The Hon. Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott (2 October 1852 – 15 March 1920) was a Scottish author of historical novels and non-fiction and the great-granddaughter of the novelist

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

. She was born in

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the Weald, High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Roc ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

as Mary Monica Hope Scott in 1852, the only surviving child of

James Hope-Scott James Robert Hope-Scott (15 July 1812 – 29 April 1873) was a British barrister and Tractarian. Early life and conversion Born at Great Marlow, in the county of Buckinghamshire, and christened James Robert, Hope was the third son of Gene ...

(1812-1873) and his wife Charlotte Harriet Jane née Lockhart (1827-1858), daughter of

John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...

and grand-daughter of the noted Scottish novelist

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

. Until her own children were born Mary Monica was the only living descendant of Sir Walter Scott. In 1868, as the heir to her father, she applied for a loan of £2,000 to have the land at

Abbotsford House Abbotsford is a historic country house in the Scottish Borders, near Galashiels, on the south bank of the River Tweed. Now open to the public, it was built as the residence of historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott between 1817 and 1825 ...

drained; as a minor she received her father's consent for the loan. On the death of her father in 1873 she inherited Abbotsford House, the home of Walter Scott. In London in 1874 she married the Hon Joseph Constable-Maxwell, third son of William, Lord Herries, following which the couple adopted the surname Maxwell-Scott. Like her great-grandfather, she became a writer of historical books. She also wrote a number of books about her famous ancestor including an authoritative guide to Scott’s collection of '

gabion A gabion (from Italian ''gabbione'' meaning "big cage"; from Italian ''gabbia'' and Latin ''cavea'' meaning "cage") is a cage, cylinder or box filled with rocks, concrete, or sometimes sand and soil for use in civil engineering, road building, ...

s' titled ''Abbotsford: a Guide to the Personal Relics and Possessions of Sir Walter Scott''.The Descendants of Sir Walter Scott: Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott - Abbotsford - the Home of Sir Walter Scott website
/ref> Mary Maxwell-Scott had eight children, five of whom survived her. These were: *Margaret Mary Lucy Constable-Maxwell-Scott (d. 1912) *Maj.-Gen.

Sir Walter Constable-Maxwell-Scott, 1st Baronet Major-General Sir Walter Joseph Constable-Maxwell-Scott, 1st Baronet (10 April 1875 – 3 April 1954) was a senior British Army officer. Military career Educated at Stonyhurst College,Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Kni ...

(1875-1954) *Mary Josephine Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1876-1922); married Alexander Dalglish in 1897 *Winifride Mary Josephine Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1878-1880) *Joseph Michael Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1880-1911) *Rear-Admiral Malcolm Raphael Joseph Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1883-1943) *Alice Mary Josephine Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1885-1908) *Herbert Francis Joseph Constable-Maxwell-Scott (1891-1962) On her death in 1920 her eldest son, Sir Walter Constable-Maxwell-Scott, inherited

. Her grand-daughters were

Patricia Maxwell-Scott Patricia Maxwell-Scott (3 April 1921 – 13 October 1998) was the Laird and Chatelaine of Abbotsford which she opened to the public, restored to its former glory, and ran for nearly five decades. She was "Borders Man of the Year" in 1983, and the ...

(1921-1998) and Dame Jean Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott (1923-2004). The Hon. Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott died at 7 Egerton Terrace in London in 1920 aged 67.

Publications include

*''Catalogue of the Armour & Antiquities at Abbotsford'' (editor), Edinburgh, (1888) *''Abbotsford: The Personal Relics and Antiquarian Treasures of Sir Walter Scott'' (1893) *''The Tragedy of Fotheringay'', A. & C. Black, London (1895) *''The Making of Abbotsford, and Incidents in Scottish History, Drawn from Various Sources'' (1897) *''Henry Schomberg Kerr: Sailor and Jesuit'', Longmans & Co, London (1901) *''Alfred the Great'', Catholic Truth Society, London (1902) *''Joan of Arc'', Sands & Co, London & Edinburgh (1905) *''Gabriel Garcia Moreno'' (1908) *''Madame Elizabeth de France, 1764-1794'', Edward Arnold, London (1908) *''The Life of Madame de la Rochejaquelein'', Longmans & Co, London (1911) *''Thoughts on the Holy Angels. Selected by Hon. Mrs. Maxwell-Scott'', Catholic Truth Society, London (1912) *''St. Francis de Sales and his Friends'', Sands & Co, London & Edinburgh (1913) *''The Teresa of Canada'', London (1915) *''Mary, Queen of Scots'', Catholic Truth Society, London (1935).Publications of Mary Monica Maxwell-Scott
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British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

Catalogue

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell-Scott, Mary Monica 1852 births 1920 deaths People from Royal Tunbridge Wells People from Galashiels Walter Scott Scott family of Abbotsford 19th-century Scottish novelists 20th-century Scottish novelists 19th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish women writers 20th-century Scottish women writers 19th-century Scottish people 20th-century Scottish people 19th-century Scottish women 20th-century Scottish women