This research guide offers an introduction to archive material held here at Churchill Archives Centre, documenting the roles played by women in Cambridge in the first half of the twentieth century. Whether undertaking philanthropic work, cutting-edge historical research, or simply enjoying student life, these collections reveal how these women shaped, and were shaped by, the city of Cambridge.

Margaret Hill (née Keynes)

Margaret Hill (1885-1970) was born in Cambridge to John Neville Keynes (1852-1949) and Florence Ada Keynes (1861-1958). She was brought up in Harvey Road, alongside her brothers, the economist John Maynard Keynes and surgeon, Geoffrey Keynes.

Margaret dedicated much of her life to social reform, helping to run the Boys’ Employment Registry (set up by her mother, Florence) with Eglantyne Jebb from 1908-1920. Margaret began as Eglantyne’s assistant and became Secretary following Eglantyne’s resignation in April 1908.

In 1911, Margaret published the report The Problem of Boy Labour in Cambridge in 1911. During their time working together at the Boys’ Employment Registry, Margaret and Eglantyne developed a close relationship. Though Margaret went onto marry Archibald Vivian Hill (known as A V Hill) in 1913, the two women remained friends.

Margaret moved to Highgate with her husband in 1927. It was here that she became involved with the Hornsey Maternity and Child Welfare Centres. She also became a Poor Law Guardian, a councillor, and helped to found the Hornsey Housing Trust. Margaret is most well-known for her work improving the living conditions of older people, setting up Hill Homes Ltd, which provided accommodation for the elderly. Margaret was awarded a CBE for this aspect of her philanthropic work. She returned to Cambridge with her husband A V Hill in 1967 and died three years later.

Relevant material at Churchill Archives Centre includes:

• Margaret Keynes autobiography (AVHL II 5/118)

• Margaret Keynes Diary, 1907-8, AVHL II 5/78

• Typescript of Carole Angier’s biography of Margaret Hill, AVHL II 5/80

• Letters to Margaret Hill from Eglantyne Jebb, 1920-1921, AVHL II 5/116

• Letters between AV Hill and Margaret Keynes, 1912 – 1913, AVHL II 5/117

• History of the Hills (AVHL II 5/9)

Find out more

Explore the work of Florence Keynes and Eglantyne Jebb on the Lost Cambridge website.

Explore Margaret Keynes’ and Eglantyne Jebb’s work in the Save the Children Fund Archive

Read Clare Mulley’s The Woman Who Saved the Children: A biography of Eglantyne Jebb: Founder of Save the Children. Simon and Schuster, 2009.

Read a children’s magazine titled The Gem (named after the editors Geoffrey and Margaret Keynes and Ethel Glazebrook) at Cambridge University Library (UL). Also at the UL, see another family publication The Acorn edited by John Maynard Keynes.

Browse correspondence and photographs relating to Margaret Keynes in the Papers of John Maynard Keynes at King’s College Archives Centre, Cambridge.

Sasha Moorsom Young

Ruth Sasha Young (née Moorsom) (1931-1993), worked in radio at the BBC, producing documentaries, features and drama for the Third Programme, 1953-1961. From 1950-1953, Sasha studied English at Girton College, Cambridge. She went on to become the editor of the magazine Where? (1962-1964) and was a regular contributor to The Listener. Sasha worked with her husband, Michael Young, and established the International Extension College in Mauritius and Africa; edited course books for the Open College of the Arts; and helped with the launch of Health Line. Sasha was a poet, novelist, ceramic sculptor, and the translator of Perrault’s fairy tales.

• University notes, 1950-3 (YONG 1/4): This file includes Sasha’s lecture notes and notes taken from her reading while studying at Cambridge.
• University memorabilia, 1950-3 (YONG 1/5): This file includes theatre programmes, press cuttings, party invitations, poems, a BA degree certificate, and cartoons.
• Diary, 1952-3 (YONG 3/1): A volume where Sasha recorded poems and ideas for stories.
• Photographs, 1950-3 (YONG 9): These photographs capture Sasha with her friends at Cambridge University, including taking part in theatre productions.

Rachel Lauterpacht (née Steinberg)

Rachel Steinberg (1900-1989) was born in 1900 to Michel Yechiel Steinberg and Gitel Bennett in Palestine. In the 1920s, Rachel moved to Vienna where she studied as a concert pianist. It was during this time that she met the lawyer Hersh Lauterpacht, who she went onto marry in 1923. The Lauterpachts then moved to England, where Rachel subsequently studied at the Royal College of Music. In the 1920s and 1930s, Rachel became increasingly deaf and relied upon hearing aids. Rachel gave birth to her son Elihu in 1928.

From late-1940 through to early 1943, Rachel stayed with Elihu in America. When Rachel and Eilhu returned to England, they lived with Hersch at 6 Cranmer Road in Cambridge. In late-1943 and 1944, Rachel became involved with the Cambridge Committee for Jewish Refugee Children and the Refugee Children’s movement.

Relevant material at Churchill Archives Centre includes:

• Correspondence, September 1943, LAUT 1/45
• Correspondence, January 1944, LAUT 1/49
• Correspondence, February 1944, LAUT 1/50
• Correspondence, April 1944, LAUT 1/52

Josephine Neild (née Baker)

Josephine Neild (née Baker) (1892-1971) was born on 22 February 1892 to Joseph Allen Baker (1852-1918) and Elizabeth Balmer Moscrip (1849-1930). Born into a Quaker family, Josephine’s father, Joseph Allen Baker, founded the firm Baker and Sons, with his brothers, and later became chairman following his father’s death. Baker and Sons was closely connected to the motor car and tram industry and merged with Perkins Engineers Ltd in 1919. Joseph and Elizabeth had four daughters and three sons, including Philip Noel-Baker, whose papers at Churchill Archives Centre include files relating to his sister, Josephine.

Josephine was a pupil at Mount School, York in 1909. She studied Economics at Newnham from 1915-1918. She went onto marry the Indian civil servant Ralph Neild (1891-1961) on 17 March 1920 in St Albans. Together they had two daughters and one son; Elizabeth Philippa Rae (née Neild) (1921-1987) and twins Robert Neild (1924-2018) and Barbara Neild (1924-)

Relevant material at Churchill Archives Centre includes:

Correspondence between Josephine and her brother, Philip, 1901-1919, NBKR 9/45, NBKR 9/46, NBKR 9/47, NBKR 9/48

Pocket diaries and lecture notes, 1915-1918, NBKR 11/6

Lecture notes on economics and history, 1914-1916, NBKR 12/16

Copies of ‘Thersites’, a journal for Newnham College and other pamphlets, 1914-1918, NBKR 12/13

Betty Behrens

Betty Behrens (1904-1989) was educated by governesses and grew up speaking French and German, as well as English. She also travelled extensively. In 1925 she went up to Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University, on a scholarship, and received a First in History in 1927. She then spent a year as a Commonwealth Fellow at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts before returning to Oxford in the 1930’s as a research student at University College. In 1938, she was appointed as a University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University in 1938. Behrens continued as a lecturer from 1939 to 1941, then for the rest of the war worked as an official historian for the Ministry of Shipping.

Betty returned to Cambridge in 1946, once again as Lecturer in History, and continued in this post from 1946 to 1966, when she married fellow historian E.H. Carr. She spent the remaining years of her life in the pursuit of academic study, publishing her last book in 1985 at the age of 81. Behrens was a fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge (1935-67), then of Clare Hall, Cambridge (1967-72) and finally a fellow emeritus of Clare Hall (1972-86). She died in 1989.

Relevant material at Churchill Archives Centre includes:

• Personal correspondence 1938-41, BEHR 14: Including with Herbert Butterfield, also with G.M.Trevelyan and Harold Temperley.
• Notes for an autobiography, BEHR/99: Types and handwritten reminiscences about people, places, events etc some very personal
• Sketches, BEHR/1: Scraps of writing on diverse subjects, some dated. Dreams, visits, meetings, people and relationships – including personal comments on friends and family.

Please note that this collection has not been catalogued, so please get in touch if you would like to see a box list of the Papers of Betty Behrens.

Sybil Hutton (née Schuster)

Sybil Hutton (née Schuster) was born to Arthur Schuster (1851–1934) and Emma Cary E. Loveday (1867-1962) on 18 July 1891. In 1921, Sybil married Robert Hutton, a student of Sybil’s father who was a Physics Professor at Manchester University. Sybil and Arthur went onto have two children.

In 1932, Sybil joined the National Council of Women. During the Second World War, Sybil worked with her husband to care for Jewish, Polish, and Czech children who were brought to Cambridge from Europe in 1939 as refugees from Nazi persecution. The Hutton’s shared their home with three refugees and employed a Jewish maid, whose brother also moved in to live with them at 10 Chaucer Road.

Sybil was the secretary of the Cambridge Children’s Refugee Committee, which helped to find a home for refugee children in Cambridge. The Committee was set up by Greta Burkill and included Margaret Mary Braithwaite, Hilda Sturge, Eva Hartree, Kathleen Wood-Legh, and Joseph B. Skemp amongst its members. Sybil was responsible for the case files for over 100 refugee children. She also worked with her husband Robert to find employment and educational opportunities for child refugees, drawing on her well-established Cambridge network.

Whilst individual case-histories comprise the bulk of the collection, the Hutton papers also include pamphlets, reports and cuttings about the Nazi regime across Europe.

Relevant material at Churchill Archives Centre includes:

• Case notes and correspondence on refugee children, 1939-1958, HUTT 1
• Case notes and correspondence on adult refugees, 1939-1945, HUTT 2

Find out more

Explore the work of the Cambridge Children’s Refugee Committee in a project run by Keystage Arts and Heritage in Cambridge.

Read a blog post by Professor Eva-Maria Thüne, reflecting on her research with the Hutton papers.

Read Mike Levy’s, Get the Children Out! Unsung heroes of the Kindertransport. (Lemon Soul, 2022). You can also watch a presentation by Mike Levy on the work of Sybil and Robert Hutton.

By Dr Cherish Watton-Colbrook, Archives Assistant.

For a PDF version of this guide, please click here.