Catherine Bell was one of the first hundred women to graduate in Law from the University of Glasgow. Born on 22nd July 1928 in Beith, she grew up in the town and attended Spiers School. Her father, James Dunlop Bell, was a solicitor. Catherine matriculated in 1945 and graduated B.L.in 1949. In all probability she would have served an apprenticeship concurrently with her studies. She struggled a little with Civil Law and Scots Law but passed them and would have been ready to get through the remaining demands for entry to the profession, including Conveyancing. She doesn’t appear to have petitioned for admission as a solicitor, however, though she may have continued to work within the profession. The family moved to The Birkenward, an Arts and Crafts mansion in Skelmorlie in 1949, previously a hostel for evacuees during the war. Her brother was Sheriff Archibald Angus Bell QC, also a Glasgow graduate, a highly respected member of the profession and an author.
Sources
University of Glasgow Registry and General Council Records
Scotlands People
