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Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx

1916 – 2018

English peeress and poet

Poet Stenographer
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About Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx

Lived 1916 – 2018 (aged 102). Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx was a British poet and stenographer.

Gladys Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx (; 12 January 19166 June 2018) was an English poet and the wife of Harold Wilson, who twice served as British prime minister. She was the first British prime minister's spouse to become a centenarian, living to the age of .

Life Gladys Mary Baldwin was born in Diss, Norfolk, the daughter of the Reverend Daniel Baldwin, who was a Congregationalist minister. She attended boarding school at Milton Mount College leaving aged 16 to attend a secretarial course for two years. She was employed as a stenographer at Lever Brothers in Port Sunlight before marrying Harold Wilson on New Year's Day 1940 at Mansfield College, Oxford.

In 1970, her volume of poetry Selected Poems was published, and, in 1976, Mary Wilson was one of three judges of the Booker Prize, the other judges being Walter Allen and Francis King. According to the Dictionary of National Biography entry for Harold Wilson, written by Roy Jenkins, Wilson was not satisfied with life in politics. It was this detachment which gave the Private Eye spoof "Mrs Wilson's Diary", the supposed diary of Wilson, written in the style of the BBC's daily radio serial Mrs Dale's Diary, a spurious look of authenticity.

In 2010, at the age of 94, she attended the funeral of Michael Foot. Three years later, at the age of 97, she accepted an invitation to the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.

Death Wilson died following a stroke at St Thomas' Hospital in London on 6 June 2018, at the age of 102, having outlived her husband by 23 years. The longest-lived spouse of a British prime minister, she was the first to live beyond the age of 100. A private service followed by cremation took place on mainland Britain, and her ashes were buried with her husband at Old Town Churchyard in St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Positions held
Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Booker Prize judge
Also known as
Gladys Mary Baldwin, The Lady Wilson of Rievaulx, Gladys Mary Wilson

People in Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx?

English peeress and poet (1916–2018)

When was Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx born?

Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx was born on 12 January 1916 in Diss.

When did Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx die?

Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx died on 6 June 2018 in St Thomas' Hospital.

What was Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx's occupation?

Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx was a poet and stenographer.

What nationality was Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx?

Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx

· Wikidata: Q3296260

· DBpedia: Mary Wilson, Lady Wilson of Rievaulx

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx. https://biography.guide/mary-wilson-baroness-wilson-of-rievaulx/

MLA: "Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mary-wilson-baroness-wilson-of-rievaulx/.

Chicago: "Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mary-wilson-baroness-wilson-of-rievaulx/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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