Betty Boothroyd was born on 8 October 2023 in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Ben Archibald Boothroyd (1886-1948) and Mary Boothroyd née Butterfield (1901-1982).
In the 1939 England and Wales Register she was shown as 'At school' living at 24 Marriott Street, Dewsbury, with her parents. Her father was described as a weft-man and her mother as a woollen cloth worker.
In the 1940s she was a dancer with the Tiller Girls troupe, and in the 1960s was a legislative assistant for an American congressman. Returning to Britain she became a local councillor and was eventually elected to parliament in 1973. In 1992 she became Speaker of the House of Commons, the first woman to occupy this post. On retirement in 2000 she was created Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell and in 2005 was appointed to the Order of Merit.
Her gives many details of her life and together with her they confirm that she died, aged 93 years, on 26 February 2023 in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk and Andrew Behan.
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