Margaret Emma Henley (4 September 1888 – 11 February 1894) was the daughter of

William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 1849 11 July 1903) was a British poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, th ...

and his wife Anna Henley (née Boyle). Margaret's friendship with

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, whom she called "fwendy" (i.e., "friendy"), was the inspiration for the character

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

in Barrie's play ''Peter Pan; or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' (1904) and its novelisation ''

Peter and Wendy ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'', often known simply as ''Peter Pan'', is a work by J. M. Barrie, in the form of a 1904 play and a 1911 novel titled ''Peter and Wendy''. Both versions tell the story of Peter Pan, a mischievous ...

'' (1911). She may also have served as the inspiration for Margaret Dearth, the protagonist's "dream-child" in Barrie's 1917 play ''Dear Brutus'', and for Margaret, Wendy Darling's granddaughter, in ''Peter Pan''. Margaret died at the age of five of cerebral

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

. She was buried at the country estate of her father's friend,

Henry Cust Henry John Cockayne-Cust, JP, DL (10 October 1861 – 2 March 1917) was an English politician and editor who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Unionist Party. Origins He was a son of Henry Cockayne-Cust, a younger grandson ...

, in Cockayne Hatley,

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. She was an only child.

References

1888 births 1894 deaths Women of the Victorian era English children Neurological disease deaths in England Infectious disease deaths in England Deaths from meningitis {{England-bio-stub Child deaths