Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Baroness Masham of Ilton


Susan Lilian Primrose Cunliffe-Lister, Dowager Countess of Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, is a crossbench member of the House of Lords. She is the senior life peer.

Personal life

She was 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, who became Earl of Swinton in 1972. By this marriage, she became entitled to the styles Lady Masham, and later Countess of Swinton. 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.
Lord and Lady Swinton adopted two children. She was widowed in 2006.
She is a prominent Roman Catholic convert and a patron of the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology.

Disability campaigner

She was disabled in a riding accident in 1958, and subsequently became a champion for causes related to disability. She 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.
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.
Baroness Masham of Ilton has long been a supporter of the charity , becoming Patron in 2011.
She was the founder of the Spinal Injuries Association, of which she is President.
She competed in several Paralympic Games, winning medals for table tennis in 1960, 1964, and 1968. She is Vice President of the Snowdon Trust, founded by the Earl of Snowdon, which provides grants and scholarships for students with disabilities.

Titles and styles