Margaret Gladstone was born on 20 July 1870 in Kensington, London, to
John Hall Gladstone, later
Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the
Royal Institution, and his second wife Margaret (nee King), a niece of
Lord Kelvin. Her mother died soon after she was born. She was educated both
at home and at
Doreck College in
Bayswater. Early in adulthood she was involved in voluntary
social work, including visits for the
Charity Organisation Society in
Hoxton. Her half sister was
Isabella Holmes, who later became a noted social reformer, and an expert on London's burial grounds. By 1890, Margaret was a keen socialist, influenced by the
Christian socialists and the
Fabian Society. In 1894, she joined the
Women's Industrial Council, serving on several committees and organising the enquiry into home work in London, which was published in 1897. She met Ramsay MacDonald through this work in 1895 and they married in 1896. She was comfortably off, although not wealthy. This allowed them to indulge in foreign travel, visiting
Canada and the
United States in 1897,
South Africa in 1902,
Australia and
New Zealand in 1906, and
India several times. After her marriage she was concerned about the need for skilled work and training for women and played a key part in establishing the first
trade schools for girls in 1904. She continued this work until 1910. The marriage to Ramsay MacDonald was a very happy one, and they had six children, including
Malcolm MacDonald (1901–1981), who had a prominent career as a politician, colonial governor, and diplomat;
Ishbel MacDonald (1903–1982), official hostess to her father and
Sheila MacDonald who had political ambitions. After Margaret MacDonald's death on 8 September 1911, Ramsay MacDonald became
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times but did not remarry. Ishbel and Sheila served as his hostess at functions. ==Monument==