Lifespan: 1855-1897
Nationality: Irish
Genres: romantic fiction
Types of Work: Novels, short stories
Other Names: "Mrs. Hungerford", "The Duchess"
Style: Light, romantic tales that closely followed the ideals of Victorian morals, mostly set in fashionable society.
Bio:
Margaret Wolfe Hamilton was born on 27 April 1855 in County Cork, Ireland to Canon Fitzjohn Stannus Hamilton, a rector at St. Faughnan's cathedral in Rosscarberry.
She enjoyed making up stories as a child and even won prizes for her writing at school. She received her finishing education at Portarlington College.
In 1872, she married Edward Argles, a Dublin solicitor, and the couple had three children. Edward died less than six years after their marriage. Margaret began writing in order to support her family. Her first novel, Phyllis, was published in 1877 and met a favorable reception. Soon after, she published her most popular work Molly Bawn, from which came the popular idiom: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
Margaret married again in 1882 to Thomas Henry Hungerford, with whom she had three more children. The family settled at St. Brenda's, Bandon, County Cork, where Margaret spent the remainder of her life gardening and enjoying country life while raising her large family and writing numerous novels.
Margaret was very methodical about her writing. She had a dedicated room where she wrote three hours every morning. Her desk was surrounded by manuscripts, reference works, novels, and other books. Her works were first published anonymously, and later as "Mrs. Hungerford". The U.S. versions of her books were mostly published under the pseudonym "The Duchess".
She experienced great success with her novels, and also wrote short stories and journal articles.
Margaret died of typhoid fever at Bandon on 24 January 1897.
Novels:
Phyllis: a Novel, 1877
Molly Bawn, 1878
Airy Fairy Lilian, 1879
Beauty's Daughters, 1880
Mrs. Geoffrey, 1881
Faith and Unfaith, 1881
Portia, or by Passions Rocked, 1882
Loys, Lord Beresford, and other Tales, 1883
Moonshine and Marguerites, 1883
Rossmoyne, 1883
Doris, 1884
The witching hour, and other stories, 1884 (U.S.)
Fortune's wheel, and other stories, 1884
A Week in Killarney, 1884—reissued as Her Week's Amusement, 1886
O Tender Dolores, 1885
Mildred Trevanion, 1885
A Maiden All Forlorn, and other Stories, 1885
In Durance Vile, and Other Stories, 1885
Dick's Sweetheart, 1885 (U.S.)
Green Pastures and Grey Grief, 1885
Lady Branksmere, 1886
A Mental Struggle, 1886
The Haunted Chamber, 1886 (U.S.)
Lady Valworth's Diamonds, 1886
A Modern Circe, 1887
The Duchess, 1887
Undercurrents, 1888
Marvel, 1888
Honourable Mrs. Vereker, 1888
A Life's Remorse, 1889
A Troublesome Girl, 1889
A Born Coquette, 1890
April's Lady, 1890
A Little Rebel, 1890
Her Last Throw, 1890
A Little Irish Girl, and other Stories, 1891
The O'Connors of Ballinahinch, 1892
A Conquering Heroine, 1892
Nor Wife Nor Maid, 1892
A Conquering Heroine, 1892
Lady Patty, 1892
Nora Creina, 1892
A Mad Prank, 1893
The Red House Mystery, 1893
Lady Verner's Flight, 1893
An Unsatisfactory Lover, 1894
Peter's Wife, 1894
The Hoyden, 1894
The Three Graces, 1895
A Tug of War, 1895
The Professor's Experiment, 1895
Molly Darling and Other Stories, 1895
A Lonely Girl, 1896-- (American title: A Lonely Maid)
A Point of Conscience, 1896
An Anxious Moment, 1897--(Stories)
Lovice, 1897 (posthumous)
The Coming of Chloe, 1897 (posthumous)