Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx (born 1917) is an English poet, best known as the wife of former British prime minister, Harold Wilson.

She was born Gladys Mary Baldwin in Norfolk, the daughter of a Congregationalist minister, and married Wilson on New Year's Day, 1940. It was generally assumed that she owed her subsequent success as a poet to her position as the Prime Minister's wife. Nevertheless, her name was at one time mentioned as a possibility for the next Poet Laureate.

According to the DNB entry for Harold Wilson, written by Roy Jenkins ^[1], Mary Wilson was not too happy with life as a "political" wife. It was this detachment which gave the Private Eye spoof Mrs Wilson's Diary, supposedly the diary of Mary Wilson written in the style of the BBC daily radio serial Mrs Dale's Diary, a spurious look of authenticity, which greatly contributed to its success. The "Diary" was one of the great successes of the magazine in its early days and helped to raise its profile, and also that of Mary Wilson, probably placing her further forward in the public eye than she would have wished.

Contents 1 Bibliography 2 References 3 Examples of her poetry 4 External links

[edit] Bibliography

Selected Poems (1970) ISBN 0-09-105010-3
New Poems (1979) ISBN 0-09-139460-0

[edit] References

[edit] Examples of her poetry

• Mary Wilson Selected Poems

[edit] External links

• Roy Hattersley, The truth about Harold Wilson - after 30 years of scandalous rumours, Daily Mail, 24 June 2007 [1]

Honorary titles
Preceded by Elizabeth Douglas-Home	Spouse of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1964-1970	Vacant Title next held by Herself (Edward Heath was a bachelor)
Vacant Title last held by Herself (Edward Heath was a bachelor)	Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1974-1976	Succeeded by Audrey Callaghan