Out of Time: Florence Paton, Nottinghamshire's First Female MP

Empowerment: the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights. Sure, kicking off an article with a dictionary definition rarely leads to Pulitzer Prizes, but nothing could describe the life of Florence Paton, Nottinghamshire’s first female MP, better than this entry into The Oxford Dictionary. From losing at the General Election ballot three times to becoming the first woman to preside over the House of Commons, Paton fought to stand up for the rights of not just herself but countless others, pushing forward representation and progress in a field that had been backwards-thinking and male-dominated for so long. 

Born in Somerset in 1891, Paton then spent her formative years in the west end of the Midlands, eventually becoming a schoolteacher in Wolverhampton. It was during this time that she took a keen interest in expanding disabled children’s access to equal education, which is something she took with her to Parliament - becoming a vocal campaigner for increasing education rights for those suffering with cerebral palsy. In 1949, during a heated debate on the issue, the Labour Party MP pushed the Government to provide greater assistance to disabled children and their parents, improving their opportunities at a time when they were often overlooked. This was just one occasion where Paton stood up for those without a voice on the national stage - but her path to that stage was a long and challenging one. 

This demanding journey to Parliament started in 1928, when Paton contested a by-election in Cheltenham - finishing third with less than ⅕ of the vote. Yet her determination to enter the Commons only grew stronger with a move to our county. A year after that by-election defeat, Paton ran for office in Rushcliffe, but found her fortunes remained unfortunate. Two years later, she was back on the ballot again, and again she suffered the same result. It seemed like her dream just wasn’t meant to be. 

That is, until a decade later. In 1945, after the Second World War left the country in disarray and heading to the polls, Paton ran for Rushcliffe one final time - and, as Clement Attlee’s Labour Party were voted into power, she too tasted victory. After three failed attempts, Paton finally found herself on the backbenches, representing the people of Rushcliffe in the national arena. And it’s safe to say she got straight to work. Within her first twelve months, Paton had become the first woman appointed to the Speaker’s Panel of Temporary Chairmen of Committees of the Whole House and Chairmen of Standing Committees, and in May 1948, she became the first woman to chair a debate on the Floor of the House of Commons. That’s what you call making up for lost time. 

Clearly a natural leader and powerful presence, Paton used her newfound influence to fight for those who needed fighting for. Spending much of her time campaigning for better working conditions in mines, Paton helped to push through numerous pieces of legislation that would improve people’s experience of the pits, increasing health and safety levels and job security at a time when tens of thousands returned to the industry from the front line. 

Quickly making a name for herself in Westminster, Paton was asked to represent the country and its people not just at the national level, but the international - serving as the UK's representative to the United Nations in 1947, where she would eventually become the only female MP on the General Assembly Social Humanitarian and Cultural Committee. Pictured joking with Eleanor D. Roosevelt, the United States’ delegate to the UN, and speaking openly about the importance of the global body for ensuring world peace - she once described herself as having a “burning hatred of war in her heart” - Paton looked as confident and assured on the world stage as she did in the British capital. 

Despite gaining respect across the globe and pushing progress for women and the working classes, though, Paton’s dream role would only last for half a decade. Before the Labour Party were even ousted by Winston Churchill’s Conservatives in 1951, the former teacher would also become a former MP. After boundary changes forced a by-election in 1950, Paton found that voters in the new Carlton constituency were less supportive of her politics than residents of Rushcliffe more widely, and she missed out on retaining her seat by just a few hundred votes. 

While she may not have won over enough people in the city suburb back then, however, her trailblazing work will forever be remembered by local residents going forward - as, in 2019, a sculpture of the history-maker was unveiled in the town. Designed by visual artist Hilary Cartmel, and - in truth - looking a little like the Terminator, this sculpture now stands proudly atop Carlton Hill, and highlights everything that made Paton such a special figure. An intricate design incorporates miners’ pickaxes, books and the crest of the Houses of Parliament, commemorating her groundbreaking efforts from her early career to her exit from the Commons. 

In this issue of Empowerment, very few in Notts history empowered so many, did a better job of controlling one's life and claiming one's rights, than the former Ruschcliffe MP. And, for that, Florence Paton should always be celebrated.

Thanks to Nottingham Women's History Group for some background information cited in this article.