Margaret Heather Laird

Margaret Heather Laird, ( Polmear; 29 January 1933 – 11 May 2014) was a British teacher and senior laywoman in the Church of England. From 1989 to 1999, she served as the Third Church Estates Commissioner, having been appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England and the Third Church Estates Commissioner attends the Church's General Synod.

Early life and education

Margaret Heather Polmear was born on 29 January 1933 in Truro, Cornwall. As a child, her father attended the Anglo-Catholic Church of St Paul, Truro and her mother attended the local Methodist chapel. Having attended both church and chapel, she was confirmed in the Church of England. She studied medieval history at Westfield College, London, then an all-girls college of the University of London, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1954.

Active in traditionalist Anglo-Catholic circles, she was a vocal opposer of the ordination of women. and they married in 1961. Together, they had two sons: while Andrew is a classical scholar.

Laird's beliefs fell within the Prayer Book Catholic tradition of the Church of England.

Laird died on 11 May 2014, aged 81, following a terminal illness of two years. She was survived by her husband and sons.