Frances Kyle facts for kids
Frances Christian Kyle (born October 30, 1893 – died June 22, 1958) was an important Irish lawyer. She made history by becoming one of the first two women to be allowed to work as a barrister (a type of lawyer who speaks in court) in either Ireland or Great Britain. This happened on November 1, 1921, when she was called to the Bar of Ireland. Her achievement was big news not just in Dublin, but also around the world in places like New York, London, and India. It was almost a year before another woman became a barrister in England.
Early Life and Education
Frances Kyle was born in Belfast, Ulster, which is a northern part of Ireland, on October 30, 1893. She was the youngest child of Robert Alexander Kyle, who owned a clothing store, and Kathleen Frances Bates.
Frances and her sister Kathleen were taught at home by a governess named Delphine Ladiray. Later, they both went to Ladies’ & Preparatory School. Frances also spent a year at a boarding school in Poitiers, France, in 1905. After that, she attended a finishing school in Bern, Switzerland. She studied at Trinity College, Dublin (TCD), where she earned her degree in French in 1914. She then completed her law degree (LLB) in 1916.
Becoming a Barrister
In January 1920, Frances Kyle and Averil Deverell became the first female law students at the King's Inns in Dublin. This was a big step for women in law. Frances did very well in her studies. She came first in the Bar Entrance Examinations. In October 1921, she became the first woman to win the John Brooke Scholarship. The Irish Times newspaper wrote that her winning the scholarship showed "a women’s invasion of the law."
On November 1, 1921, Frances Kyle was officially called to the Irish bar by Sir Thomas Molony. This meant she could now work as a barrister. Just one week later, she was also called to the newly formed Bar of Northern Ireland at the Crumlin Road Courthouse.
Her Legal Career
Frances Kyle began working as a probationer barrister. She received her first legal case on November 23, 1922. On November 14, 1922, she was chosen to be a member of the Circuit of Northern Ireland at a meeting in Belfast. This made her the first female member of a legal circuit. In 1922, the Dublin Evening Telegraph reported that Kyle had worked on eight legal cases.
Most of Ireland became the Irish Free State on December 6, 1922, leaving the United Kingdom. However, Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom.
Frances Kyle may have found it hard to get enough work as a barrister. Her last listing in Thom's Law Directory, which lists lawyers, was in 1931. In 1937, she even had to appear in court herself to defend against a parking ticket. By 1952, Frances was living in London with her sister Kathleen. Kathleen was married to a medical inspector named Dr. John McCloy. In 1930, Kathleen was known in Belfast as "a delightful speaker."
Frances Kyle passed away from cancer in The London Clinic in Marylebone on June 22, 1958. She was 64 years old.
