Walter McLaren

Walter Stowe Bright McLaren (17 April 1853 – 29 June 1912)[1] was a British Liberal Party politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Crewe division of Cheshire for a total of 11 years between 1886 and 1912.

Two of his brothers, Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway and John also became Liberal Members of Parliament.

Walter introduced a clause to the 1894 Local Government Act which extended the voting rights of married women.

He did not stand in 1900, when the seat was regained for the Liberals by James Tomkinson, but when Tomkinson died shortly after being re-elected at the January 1910 election, McLaren was the successful Liberal candidate in the resulting by-election.

Although the monument, lying on the east wall of the first south section under Edinburgh Castle, is huge, Walter is relegated to a simple footnote at the base of the stone.