Margaret Gilmour Schofield was born Margaret Gilmour Barclay in Edinburgh in 1916. She was educated at Bouroughmuir Secondary School, Edinburgh, and attended Edinburgh University. Here, she was awarded a BSc for Scientific Studies in 1937 and a PhD in Chemistry in 1939. Her thesis was titled "The Catalytic Hydrogenation of Acenaphtene - Quinone and related compounds". She was recruited by the Calico Printers Association in 1939 and employed as a research chemist until 1947. Her preliminary laboratory work with the CPA was towards the development of a highly resistant synthetic polyester fibre and she subsequently joined the research team working on Terylene. She left the CPA in 1947 to start a family.