OLIPHANT (Margaret, née Wilson 1828-1897, Scottish Novelist and Historical Writer)

Fine Autograph Letter Signed to Mrs Marindin asking she is “not quite sure whether you mean Thursday next, or Thursday next week - either of them will suit me... Cyril is going to ask Mr Marindin for a loan of a book this afternoon... and you will please tell him which it is - he will be at home next Thursday but not next week so he would intensely vote for the former...” ending that she hopes her baby is better and with a postscript that she would be “delighted to see your brother...”, 1½ sides 8vo., on crested paper, Windsor, Sunday, no date, circa

In 1852 Margaret had married her cousin, Frank Wilson Oliphant. He was an artist working mainly in stained glass. Three of their six children died in infancy. Her husband developed tuberculosis and for his health they moved in January 1859 to Florence and then to Rome, where he died. This left Oliphant in need of an income. She returned to England and took up literature to support her three surviving children.
She had become a popular writer by then and worked notably hard to sustain her position. Unfortunately, her home life was full of sorrow and disappointment. In January 1864 her one remaining daughter Maggie died in Rome and was buried in her father's grave. Her brother, who had emigrated to Canada, was shortly afterwards involved in financial ruin. Oliphant offered a home to him and his children, adding their support to already heavy responsibilities. In 1866 she settled at Windsor to be near her sons, who were attending Eton. Windsor was her home for the rest of her life. Over more than 30 years she pursued a varied literary career, but personal troubles continued. Her ambitions for her sons remained unfulfilled. Cyril Francis, the elder, died in 1890, leaving a Life of Alfred de Musset, incorporated in his mother's Foreign Classics for English Readers.

Item Date:  1870

Stock No:  41915      £125

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