There is a small picture on the wall in Gallery Three of the museum of a woman called Margaret Kidd with the description, “At the age of 23, Margaret Kidd became the first female advocate in Scotland. Margaret was a former pupil of Linlithgow Academy and the daughter of Unionist politician, James Kidd..”
As part of our Women in History Month series, we are taking a closer look at the many achievements of Margaret Kidd, and you will learn that she was a woman of several ‘firsts’ in her legal career.
Born in Carriden, Bo’ness in what was then Linlithgowshire, Margaret was the eldest of nine children. Her mother, Janet Gardner, was a teacher and her father, James Kidd, was a solicitor and Unionist MP for Linlithgowshire.
Following her education at Linlithgow Academy, Margaret moved on to study law at the University of Edinburgh graduating with an MA and LLB in 1922.
The following year, on 13 July 1923 (at the age of 23), Margaret was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates, making her the first female member of the Scottish bar. As were the tendency of newspapers in the day, the Scotsman newspaper focussed on Margaret’s attire on the day describing her as wearing “a coat frock of black crepe morocain, a soft white collar with a narrow white bow tie, and a straw hat trimmed with velvet.’ Later in the day, she donned the wig and gown as she formally entered her new role. Between 1923 and 1948, she remained the only female advocate.
Margaret was the first female advocate to appear before the House of Lords and a Parliamentary Select Committee of the House of Commons. In 1948, she became the first woman to become a King’s Council in Britain, known as taking the silk, preceding both Helena Normanton and Rose Helibron, who were appointed KC in England and Wales in 1949.
Later in her career, she became Sheriff Principal for Dumfries and Galloway in 1960 (the first woman to occupy such a post) and then Sheriff Principal of Perth and Angus from 1966 until her retirement in 1975. She was also Editor of the Court of Session Law reports of the Scots Law Times from 1942 to 1976.
She was made a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1975 and received honorary LLDs (Doctor of Laws – the highest university degree in Law) from the University of Dundee in 1982 and the University of Edinburgh in 1984.
Her greatest achievement perhaps was balancing a career with raising a family, quite a challenge in those days. In 1930, she married Donald Somerled MacDonald in her hometown and despite trying to keep the ceremony a secret, word got out and over two hundred parishioners attended. According to the Linlithgowshire Gazette, ‘[a] long line of flags stretched from the church to a tall tree within the grounds and at the gate of Muiredge, the bride’s home, which adjoins the church….’ The couple went on to have a daughter, Anne.
Dame Margaret was also highly active in public life and supported several charities – she became Vice President of the Federation of University Women and was involved in the Queen’s Nursing Institute.
In 2023, a new image of Margaret was unveiled in Parliament Hall by Ann Inglis (the thirteenth female member of Faculty, and Margaret’s great-granddaughter, Victoria Lea.
Speaking at the event, Ann Inglis described Margaret as ‘unfailingly kind and supportive’, a statement also reflected by Lord Hope of Craighead in a eulogy to Margaret at her funeral in Edinburgh who further echoed an article in the Scotsman newspaper 41 years earlier: ‘Her success was won by strength of character, courage and integrity and is a mark of her true qualities that, despite what might seem to be the revolutionary nature of her achievements, she always held the affection and respect of others’. Although in an unidentified newspaper clipping, Margaret is quoted as saying ‘I don’t know what they made all the fuss about’ regarding the significance of her role and career held by others including her alma mater, the University of Edinburgh.
Sources: Articles in:
· Scottish Legal News
· Undiscovered Scotland
· Law Society of Scotland
· Scotland’s People
Disclaimer: This article was written under the understanding that the sources of information are correct, but we apologise if that may not be the case; no offence is intended, we merely wish to share and celebrate the achievements of the individual.