A room in the States of Jersey building has been named in honour of Mary Newcombe, the first woman to serve as Greffier of the States.
This dedication is part of the 500th-anniversary celebrations of the first recorded States meetings.
Mary Newcombe began her career at the States Greffe in 1968 as a committee clerk, documenting official records for various governmental bodies, including the Policy and Resources Committee established in 1989. She was appointed Deputy Greffier of the States in 1991 and later Greffier of the States in 2000, a role with legal responsibility as the custodian of the Assembly's official records.
The newly named Mary Newcombe Room was inaugurated by Connétable Karen Shenton-Stone, Chair of the Privileges and Procedures Committee. Reflecting on her connection to Newcombe, she shared, “I knew Miss Newcombe through my late father, who admired and respected her greatly. She was truly inspirational, a pioneer at a time when politics was male-dominated."
The room will serve the States Greffe team as a space for creating public engagement materials about the Assembly's work, a fitting tribute to Newcombe’s legacy as a trailblazer. Two members of her family attended the dedication, held on Monday, which also marked Ms. Newcombe’s birthday.