Margaret Greville, the last owner of Polesden Lacey

Margaret Greville's birth

Margaret Helen Anderson was born in London on 20 December 1863. Her birth certificate states that her parents are Helen Anderson and William Murray Anderson. However her father was in fact William McEwan, the successful brewer. 

Preserving a reputation

William Murray Anderson was actually an employee at William McEwan’s Edinburgh brewery. To save Helen’s reputation, and to provide the baby with legitimacy, it is believed that McEwan sent Helen and William Anderson to London to have the baby. As they had the same surname, no one would question whether they were actually man and wife when they registered Margaret’s birth. 

The marriage of Margaret's parents

William McEwan and Helen eventually married when Margaret was 21 and, although there were always rumours about Margaret's true parentage, McEwan was referred to as Margaret's stepfather. By the time of their marriage, McEwan was a well respected businessman and liberal MP, and the family lived in Mayfair.

Mrs Greville and Ronnie

Margaret married Captain Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Greville in 1891. He was heir to a baronetcy and a member of the Marlborough House set, the social circle around the future King Edward VII.

It was a mutually beneficial match; through her ‘stepfather’, Margaret brought money to the marriage.

'...she had the sense to meet and marry a man who was a member of a good family who I think was not rich at all but quite poor, and I suppose with him as a background she was able to get into Society.'

– People and Places by S.E.D. Fortescue

Society hostess

Margaret and Ronnie lived in Mayfair and, when Ronnie retired as MP for East Bradford in 1906, they bought Polesden Lacey as their weekend retreat shortly after. The couple commissioned architects Mewès and Davis, famous for remodelling the Ritz Hotel in London, to renovate the house. Sadly, Ronnie died in April 1908, a year before renovations were completed. 

Margaret hosted her first house party at Polesden over a year later in June 1909, marking her return to Society. The guest of honour was none other than King Edward VII.

An influential figure

Margaret continued to host the great and good of the day for the next 30 years, including Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and Queen Ena of Spain.

Not only was Margaret a popular hostess, she also had a great knowledge of business and politics. She was a board member at McEwan’s brewery and was said to have great influence over many politicians of the time.