Margaret Elise Harkness (1854-1923), novelist, radical journalist and political activist, was born on February 28th, 1854 in Great Malvern, Worcestershire. She was the second of five children to Robert Harkness (1826-1885) and widow Elizabeth Bolton Toswill (née Seddon) (1821-1916). In addition to her four siblings, Margaret had an elder half-sister from her mother’s first marriage.

In 1865, Robert, a Church of England clergyman, took the position of rector at Wimborne Saint Giles in East Dorset. When the family moved to Dorset, they were financially comfortable, living in a large house with numerous servants by the 1870s. It is here that Harkness spent most of her formative years and received much of her …

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Citation: Dunleavy, Matthew. "Margaret Harkness". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 August 2019 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14426, accessed 25 April 2024.]

14426 Margaret Harkness 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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