Elspeth Campbell

Elspeth Mary Campbell, Lady Campbell of Pittenweem (5 January 1940 – 5 June 2023) was a British baroness and socialite. She was married to the Liberal Democrat politician Menzies Campbell from 1970 until her death.

Early life and education Elspeth Mary Urquhart was born on 5 January 1940 in New Delhi, British India, one of four children of Major (later Major-General) Roy Urquhart, who was portrayed by Sean Connery in the 1977 film A Bridge Too Far, and his wife Pamela. When she was six months old, she and her mother embarked on a two-month journey to Britain, during which some of the ships in their convoy were torpedoed. She spent the rest of the Second World War with relatives in Exmouth, Devon, cared for by Alice (Adgie) Sweet, carer for the children of British parents in colonial India, and recalled her father's return from the Battle of Arnhem arriving home in his army uniform.

Known for her strong personality, Campbell encouraged her husband to become MP for North East Fife and was said to have persuaded him to stand in the 2006 Liberal Democrat leadership election, in which he was eventually victorious. She served as her husband's parliamentary assistant and was known for hosting grand dinner parties.

In her forties she studied for an Open University degree in English, choosing the television series Coronation Street, of which she was a fan, as the subject of her thesis.