Lady Mabel Fitzwilliam

Who was Lady Mabel Fitzwilliam?

Lady Mabel Florence Harriet Wentworth-Fitzwilliam was an English socialist politician, later known as Lady Mabel Smith.

Her father was William Wentworth Fitzwilliam, Viscount Milton, the eldest son of William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 6th Earl FitzWilliam. Her father died before inheriting the Earldom and it passed to her brother, William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam whose lifestyle she criticized; "he had so much and everyone else had so little".

She married Lt. Col. William Mackenzie Smith on 29 July 1899 and went to live in Barnes Hall near Grenoside, Sheffield. After her marriage she was known as Lady Mabel Smith.

She was a local politician in South Yorkshire, firstly as a West Riding County Councillor and later as a county Alderman and member of the Workers' Educational Authority.

In 1918 she visited France as Inspector of Yorkshire's Women's Agricultural Auxiliary Corps.

She served on the Departmental Committee on Public Libraries which was appointed by the then President of the Board of Education Charles Trevelyan in 1924, reporting in June, 1927 and was appointed a member of the Adult Education Committee set up by the then President of the Board of Education Eustace Percy in 1927 She served on the Labour Party National Executive Committee in 1932. and 1934