Margaret Galloway (born McLaren) was born on 7 January 1822 in Inveraray, Argyll, to Maria Spence or Spenser and John McLaren and baptised in the town on 27 January.
There is little available information about Margaret or her family in Argyll. By the time she married Alexander Galloway on 6 August 1847, her family had already moved to Edinburgh where her family lived on West Nicholson Street.
Her first daughter, Maria, was born on 17 February 1848 at Brown’s Court. The Canongate was once home to wealthy families, but in the 19th century, many moved to the New Town. The area became more industrial and crowded, and living conditions in the old tenements worsened. Brown’s Court was reached through Brown’s Close and was likely a difficult place to raise a family.
Brown’s Court and Brown’s Close, Canongate Edinburgh mid 19th Century
By 1861, Margaret had four sons and two daughters, and had moved to 54 Grassmarket, where she remained for two years after her husband’s death in 1883. Margaret died in the Royal Asylum, Morningside, from a stroke after spending a year in the hospital.
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