Place Name
John Marchmont’s Legacy was a critically acclaimed novel published in 1863 by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, wife of publisher John Maxwell who was also a member of the vestry (a prototype parish council) and property speculator. In 1865 George Robinson’s extensive estate was sold at auction for “Residences of a superior Class”. Maxwell bought several plots and named three streets on her honour. The plot is based around the fortune left to a dying former schoolmaster, John Marchmont. When he passes away the money is left to his daughter Mary who finds herself at the mercy of family members and an evil stepmother. It has been described as a “plot charged with drama and mystery” with an “eerie atmosphere and, above all, the depiction of an extraordinary woman”. It was first mentioned in 1876 and began to appear named on maps in 1894.
