Tilly’s family were strictly orthodox, and this upbringing had a big influence on her life. She received her secular education at Manchester Jews School but also attended religious classes on a Sunday morning. The strict anglicising tactics employed at the Jews School meant that Tilly had to accept a new name at age five. The headmistress of the girls’ section of the school, the formidable Miss Raphael, would not accept her Hebrew name, Tauba.