Marjorie Barlow was the daughter of Sidney and Edna Barlow and sister of Frank.
Marjorie was a trained weaver, having gained employment at Hardcastle's Mill in Victoria Street until its closure in 1931 and soon thereafter, took a position at Earnshaw's Mill down by the docks - where she made an unlikely friend in a fellow worker - the mousy Ida Leathers.
Having brought Ida back to 6 Mawdsley Street for tea one evening after work, Marjorie introduced Ida to her family. Ida caught Frank's eye and after a brief courtship, Frank and Ida married in May 1938. As the newly-weds settled into married life at 3 Coronation Street, Marjorie was on hand to help deliver the couple's first-born son, Kenneth.
Around the same time, Marjorie took on an assistant's job at department store Baxendale's and when brother Frank was called into service as World War II broke out, she moved into the spare room at No.3 to help lighten the load on Ida.
When she wasn't working, she loved ballroom dancing and inspired by Carmen Miranda, she wore flowers in her hair. At 27, Marjorie was unmarried, and had little interest in rushing to the altar.
Weatherfield was hit by an air raid in December 1940. Marjorie called to Albert Tatlock to help her get baby Ken and a terrified Ida out of the house. While they were on their way to the shelter at the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, part of the back brick wall of Elliston's Raincoat Factory fell into the street, burying Marjorie and Ken in the rubble. Marjorie was killed; her body had protected Ken from serious harm. Ironically, Baxendale's burned to the ground as a result of the same air raid.
- The information on this page comes from Daran Little's "Coronation Street at War", set from 1939 to 1945.
- This information is disputed; just before Ida's funeral, Frank is reportedly "talking to Aunt Marjorie", as stated by Ken Barlow.