Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss
Encyclopedia
Anne Elizabeth Oldfield Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss, GBE
, PC
(née
Havers; born 10 August 1933) is a retired English
judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and, until 2004, was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquest
s into the deaths
of Diana, Princess of Wales
and Dodi Fayed. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker.
to Sir Cecil Havers
, a judge, she was sister to the late Lord Chancellor
, the Lord Havers
, and is aunt to his sons, actor Nigel Havers
and QC Philip Havers
.
in west London, and Wycombe Abbey School in High Wycombe
in Buckinghamshire
, followed by a year at the University of Lausanne
.
in 1955. In 1958, she married Joseph Butler-Sloss. She was appointed a Registrar at the Principal Registry of the Family Division
in 1970. In 1979, she became the fourth woman to be appointed a High Court judge, after Elizabeth Lane
, Rose Heilbron
, and Margaret Booth
. As were all previous female High Court judges, she was assigned to the Family Division
. She was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).
In 1988, she became the first woman appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (judge of the Court of Appeal
), having chaired the Cleveland child abuse inquiry
in the previous year. In 1999, she became President of the Family Division
of the High Court of Justice
, the first woman to hold this position and the highest-ranking woman judge in the United Kingdom until Brenda Hale
became the first female Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
, in January 2004.
She was advanced to the rank of Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
(GBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours
. On 12 January 2005, it was announced that she was retiring, being replaced as President of the Family Division by Sir Mark Potter, then a Lord Justice of Appeal
.
. On 3 May 2006, it was announced by the House of Lords Appointments Commission
that she would be one of seven new life peer
s - so-called 'people's peers'. She was created Baroness Butler-Sloss, of Marsh Green in the County of Devon, on 16 June 2006 (dated 13 June 2006).
On 4 August 2006 she was appointed to the Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved
for a period of five years.
On 7 September 2006 she was appointed as Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household
and Assistant Deputy Coroner for Surrey for the purpose of hearing the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
.
On 2 March 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London for the purpose of transferring the jurisdiction of the inquest to Inner West London so that the proceedings may sit in the Royal Courts of Justice. On 24 April 2007, she announced she was stepping down in June 2007, saying she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury. The role of coroner for the inquests was transferred to Lord Justice Scott Baker
. This had been preceded by the overturning by the High Court of her earlier decision to hold the inquest without a jury.
She became Chancellor of the University of the West of England
in 1993 and an Honorary Fellow of St. Hilda's College, Oxford, Peterhouse, Cambridge
, King's College London
, the Royal College of Physicians
, the Royal College of Psychiatrists
and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
. She sits on the Selection Panel for Queen's Counsel
. In June 2005, she was awarded an honorary degree
from the Open University
as Doctor of the University.
The Baroness Butler-Sloss is a church-going Anglican. In 2002 she chaired the Crown Appointments charged with the selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury
. She is Chairman of the Advisory Council of St Paul's Cathedral
.
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...
, PC
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...
(née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Havers; born 10 August 1933) is a retired English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
judge. She was the first female Lord Justice of Appeal and, until 2004, was the highest-ranking female judge in the United Kingdom. Until June 2007, she chaired the inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
s into the deaths
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
On 31 August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Fayed's...
of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and Dodi Fayed. She stood down from that task with effect from that date, and the inquest was conducted by Lord Justice Scott Baker.
Early life
Born as Anne Elizabeth Oldfield Havers in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
to Sir Cecil Havers
Cecil Havers
Sir Cecil Robert Havers, KC was an English barrister and judge.Cecil Havers led a legal dynasty and rose to become a High Court judge. His son Michael Havers became Lord Chancellor, his daughter Elizabeth Butler-Sloss became President of the Family Division of the High Court and his grandson...
, a judge, she was sister to the late Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
, the Lord Havers
Michael Havers, Baron Havers
Robert Michael Oldfield Havers, Baron Havers PC, QC was a British barrister and Conservative politician. From his knighthood in 1972 until becoming a peer in 1987 he was known as Sir Michael Havers.- Early life :...
, and is aunt to his sons, actor Nigel Havers
Nigel Havers
Nigel Allan Havers is an English actor. He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film Chariots of Fire, and for his role as Dr. Tom Latimer in the British TV comedy series Don't Wait Up...
and QC Philip Havers
Philip Havers
The Hon. Philip Havers, QC is a leading English barrister.-Education:Havers was educated at Eton College and Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge, where he obtained an M.A.-Life and career:...
.
Education
Butler-Sloss was educated at two independent schools: Broomfield House School in KewKew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
in west London, and Wycombe Abbey School in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, followed by a year at the University of Lausanne
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland was founded in 1537 as a school of theology, before being made a university in 1890. Today about 12,000 students and 2200 researchers study and work at the university...
.
Legal career
She was called to the Bar from the Inner TempleInner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1955. In 1958, she married Joseph Butler-Sloss. She was appointed a Registrar at the Principal Registry of the Family Division
Family division
Family division can refer to:* Family Division of the High Court of Justice* divorce* annulment* division of property* alimony* parental responsibility * dysfunctional familyFor an overview, please see family and family law....
in 1970. In 1979, she became the fourth woman to be appointed a High Court judge, after Elizabeth Lane
Elizabeth Lane
Dame Elizabeth Lane, DBE was one of the first women to practise as a barrister in the United Kingdom.Born Elizabeth Kathleen Coulborn, she was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1940...
, Rose Heilbron
Rose Heilbron
Dame Rose Heilbron, DBE, QC was one of the outstanding barristers of the post-war period in the United Kingdom, whose career included many 'firsts' for a woman - she was the first woman to win a scholarship to Gray's Inn, the first woman to be appointed King's Counsel in England, the first to lead...
, and Margaret Booth
Margaret Booth (judge)
Dame Margaret Myfanwy Wood Booth, DBE is a retired British judge.In January 1979, she became the third woman to be appointed as a High Court judge. Like her predecessors, Elizabeth Lane and Rose Heilbron, she was assigned to the Family Division.She retired from judicial office in 1994...
. As were all previous female High Court judges, she was assigned to the Family Division
Family division
Family division can refer to:* Family Division of the High Court of Justice* divorce* annulment* division of property* alimony* parental responsibility * dysfunctional familyFor an overview, please see family and family law....
. She was also made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).
In 1988, she became the first woman appointed as a Lord Justice of Appeal (judge of the Court of Appeal
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
), having chaired the Cleveland child abuse inquiry
Cleveland child abuse scandal
The Cleveland child abuse scandal occurred in Cleveland, England in 1987, where 121 cases of suspected child sexual abuse were diagnosed by Dr Marietta Higgs and Dr Geoffrey Wyatt, paediatricians at a Middlesbrough hospital...
in the previous year. In 1999, she became President of the Family Division
President of the Family Division
The President of the Family Division is the head of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice in England and Wales. The Family division was created in 1971, out of the former Admiralty Court and probate courts into the then Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division.As of 13 April 2010,...
of the High Court of Justice
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
, the first woman to hold this position and the highest-ranking woman judge in the United Kingdom until Brenda Hale
Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond
Brenda Marjorie Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, DBE, QC, PC, FBA is a British legal academic, barrister, judge and a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom....
became the first female Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, commonly known as Law Lords, were appointed under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 to the House of Lords of the United Kingdom in order to exercise its judicial functions, which included acting as the highest court of appeal for most domestic matters...
, in January 2004.
She was advanced to the rank of Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
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...
(GBE) in the 2005 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. On 12 January 2005, it was announced that she was retiring, being replaced as President of the Family Division by Sir Mark Potter, then a Lord Justice of Appeal
Lord Justice of Appeal
A Lord Justice of Appeal is an ordinary judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, and represents the second highest level of judge in the courts of England and Wales-Appointment:...
.
Retirement
She is Chairman of the Security CommissionSecurity Commission
The Security Commission is a UK non-departmental public body established in 1964 to investigate breaches of security in the public sector.Current members are:*The Rt Hon Lady Justice Butler-Sloss, DBE...
. On 3 May 2006, it was announced by the House of Lords Appointments Commission
House of Lords Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is a non-partisan, non-statutory, independent body in the United Kingdom. It has three roles:*to recommend people for appointment as non-party-political life peers;...
that she would be one of seven new 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...
s - so-called 'people's peers'. She was created Baroness Butler-Sloss, of Marsh Green in the County of Devon, on 16 June 2006 (dated 13 June 2006).
On 4 August 2006 she was appointed to the Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved
Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved
The Court of Ecclesiastical Causes Reserved is an appellate court within the hierarchy of ecclesiastical courts of the Church of England. Hearing cases involving church doctrine, ceremony, or ritual, the Court has jurisdiction over both the Province of Canterbury and the Province of York...
for a period of five years.
On 7 September 2006 she was appointed as Deputy Coroner of the Queen's Household
Coroner of the Queen's Household
The Coroner of the King's/Queen's Household is an officer of the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom.-History:...
and Assistant Deputy Coroner for Surrey for the purpose of hearing the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
On 2 March 2007, she was appointed as Assistant Deputy Coroner for Inner West London for the purpose of transferring the jurisdiction of the inquest to Inner West London so that the proceedings may sit in the Royal Courts of Justice. On 24 April 2007, she announced she was stepping down in June 2007, saying she lacked the experience required to deal with an inquest with a jury. The role of coroner for the inquests was transferred to Lord Justice Scott Baker
Scott Baker (judge)
Sir Thomas Scott Gillespie Baker , styled The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Scott Baker , is an English Court of Appeal judge....
. This had been preceded by the overturning by the High Court of her earlier decision to hold the inquest without a jury.
She became Chancellor of the University of the West of England
University of the West of England
The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...
in 1993 and an Honorary Fellow of St. Hilda's College, Oxford, Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the oldest college of the University, having been founded in 1284 by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely...
, King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, the Royal College of Physicians
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
, the Royal College of Psychiatrists
Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom responsible for representing psychiatrists, psychiatric research and providing public information about mental health problems...
and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London is responsible for the training of postgraduate doctors in paediatrics and conducting the MRCPCH membership exams. They also conduct the Diploma in Child Health exam, which is taken by many doctors who plan a career in General Practice...
. She sits on the Selection Panel for Queen's Counsel
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...
. In June 2005, she was awarded an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
as Doctor of the University.
Personal life
She and her husband, Joseph William Alexander Butler-Sloss, have three children:- Hon. Frances Ann Josephine Butler-Sloss (now Richmond) (b. 13 October 1959);
- Hon. Robert Joseph Neville Galmoye Butler-Sloss (b. 15 July 1962);
- Hon. William Edmund Patchell Minchin Butler-Sloss (b. 21 September 1967)
The Baroness Butler-Sloss is a church-going Anglican. In 2002 she chaired the Crown Appointments charged with the selection of a new Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
. She is Chairman of the Advisory Council of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
.
External links
- Biography from the Judicial Communications Office, archive copy from the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- No-nonsense approach of the right-to-die judge – a profile of Butler-Sloss at Guardian UnlimitedGuardian Unlimitedguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
, 22 March 2002 - Announcement of her introduction at the House of Lords, House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 25 July 2006
- Ex-judge tipped for Diana inquest at BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 2 September 2006 - Diana inquest to be held in 2007 at BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 7 September 2006 - Diana inquest coroner steps down at BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 24 April 2007