He married Lola, daughter of the Reverend T. A. Beckett, Rector of Tubbercurry and Ballinew, Co. Sligo.

In 1934 he obtained a Clerkship in the House of Commons, where he served throughout his career (apart from the war of 1939-45), being Clerk of the House in 1974 to 1976. He was made C.B. in 1963 and K.C.B in 1975.

After the war he developed a particular interest in parliaments overseas, both foreign and commonwealth, as well as in the Assembly of the Council of Europe (the first international parliament body ever set up). In 1951 he published "The Parliament of France" and in 1952, (with Lord Campion) "European Parliamentary Procedure". During 1954 to 1959 he visited and advised developing legislatures in the colonies in East and West Africa, the Far East, and the Caribbean. He is an Honorary Chairman (for life) of the Association of Secretaries-General of Parliaments.

In 1939 he obtained a commission in the Tower Hamlets Rifles, a territorial Regiment affiliated to the Rifle Brigade, into which it was absorbed in 1940, and with which he served in the Tunisian (First Army) and Italian campaigns, attaining the rank of captain.

Reprinted from:
• Lidderdale, Robert Halliday, An Account of the Lowland Scots Family of Lidderdale, 1950 unpublished manuscript.
• Lidderdale, Halliday Adair, The Descendants of John Lidderdale 1783-1845, 1988 unpublished manuscript.

Excerpt of Sir David Lidderdale's retirement from the House of Commons, Margaret Thatcher Foundation

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Michael Foot) I beg to move, that this House, conscious of the ever increasing range and complexity of its work and of the burden this places on its officers and staff, records it gratitude for the devoted service of Sir David Lidderdale, Clerk of the House; Sir Alexander Gordon Lennox, Serjeant at Arms; and Mr. David Holland, Librarian; and extends to them its best wishes for their retirement. It is not often that a motion appears on the Order Paper which has to it not only the names of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition but the name of myself. We are following the custom and tradition of formally paying tribute to servants of the House on their retirement.

Not only has Sir David Lidderdale been Clerk of the House for a number of years but he has served in the House since 1934. Among the many distinguished services which he has performed has been that of editing the Nineteenth Edition of "Erskine May". Not only did that edition break all records in terms of the cost of the publication but it embraced all the problems which arise from our entry to the European Economic Community. That is only one of the services which Sir David has performed for the House. I am sure that right hon. and hon. Members will wish to pass the motion in gratitude to him.

Mrs. Margaret Thatcher (Finchley)

This is one of those rare occasions when I can say to [ Michael Foot] the Leader of the House that I heartily concur in all that he has said. On behalf of my right hon. and hon. Friends, I join him in supporting this motion. My hon. Friend the Member for Antrim, South (Mr. Molyneaux) has asked me to say that he, too, wishes to be warmly associated with it. He is in fact present, but he does not wish to delay the House by making a separate contribution of his own.

The Leader of the House has said most of what could be said about [Sir David Lidderdale] the Clerk of the House, [Sir Alexander Gordon Lennox] the Serjeant at Arms and [ David Holland] the Librarian. However, perhaps I might add one or two comments of my own.

The Clerk of the House has been most generous in his advice to the Opposition, which is quite right, because his services are to the House rather than to the Government of the day. He has always given us very freely of his advice, and he has had a particularly difficult time in the past year when in some ways we have been adding footnotes to his edition of "Erskine May" at a rather more rapid rate than usual. I know, too, that he will wish us especially to make mention of the Report made by the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough (Mr. Bottomley), to which he made a particularly notable contribution. He and [2238] his Department have also warmly supported the activities of the CPA and of the IPU.

Mr. David Steel (Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles)

I do not think that this is an occasion when we need have a long series of formal speeches. However, there are not many occasions on which the Leader of the Liberal Party can claim that the Lord President and the Leader of the Opposition have said everything for him, and more adequately than he could say it. On this occasion I am happy to join the Government and Opposition in saying on behalf of my colleagues in the Liberal Party, and, I suspect, on behalf of the other minority parties of this House as well, how much we wish to place on record our thanks for those services which have been rendered by these three distinguished servants of the House.

Although the Leader of the House was quite right, I consider that the Government and the official Opposition are very capable of looking after themselves. In my experience of the House of Commons, those of us who are outside those ranks are in a sense most appreciative of the services that the staff are able to render to Back Benchers in all parts of the House.

Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bryant Godman Irvine)

Mr. Speaker has asked me to read the following statement: The Deputy Speakers and I wish to associate ourselves wholeheartedly with this motion. No formula can measure the debt this House owes to those who give it their unstinted and loyal service. It is no exaggeration to say that this House functions as well as it does only because we are able to rely on those who uncomplainingly tolerate hours of service that few, if any, other people are called upon to endure.

Sir David Lidderdale, Sir Alexander Gordon Lennox and Mr. David Holland have retired from the service of the House after long years of distinguished and honourable service.

Question put and agreed to, nemine contradicente. Resolved, That this House, conscious of the ever increasing range and complexity of its work and of the burden this places on its officers and staff, records its gratitude for the devoted service of Sir David Lidderdale, Clerk of the House; Sir Alexander Gordon Lennox, Serjeant at Arms; and Mr. David Holland, Librarian; and extends to them its best wishes for their retirement.

Sir David is included in Who's Who (an autobiographical dictionary published by St. Martin's Press, N.Y.) in various issues from 1974 to 1999.

Obituary for Lady Lidderdale, 92, widow of Sir David Lidderdale, KCB (1910-99). By Michael Rhodes (Myreader.co.uk).

Lady Lidderdale, who died at Chelsea, 13 January, 2007, at the age of 92, was the widow of Sir David William Shuckburgh Lidderdale, KCB (b. 30 Sept 1910; d. Jan 1999). Clerk of the House of Commons from 1974 to 1976, who was appointed KCB in 1975. She was the former Lola Beckett and married David Lidderdale in 1943, by whom she had a son. She leaves a son. The funeral took place at Putney Vale Crematorium, 25 January, 2007.