Margaret Chapman: Tributes pour in for a leading light of the Great Yorkshire Show
Leading light of the Great Yorkshire Show and former Yorkshire Agricultural Society President, Margaret Chapman, has died unexpectedly at home, the show’s organisers have announced.
The society said Margaret was a highly dependable and knowledgeable fixture of the show for decades, becoming its first female cattle steward in 1975, then senior cattle steward in 1985, before going on to serve as chief cattle steward for over a decade.
In recognition of her extraordinary service, Margaret served as the society’s President from 2021 to 2022.
Rachel Coates, Show Director, said: “Margaret was a hugely respected figure whose incredible dedication to the cattle section was testament to how keenly passionate she was about the Great Yorkshire Show and the industry that she loved.
"After more than half a century of voluntary service to the show, and as a friend, Margaret will be missed greatly by us all.”
Allister Nixon, the society’s chief executive said Margaret’s contribution to the show had been “nothing short of phenomenal”.
He said: “The secret to the success of the Great Yorkshire Show is in its people, and Margaret embodied everything that the show stands for and celebrates: integrity, dedication and a passion for showcasing the very best of British agriculture.
"Our thoughts are with Margaret’s family and all those who knew her at this sad time.”
Charles Mills, a former Show Director and friend of Margaret, said she lived her life in “a graceful manner” and was a quiet and unassuming leader who always made him smile.
Another former Show Director, Bill Cowling, said: “Any ideas that she came up with were always well thought through and in the best interests of the show, and I was very grateful for her support.”
Margaret’s family history with the show stretched back more than 100 years, starting with her great-grandfather, who showed Dairy Shorthorn in 1910.
She first participated in 1944 at the Red Cross Agricultural Show in York where, aged five, she won her first rosette with British Friesian calf, Herrington Ketchup.
She visited the Great Yorkshire Show six years later, helping with the preparation of livestock when the show was held in Malton in 1950.
Margaret’s love of cattle came from her upbringing on the family dairy farm in Bishopthorpe near York and took a role alongside her father, Frank Chapman, in the pedigree cattle export business.
In the 1970s, Margaret was in charge of the business’ livestock exports and travelled to many off-the-beaten-track countries as part of the trade, up until BSE brought a halt to British livestock exports.
Margaret first started stewarding at the show in the early 1970s and in 1985 was one of only two females to be invited to the-then all-male pre-show dinner.
Margaret became the show’s chief cattle steward in 2008 and hosted many Royal visitors to the show over the years.
For the 160th Great Yorkshire Show in 2018, Margaret’s cattle knowledge shaped the design of the show’s Craven Heifer, a 6ft galvanised steel sculptur recreation of the largest heifer ever shown in England in the 1800s that was born on the Bolton Abbey Estate.
Margaret’s story was documented by the society last year, when she said: “I’ve made a lot of friends over the years and seen a lot of people come down the generations; grandfathers, fathers, and now a new generation.
“They’re all good memories, each and every one of them, because I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”