Talk:Margaret Greville

Untitled
Mrs Greville's Birth.

The oft-told tale that Mrs Margaret Greville was the illegitimate daughter of the Edinburgh brewer, William McEwan, is nothing more than the malicious gossip of those in Edwardian Society jealous of her wealth and of her consequent successes as a hostess. Mrs Greville's own claims would have been made solely in defense of her inheritance.

Records show that Margaret was the illegitimate daughter of her mother, Helen Anderson, her family name, and a Scottish born but London based commercial traveller, William Anderson, with whom Helen had been living for several of years. There is no evidence to suggest that this William Anderson ever had any contact with Mr McEwan and none to suggest that Helen had any before 1867 when she is recorded running a lodging house a few dozen yards from the house in which McEwan himself was lodging. By this time Margaret would have been some four years of age. How and when they met has not been discovered but they would no doubt have attended the same local church, a common venue for contact at that time. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.125.8.173 (talk) 15:13, 4 January 2010 (UTC)