Marjorie Rackstraw

Marjorie Rackstraw (24 June 1888 – 28 April 1981) was an educationalist and social worker. She was a lifelong friend of the prison reformer Margery Fry, Labour Councillor for Hampstead in London, and undertook significant relief work before, during and after the Second World War.

Some time after graduating with an arts degree from the University of Birmingham, Marjorie worked as a lecturer in education at the University of Sheffield for several years.

Early life Marjorie was born in Highgate, Middlesex on 24 June 1888 to Matthew and Fanny Rackstraw (née Blofeld), the second out of five children.

After working as a lecturer in education at the University of Sheffield, Marjorie served as the warden of Masson Hall at the University of Edinburgh from 1924 to 1937. In response to concerns that "some parts of the world would be unsuitable for women to live in," Marjorie sought to gather information from female graduates with overseas experience about whether they had encountered difficulties because of their gender.