Barbara Jean Lawton (née Inkpen; 28 October 1949 – 3 September 2021) was a track and field athlete from England, who mainly competed in the high jump event during her career and represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games.^[1]

Inkpen trained at Aldershot, Farnham & District AC and finished second behind Dorothy Shirley in the high jump event at the 1968 WAAA Championships.^[2]

Later that year at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, she represented Great Britain in the high jump competition finishing 13th.^[3]

On Saturday 19 April 1969 she took the British record from 5 ft 9.25in to 5 ft 9.5in at Ewell, Surrey^[4] and on Saturday 7 June 1969 she took the British record to 5 ft 10 at the London Southern Women's Championship.^[5][6] The following month Inkpen became the national high jump champion after winning the British WAAA Championships title at the 1969 WAAA Championships.^[7][8]

Saturday 11 July 1970 she equalled the British record of 5 ft 10.5in at White City at the Great Britain v East Germany competition, after it had been taken to that record on 18 June 1969 in Sweden.^[9]

Inkpen married Carl Lawton in early 1973 and competed under her married name thereafter^[10] and as Lawton finished second behind Ilona Gusenbauer at the 1973 WAAA Championships.^[11]

She represented England and won a gold medal in the high jump event, at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand.^[12][13][14] She was also runner up in the 1972 Sports Woman Of The Year.

• Barbara Inkpen at World Athletics
• Barbara Inkpen at Team GB
• Barbara Inkpen at Olympedia