Margaret Steuart Pollard

She married Captain Frank Pollard, an expert on Cornish history, and they lived in Truro, Cornwall. She published Bewnans Alysaryn, a Cornish-language miracle play, in 1941. She was an enthusiastic supporter of campaigns to defend the landscape, language and traditions of Cornwall and rural England. On one occasion she donated £100 to the National Trust as part of Ferguson's Gang, wearing a full mask to preserve her anonymity. In 1947, a book about her home county, entitled Cornwall, that she had written was published by Paul Elek. She has been described as "humorous, perceptive, and intelligent". In 1951 she converted to Roman Catholicism, and in 1973 built a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Our Lady of the Portal and St Piran on the site of a medieval chapel in Truro. For this she received the Benemerenti Medal from the Pope. She remained an active poet and translator throughout her long life. She remained a romantic figure, dressed as she was in a long skirt and a scarf wrapped around her head. She died at the age of 93 on 13 November 1996 at Truro. She was the great great-niece of former prime minister William Ewart Gladstone.

• Name — Margaret Steuart Pollard • Born — 1 March 1904 • Died — 13 November 1996 • Place of death — Truro, Cornwall, England • Occupation — * Poet • translator • Language — Cornish, English • Education — Newnham College, Cambridge • Notable Works — Bewnans Alysaryn, Cornwall • Spouse — Frank Pollard • Relatives — William Ewart Gladstone (great great-uncle) • Awards — Benemerenti Medal