Katharine Margaret Dawson Coltman

Katharine Coltman (“Kit”) took up general practice with her husband Bernard in Aysgarth after they got married in 1947, as assistants to the renowned Dr Will Pickles. Kit faced significant challenges: female GPs were still a rarity, the NHS was about to come into being, and the remoteness of many of the settlements in this Yorkshire Dales practice meant that visiting patients could be extremely difficult, especially during the winter months. Home births were the norm at this time, adding to the workload.

Kit served the Wensleydale practice with Bernard for over 33 years until she retired in 1980. Her interests were many and varied, including genealogy, gardening, art, and music—she sang with the local choral society and played the cello with the Wensleydale philharmonic orchestra.

Predeceased by her husband in 1995, she leaves two children and seven grandchildren.