Women's History Month - Madge Easton Anderson

 

Madge Easton Anderson was born in Glasgow on 24 April 1896. Her parents were Anne Catherine Chisholm Robert Easton Anderson. Robert Easton was a maker of surgical instruments while Anne’s father had been a seller of books in Inverness. Madge was the youngest of three girls born to the couple.

 

After completing school, Madge received an MA and then went on to study at the Faculty of Law at the University of Glasgow. She trained as an apprentice at the law firm Maclay Murray and Spens LLP.  The Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 allowed women to enter the legal profession for the first time, paving the way for Madge. A year later, she became the first woman to work as a professional lawyer in the UK. 

Madge also volunteered her time through the University’s settlement organization to offer free legal advice to people in the Anderston area of Glasgow. She is recorded as being a ‘Poor Man’s Lawyer’ offering legal advice to those who could not afford it. 

In 1937, Madge qualified as a solicitor in England. This made her the first woman to qualify in two jurisdictions within the UK.  In London, Madge worked in partnership with two other women, making their firm the first of all female law firm in the UK. 

In her retirement, Madge moved back to Scotland, purchasing a home in Dunkeld. For a time, she ran this as a private hotel. She eventually gave that up and moved to a cottage near Crieff. Anderson died at the Royal Infirmary in Perth at the age of 96.