, becoming a life peer
, taking his seat in the House of Lords
as Baron Renton, of Huntingdon in the County of Cambridgeshire. His successor as MP for Huntingdonshire was the future Conservative Prime Minister
John Major
. He was a deputy speaker
in the House of Lords from 1982 to 1988.
He was elected president of the Association of Conservative Peers in 1998, unopposed, and became life president in 2003. Renton was the oldest peer in the House of Lords from 4 April 2004 until his death.
He played cricket for the Lords and Commons Cricket Club until he was 66, and hunted until he was 70. He continued to shoot until he was 91, when a heart valve was replaced.
In July 2003, just short of his 95th birthday, he passed his driving test
for the first time. He was a regular driver since 1934, at a time when there was no formal driving test in the United Kingdom, although he stopped driving some time before he died. In passing his driving test, he became the oldest person to pass the driving test in the United Kingdom.
He was a leader in the movement to preserve the traditions of the House of Lords, including lifelong membership for members of the Peerage. According to The Washington Post
in 2005, Renton maintained that "the genius of the upper house is that it includes world-renowned experts in law, science and the arts who would never run for election", and that "Democracy has its limitations." His memoirs, The Spice of Life, were published in 2006.
He married Claire Cicely ("Paddy") Duncan in 1947. They had three daughters. His wife died of cancer in 1986. His youngest daughter, Davina, inherited Rett syndrome
which left her severely mentally and physically disabled. She died in October 2006. He was chairman of Mencap
from 1978, and president from 1982 to 1988. He and his wife established the charity Demand (Design and Manufacture for Disablement) to provide adapted furniture to the disabled.
He died in Abbots Ripton
in Cambridgeshire. He was survived by two daughters, Caroline and Clare.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
, PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(12 August 1908 – 24 May 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician. He served for over 60 years in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, 34 in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and then 28 in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdonshire was a Parliamentary constituency covering the county of Huntingdonshire in England. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons the Parliament of the United...
for 34 years, from 1945 to 1979, initially as a Liberal National
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
and then in accordance with the party's successive mergers with the Conservatives, as a "National Liberal and Conservative", then in 1968 he was one of the final three National Liberal MPs who opted to wind up the party and become a full part of the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Renton became a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
in 1979, and was the oldest member of the House of Lords from 2004 until his death.
Renton was born in Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, the son of a surgeon and a nurse. He was educated at Stubbington and Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
and studied at University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, of which he was made an honorary fellow in 1990. Going up to read medicine, he switched to law. He was president of the Oxford University Liberal Club. He played Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
for the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for his college.
He was called to the Bar
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
at Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
in 1933. He practised a mixed caseload of civil and criminal law on the South-east Circuit. He was elected as a member of the General Council of the Bar
General Council of the Bar
The General Council of the Bar, commonly known as the Bar Council, is the professional association for Barristers in England and Wales. Established in 1894, it acts as a disciplinary body and a regulatory body through the Bar Standards Board...
in 1939, and was Treasurer of Lincoln's Inn in 1979, the year he retired from the House of Commons.
He joined the Territorial Army in 1938, being commissioned in the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He transferred to the Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
in 1940, and volunteered to serve overseas in 1942. He was posted to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
for three years. Promoted to Major, he served as a legal adviser at GHQ Cairo, before becoming president of the British Military Court of Tripolitania
Tripolitania
Tripolitania or Tripolitana is a historic region and former province of Libya.Tripolitania was a separate Italian colony from 1927 to 1934...
, based in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, in 1944.
He returned to England in 1945, and was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Huntingdonshire
Huntingdon (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdon is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, as a Liberal National
National Liberal Party (UK, 1931)
The National Liberal Party, known until 1948 as the Liberal National Party, was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom from 1931 to 1968...
. During his time in the Commons the party merged with the Conservatives at constituency level (and changed their name to "National Liberal", with Renton using the label "National Liberal and Conservative" in elections from 1950 onwards. In 1968 he was one of the final three National Liberal MPs who opted to wind up the party and become a full part of the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. He continued to practise law throughout his political career, and became a QC in 1954. He befriended Margaret Roberts
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
(later Thatcher) when she was a student at Lincoln's Inn in 1950. He became a bencher
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher can be elected while still a barrister , in recognition of the contribution that the barrister has made to the life of the Inn or to the law...
in 1962, and served as Treasurer in 1979. He was Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
of Rochester from 1963 to 1968 and Recorder of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
from 1968 to 1973. He was vice-chairman of the Council of Legal Education
Council of Legal Education
The Council of Legal Education was an English supervisory body established by the four Inns of Court to regulate and improve the legal education of barristers within England and Wales.-History:...
from 1968 to 1973, and served as a member of the Senate of Inns of Court.
Renton joined the British delegation to draft the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
in 1950. He became a junior minister in the governments of Sir Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
in the 1950s, serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
at the Ministry of Fuel and Power under Aubrey Jones
Aubrey Jones
Aubrey Jones was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.At the 1950 general election, he was elected as the first Member of Parliament for the new constituency of Birmingham Hall Green. He was Minister of Fuel and Power from 1955 to 1957, and the last Minister of Supply from 1957...
from 1955 to 1957, and then at the Minister of Power from 1957 to 1958, where he assisted to pass the Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
. He moved to the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
from 1958 to 1961 and then as Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
from 1961 to 1962. Serving under Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Rab Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
, he pushed through acts including the Life Peerages Act 1958
Life Peerages Act 1958
The Life Peerages Act 1958 established the modern standards for the creation of life peers by the monarch of the United Kingdom. Life peers are barons and are members of the House of Lords for life, but their titles and membership in the Lords are not inherited by their children. Judicial life...
, the Street Offences Act 1958 and the Commonwealth Immigration Act 1962. He was sacked in the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives (1962)
The epithet Night of the Long Knives is given to July 13, 1962, when the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan sacked the following members of his Cabinet:*Lord Kilmuir — Lord Chancellor*Selwyn Lloyd — Chancellor of the Exchequer...
in July 1962, but received the consolation of being sworn of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
. He later sat on a number of House of Commons committees. He received the KBE in 1964, and won an RSPCA bronze medal the same year for rescuing horses and pigs from a fire hear his home.
He supported Britain joining the European Community, but later supported the Save the Pound campaign. In 1971, he was a member of the Kilbrandon Commission, the Royal Commission on the Constitution
Royal Commission on the Constitution (United Kingdom)
The Royal Commission on the Constitution, also referred to as the Kilbrandon Commission or Kilbrandon Report, was a long-running royal commission set up by Harold Wilson's Labour government to examine the structures of the constitution of the United Kingdom and the British Islands and the...
which rejected complete self-government for Scotland and Wales, suggesting instead a limited form of devolution. At the invitation of Ted Heath, he chaired the Committee on Preparation of Legislation which reviewed the methods for drafting Acts of Parliament. The Renton Report was published in 1975, recommending drafting which was more based on principles than specific details to address every possible situation.
He served as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Huntingdonshire in 1962, for Huntingdon
Huntingdon
Huntingdon is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England. The town was chartered by King John in 1205. It is the traditional county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire district council. It is known as the birthplace in 1599 of Oliver Cromwell.-History:Huntingdon...
and Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
in 1964, and for Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
in 1974.
He stood down from his Huntingdonshire seat at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
, becoming a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, taking his seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as Baron Renton, of Huntingdon in the County of Cambridgeshire. His successor as MP for Huntingdonshire was the future Conservative Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
. He was a deputy speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
in the House of Lords from 1982 to 1988.
He was elected president of the Association of Conservative Peers in 1998, unopposed, and became life president in 2003. Renton was the oldest peer in the House of Lords from 4 April 2004 until his death.
He played cricket for the Lords and Commons Cricket Club until he was 66, and hunted until he was 70. He continued to shoot until he was 91, when a heart valve was replaced.
In July 2003, just short of his 95th birthday, he passed his driving test
Driving test
A driving test is a procedure designed to test a person's ability to drive a motor vehicle. It exists in various forms worldwide, and is often a requirement to pass the exam to obtain a driver's license...
for the first time. He was a regular driver since 1934, at a time when there was no formal driving test in the United Kingdom, although he stopped driving some time before he died. In passing his driving test, he became the oldest person to pass the driving test in the United Kingdom.
He was a leader in the movement to preserve the traditions of the House of Lords, including lifelong membership for members of the Peerage. According to The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
in 2005, Renton maintained that "the genius of the upper house is that it includes world-renowned experts in law, science and the arts who would never run for election", and that "Democracy has its limitations." His memoirs, The Spice of Life, were published in 2006.
He married Claire Cicely ("Paddy") Duncan in 1947. They had three daughters. His wife died of cancer in 1986. His youngest daughter, Davina, inherited Rett syndrome
Rett syndrome
Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder of the grey matter of the brain that almost exclusively affects females. The clinical features include small hands and feet and a deceleration of the rate of head growth . Repetitive hand movements, such as wringing and/or repeatedly putting hands into...
which left her severely mentally and physically disabled. She died in October 2006. He was chairman of Mencap
Mencap
The Royal Mencap Society is a charity based in the UK that works with people with a learning disability.-Profile:Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability and their families and carers...
from 1978, and president from 1982 to 1988. He and his wife established the charity Demand (Design and Manufacture for Disablement) to provide adapted furniture to the disabled.
He died in Abbots Ripton
Abbots Ripton
Abbots Ripton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. It is situated five miles north of Huntingdon, on the B1090...
in Cambridgeshire. He was survived by two daughters, Caroline and Clare.