Full Name Ethel Lancaster Name Ethel Lang | Role Supercentenarian | |
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Born 27 May 1900 ( 1900-05-27 ) Worsbrough, West Riding of Yorkshire, England Known for Oldest living person in the UK between 14 November 2013 and 15 January 2015 Spouse(s) William Lang (m. 1922–1988; his death) Died January 15, 2015, Barnsley, United Kingdom | ||
Ethel Lang (née Lancaster; 27 May 1900 – 15 January 2015) was a British supercentenarian who, at the time of her death, was the oldest living person in the United Kingdom, the second-oldest living person in Europe after Emma Morano of Italy and the ninth-oldest living person in the world. She was the last living British person to have been born in the British Empire during the reign of Queen Victoria and the second-last living person in the British Empire to have been born during her reign. The last one is Jamaican woman Violet Brown.
Biography
Ethel was born in Worsbrough, near Barnsley, to miner Charles Lancaster and his wife Sarah. Some of her family members lived long lives. Ethel's mother lived to the age of 91, one of her sisters lived to be 104 and her great-grandmother died in 1848 aged 92. Also, at the time of her death, her daughter Margaret was still alive at 91 years old.
She left school at the age of 13 to work in a shirt factory. She married William Lang, the son of an alderman and councillor in 1922 and their daughter Margaret was born in 1923. William died in 1988 at age 92. She lived independently until the age of 105. Lang became the United Kingdom's oldest living person upon the death of Grace Jones on 14 November 2013.
Lang died on 15 January 2015 at Barnsley, at age 114 years, 233 days. At the time of her death she was the fourth-longest-lived person ever in United Kingdom, after Charlotte Hughes, Annie Jennings and Eva Morris. After her death, Gladys Hooper took over as the United Kingdom's oldest living person.