Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx
| The Right Honourable The Lady Wilson of Rievaulx | |
|---|---|
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Vacanta |
| Succeeded by | Audrey Callaghan |
| In office 16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Douglas-Home |
| Succeeded by | Vacanta |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 January 1916 Diss, Norfolk, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Harold Wilson (m. 1940–1995, his death) |
| Children | Robin, Giles |
| Parents | Rev Daniel Baldwin, Sarah Bentley |
| a. ^ The Prime Minister from 19 June 1970 to 4 March 1974 was Edward Heath, who was a lifelong bachelor. | |
Gladys Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx (born 12 January 1916) is an English poet, best known as the widow of former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
She was born Gladys Mary Baldwin in Diss, Norfolk, the daughter of Rev Daniel Baldwin, who was a Congregationalist minister. She attended boarding school at Milton Mount College near Crawley, leaving in 1932 to attend a secretarial course in Cumbria for two years. She was employed as a shorthand typist at Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight before marrying Harold Wilson on New Year's Day, 1940. She and Wilson had two sons, Robin (born 1943) and Giles (born 1948).[1]
In 1970 her volume of poetry, Selected Poems, was published. It was generally assumed that she owed her subsequent success as a poet to her position as the Prime Minister's wife. Nevertheless, her name was at one time mentioned as a possibility for the next Poet Laureate.
In 1976 Wilson was one of three judges of the Man Booker Prize, the other judges being Walter Allen and Francis King.[2]
According to the DNB entry for Harold Wilson, written by Roy Jenkins,[3] Mary Wilson was not too happy with life as a "political" wife. It was this detachment which gave the Private Eye spoof Mrs Wilson's Diary, the supposed diary of Mary Wilson, written in the style of the BBC's daily radio serial Mrs Dale's Diary, a spurious look of authenticity.
Mary was widowed on 24 May 1995 when Harold Wilson died of colorectal cancer and Alzheimer's disease after 10 years of illness. They had been married for 55 years.
Now in her nineties, she still lives in Westminster, a short distance away from Downing Street.[4] She also retains the couple's holiday home in the Isles of Scilly.[5]
Bibliography
Selected Poems (1970) ISBN 0-09-105010-3
New Poems (1979) ISBN 0-09-139460-0
References
- ↑ Dermot Englefield, Janet Seaton, Isobel White, "Facts About the British Prime Ministers", Cassell, 1995, p. 314.
- ↑ "Tears, tiffs and triumphs". The Guardian (UK). 6 September 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ↑
- ↑ The truth about Harold Wilson
- ↑ Objective One Media Release 7 October 2005
External links
- Mary Wilson Selected Poems
- Roy Hattersley, The truth about Harold Wilson – after 30 years of scandalous rumours, Daily Mail, 24 June 2007
- In praise of … Mary Wilson Mrs Wilson was and remains a lady of firm convictions, and at 94 is as alert as ever, Guardian 17 Mar 2010
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Elizabeth Douglas-Home |
Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1964–1970 |
Vacant Title next held by Herself (Edward Heath was a bachelor) |
| Vacant Title last held by Herself (Edward Heath was a bachelor) |
Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1974–1976 |
Succeeded by Audrey Callaghan |
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