Margaret Oliphant

LC name authority rec. n50048460

LC Heading: Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret), 1828-1897

Biography:

Born Margaret Wilson in Wallyford, near Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, 4 April 1828. As a child lived in Lasswade near Edinburgh. Glasgow, Liverpool, and Birkenhead, Cheshire. No formal education. Turned to writing and achieved success with her first novel, Passages in the Life of Mrs Margaret Maitland (1849). Contributed to various journals, primarily Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, from 1851. Married a cousin, Francis Wilson Oliphant, an artist and stained-glass designer, 1852: two daughters (one died in infancy, the other in youth) and four sons (two died in infancy, two in adulthood). Moved to London, 1852. Travelled to Italy for her husband's health, 1859. Compelled to write for an income after his death in Rome, 1859. Moved to Edinburgh, 1860, then to Ealing, London, 1861. Travelled in Italy, Switzerland, and France, 1863-65; then moved to Windsor, Berkshire, 1865. Became best known for her “Chronicles of Carlingford” series of novels (1863-76). Awarded a civil list pension. 1868. Her brother Frank became increasingly dependent on her for the support of his family. Travelled to Jerusalem, 1890. Last surviving child died, 1894. Moved to Wimbledon, south London, 1896. Died in Wimbledon (some sources give Windsor), 25 June 1897.

(Jenkins, Carol. 2001. "Oliphant, Margaret 1828-1897". In Encyclopedia of Life Writing: Autobiographical and Biographical Forms, edited by Margaretta Jolly. London: Routledge. www.credoreference.com. Accessed September 2015).