A green plaque has been unveiled in honour of Fanny Deacon, the first woman in Britain to qualify to register as a pharmacist.

Leicestershire County Council has established the plaque in Wolsey Lane, Fleckney, where she lived and ran her own business from 1875 until her death.

Ms Deacon was born in 1837 and her father worked as a chemist in nearby Kibworth. When she was a young woman, she saw a syllabus of the Pharmaceutical Society’s examinations in his dispensary.

She applied to sit the examination, which she took at its headquarters in London, and passed.

Ms Deacon then registered as a chemist and druggist with the Pharmaceutical Society in 1869, but as a woman she was not allowed to become a member until 10 years later. She worked alongside her father, later opening her own pharmacy in Fleckney.

When she died in 1930, at the age of 92, she was the oldest registered chemist in England.

Councillor Kevin Feltham, chairman of Leicestershire County Council, said: ‘Fanny Deacon was a true pioneer and trailblazer. By qualifying as a pharmacist at a time when the profession was dominated by men and female chemists were few and far between, she helped to break down the traditional barriers and pave the way for other women in the medical and scientific field.

‘She also continued to work and provide a vital service to her community right up until her death at the age of 92. I am very proud and honoured to unveil a green plaque in tribute to her.’

The Leicestershire County Council green plaques are awarded to people and places in and around the county, nominated and voted for by the community.