Elizabeth Philipps, Viscountess St Davids facts for kids

Elizabeth Frances Philipps, Viscountess St Davids (born Abney-Hastings) (10 June 1884 – 12 December 1974) was an important British noblewoman. She made history after the Peerage Act 1963 was passed. This law allowed women to take their place in the House of Lords if they had inherited a noble title. Lady St Davids became the first woman to do this, as the 14th Baroness Strange of Knokin.

Becoming a Baroness: Inheriting Titles

On 19 October 1920, Lady St Davids and her sister, Edith Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun, asked a special group called the Committee for Privileges to decide about some noble titles. These titles, like Botreaux, Hungerford, and de Moleyns, were "abeyant." This means no one officially held them after their uncle, the 11th Earl, died.

They also asked for the titles of Strange (de Knockyn) and Stanley. This was because they were descendants of the last person who held these titles, Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby.

Titles Confirmed and Granted

On 17 December, the sisters were confirmed as the rightful co-heirs to these baronies. This meant they had a claim to them.

Then, on 23 February 1921, Lady St Davids was officially granted the titles of Baroness Hungerford, Baroness de Moleyns, and Baroness Strange (de Knockyn). Her sister, the Countess, received the titles of Botreaux, Stanley, and Hastings (de Hastings) on 7 March.

Seeking More Titles: The Earldoms

Later, on 23 June of the same year, the two sisters also tried to claim the earldoms of Warwick and Salisbury. They were descendants of Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick and Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury. They wanted old legal punishments against their ancestors to be removed.

However, James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury and Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick also claimed these titles. Because of this, the old punishments were not removed.

Making History: A Seat in the House of Lords

A very important law, the Peerage Act 1963, came into effect on 31 July 1963. This new law changed things a lot. One of its main points was that women could now sit and vote in the House of Lords if they had inherited a noble title. Before this, only men could do so.

After this law was passed, Lady St Davids applied for a special permission called a "writ of summons." This permission allowed her to join the House of Lords because of her barony. She received it, and on 19 November 1963, she took her seat in the House of Lords. This was a big moment in British history!

Passing on the Titles

When Lady St Davids passed away in 1974, her noble titles were passed on to her only son, Jestyn.