Margaret Louisa Woods: The portrait in the pub

The portrait is of the English novelist, Margaret Louisa Woods (20 November 1855 – 1 December 1945). She died in Vine Cottage, her home in Thursley.

Margaret Louisa Woods, known as Daisy to her friends, was born in Rugby, the daughter of the scholar George Granville Bradley, an academic and senior priest, who served as Dean of Westminster from 1881 to 1902. She was the third of seven children and was best noted in her lifetime for her poetry and historical fiction; her sister was the writer Mabel Birchenough. In 1879 she married Henry George Woods, who became President of Trinity College, Oxford, and Master of the Temple and she had three sons. She took rooms at Vine Cottage in Thursley in 1920, living there (mostly) until her death in 1945.  It is thought she chose Thursley to be near her friend H A L Fisher and his family. She took part fully in Thursley village life including the Women’s Institute and the Canteen during the war. In 1934 she was knocked down by a motorcycle while alighting from a bus at the Red Lion Pub (now Bridle Cottage), breaking her leg which resulted in a crippling injury.  Although  she died in Thursley she was buried in Oxford and her ashes are interred with her husband, at Holywell Cemetery, Oxford.

Margaret L Woods was featured in 'Lives of the People of Thursley' which was published by The History of Thursley Society in 1996. Here is the first page:

More information on her life can be found in Yellow Nineties 2.0:

https://1890s.ca/woods_bio/