Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton

Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Dowager Countess of Swinton, DSG, DL, Baroness Masham of Ilton in her own right (born 14 April 1935) is a crossbench member of the House of Lords. She is the senior female life peer.

She was born as Susan Lilian Primrose Sinclair, the daughter of Major Sir Ronald Sinclair, 8th Baronet. She was educated at the Heathfield School and London Polytechnic. In 1959 she married Lord Masham (1937–2006), who became The 2nd Earl of Swinton in 1972. By this marriage Susan Cunliffe-Lister became Countess of Swinton. Lord and Lady Swinton adopted two children. Lady Swinton was widowed in 2006.

She is a prominent Roman Catholic convert and a patron of the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology.

Lady Swinton was disabled in a riding accident in 1959, and subsequently became a champion for causes related to disability. She was created a life peer in 1970 as the Baroness Masham of Ilton, of Masham in the North Riding of the County of York. She and her husband are one of the few couples to both hold titles in their own right.

Lady Swinton was the subject of This Is Your Life in February 1976 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the foyer of the De Vere hotel in Kensington, London.^{[citation needed]}

She is an active member of the House of Lords, where she continues to be known as the Baroness Masham of Ilton, a title she holds in her own right. She takes a particular interest in issues surrounding disability, health and penal reform. She continues to run the Masham Riding Centre in Masham, North Yorkshire.

In 2011 she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal College of Nursing.

Titles from birth

• Miss Susan Lilian Primrose Sinclair (1935 – 1959)
• Lady Masham (1959 – 1970)
• The Rt Hon. The Baroness Masham of Ilton (1970 – present) ^‡
• The Rt Hon. The Countess of Swinton (1972 – 2006)
• The Rt Hon. The Dowager Countess of Swinton (2006 – present)

^‡ As active member of the House of Lords, she uses in daily life her life peer title.

Sources

• University of East Anglia Honorary Degree Citation (Google cache of PDF)
• Masham Riding Centre
• 2nd Earl of Swinton, DL (1937-2006) – Google Peerage News Group