Margaret Graham (c. 1804 – c. 1864), formerly Margaret Watson, was the first British woman to make a solo balloon flight, a feat which she accomplished in 1826.
Early life and marriage
She was born in
Walcot, Bath
Walcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.George Graham with whom she first flew on 2 June 1824, when he made an ascent from White Conduit Gardens in Islington, London. They had three daughters, who would later also make balloon flights with her from about 1850 onwards.
Ballooning
On 28 June 1826, a flight was planned in which Mrs Graham and a woman named Jane Stocks were due to ascend from White Conduit Gardens. However, Jane Stocks did not in the end go with her, and this was the first solo flight by a British female pilot. Margaret's career as a balloonist lasted for more than thirty years in total.
In 1827, George Graham was taken to court for debt, and was in custody for several months before the case was heard. Margaret Graham testified on his behalf, stating that the cost of making the balloon far exceeded the price for which her husband's creditor, a Mr Brooker, proposed to sell it, and also claiming that the balloon was no longer Graham's property.
On 7 August 1850, a balloon in which Mrs Graham was travelling caught fire following its descent near Edmonton, London, but she survived the accident. In the same year, she made the first night-time ascent in a balloon that had been undertaken by a woman, in a balloon launched from
Vauxhall Gardens
Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames.
Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being ...
. In 1851, she and her husband made a commemorative flight during
the Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...
.
Death and commemoration
Margaret Graham died impoverished at the age of 60 in 1864 and was buried in an unmarked common grave at
Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park cemetery is one of the "Magnificent Seven" cemeteries in London, England.
Abney Park in Stoke Newington in the London Borough of Hackney is a historic parkland originally laid out in the early 18th century by Lady Mary Abney, D ...
. In 2022, the Abney Park Trust launched an appeal to fund a gravestone for Mrs Graham.