She attended Rosebery Grammar School for Girls in Epsom, Surrey, before studying English at University College London.
[1][2] She was married in 1965 to John Joseph ‘Jack’ Scarisbrick, a Tudor historian, who was then teaching at Queen Mary College.
She became a Catholic and they had two daughters, moving to Leamington Spa in 1970 where her husband had been appointed Professor of History at the University of Warwick.
[1] In response to the 1967 Abortion Act in August 1970 she and her husband co-founded Life, which went on to become one of the most effective and successful anti-abortion activist groups.
She also was actively involved in Life's national helpline, setting up the counselling service, the educational programme and operations.