Margaret Emma Henley was the daughter of William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley was an English poet, critic and editor, best remembered for his 1875 poem "Invictus".-Life and career:...

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

J. M. Barrie

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...

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

Wendy Darling

Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character, the female protagonist of Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie, and in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the original play or novel by Barrie, though she is implied to be 12 or 13 years old or younger, as she is "just...

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

Peter and Wendy

Peter and Wendy, published in 1911, is the novelisation by J. M. Barrie of his most famous play Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up...

(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

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...

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

Henry Cust

Henry John "Harry" Cockayne-Cust was an English politician and editor who served as a Member of Parliament for the Unionist Party.-Biography:...

, in Cockayne Hatley

Cockayne Hatley

Cockayne Hatley is a small village in Bedfordshire dating back to Saxon times , bordering on Cambridgeshire, 3 miles east of Potton, 6 miles north-east from Biggleswade and 9 miles south-east from St. Neots. The village's population in 1891 was 104.The soil is strong clay with clay subsoil...

, Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

.