AGNES Leonora Duncan, Abingdon's first female mayor, was born in Wales in 1882.

Her connection with the town began when her brothers Jack and Norman transferred to Abingdon School in January 1900 as boarders.

They were among the first sixteen boys to occupy a newly-opened boarding house, Tesdale House on the Marcham Road.

The head of the new house was the Rev C F A Wimberley, formerly headmaster of Chard School, Somerset, which both boys had attended previously.

Significantly Tesdale House stood next door to the The Firs, the home of Bromley Challenor, Abingdon's town clerk and head of the family firm of solicitors.

On January 28, 1918 Mrs Duncan married his eldest son, also called Bromley, in Llandaff Cathedral and became Agnes Challenor.

She took a particular interest in the parish church of St Helen working as a fundraiser for the construction of the parish hall in 1926, which was partly financed by selling individual bricks to parishioners, and for the new organ in 1927.

She formed the Abingdon branch of the British Sailors' Society and supported both the Church of England Children's Society and Dr Barnardo's charity which opened a home in Caldecott House in 1945.

Mrs Challenor was involved with the work of the Abingdon branch of the Women's Voluntary Service, as centre organiser.

She was also a founder member in 1932 and chairman in 1941, of the Abingdon Townswomen's Guild, a movement launched between the wars 'to educate women in good citizenship'.

A major leisure pursuit was her passion for music which she passed on to her three children.

She was a member of Abingdon Madrigal Society in the 1930s and of Abingdon and District Musical Society, formed in 1946, which gave concerts in the old Corn Exchange on the Market Place.

Mrs Challenor had no ambition to enter into public work but was thrown into it by the events of 1939-45.

Her work in the community led to her co-option to a vacancy on the borough council in 1941, followed later by election success.

The press report of the 1941 mayor-making read: "Mrs Bromley Challenor was appointed to the vacancy caused by the elevation of Counc. A. Tombs".

Married women at that period occupied few positions in local government and were invariably referred to in the press by their husband's Christian name.

Later in 1950 when she was elected mayor, the first woman in the borough's history to occupy this position, she recalled her feelings when co-opted: "I felt it such a golden opportunity for a woman to get on to the council that I accepted it."

Her photographic portrait as mayor shows a woman of steely determination.

Departing from tradition, she chose her daughter Janet to accompany her on civic duties as mayoress.

She hoped her election to the town's highest civic office would encourage other women to stand in elections to the council.

Two women were persuaded to stand, but only Constance Cox survived further elections to become mayor in 1960.

In 1951 Mrs Challenor became the first woman to be elected an alderman and a year later she and Mrs Cox were selected as two of the three town representative governors on the board of Christ's Hospital, an ancient local charity.

She worked conscientiously in both organisations but in 1956 ill health forced her to resign.

She was presented with an engrossed minute from the Borough Council recording their appreciation of her hard work as councillor, mayor and alderman.

Mrs Challenor died aged 85 at her home 'Waysmeet' in Faringdon Road, on April 6, 1967.