Louisa Walkin

**Louisa Walkin** (7 September, 1801 - 14 August, 1843) was a half-blood English witch who lived during the 19th Century. She worked as a scullery maid alongside her ten-year-old sister Alice Walkin inside Blackmere House, a property owned by the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. In great houses, scullery maids were the lowest-ranked and often the youngest of the female domestic servants and acted as assistant to a kitchen maid. She later worked as the house's kitchen maid, and then as a cook before her death in 1843.

Louisa was a favourite of Corvus Black, who had Blackmere House constructed as his own permanent residence. She became somewhat of his mistress, and their forbidden relationship produced an illegitimate child, who Corvus acknowledged as his own: Alexia Walkin Black, in 1819.

## Biography

### Early life (1801-1819)

Louisa Walkin was born on 7 September, 1801, in the seaside village of Tinworth, in the west of Cornwall. She was instructed at home, as her family lacked the necessary funds to send her to Hogwarts. She had somewhere between six and seven sisters, as well as four brothers.

She was the daughter of Curtus Walkin I, a pure-blood wizard, and Hester Walkin I (née Cole), a half-blood witch. When she was nine years old, her father, Curtus, died, leaving her mother with five young children to take care of, including herself. The family existed on bread and firewood from neighbours in the winter of 1810: her sister, Amelia, went to work as a servant in Sussex, abandoning her magical education and sending back money when she could.

### Later life (1817-1843)

When she was sixteen years old, Louisa became employed in the newly-constructed Blackmere House, built in 1817 for the 43-year-old Corvus Black, a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. The house hosted six bedrooms, but only Corvus himself lived there full time. She worked as a scullery maid.

The scullery maid reported (through the kitchen maid) to the cook or chef. Along with the junior kitchen-maid, the scullery maid did not eat at the communal servants' dining hall table, but in the kitchen in order to keep an eye on the food that was still cooking. Duties of the scullery maid included the most physical and demanding tasks in the kitchen such as cleaning and scouring the floor, stoves, sinks, pots, and dishes. After scouring the plates in the scullery, she would leave them on racks to dry. The scullery maid also assisted in cleaning vegetables, plucking fowl, and scaling fish.

#### Birth of a Child

Seventeen-year-old Louisa became something of Black's favourite during her first year at Blackmere House. Though she had low status, the unmarried lord enjoyed her company. They began a forbidden relationship sometime in 1818, and eventually Louisa became pregnant.

She gave birth to a daughter on 12 October, 1819. The child was named Alexia Walkin, though Black claimed her for his own when he "saw the child's dark hair and grey-blue eyes". Thus, she became known as Alexia Walkin Black.

#### Later years

Louisa Walkin continued to work for Blackmere House and became the house's kitchen maid in 1821. Her daughter Alexia was instructed by tutors inside the house, a relatively rare arrangement, in which Corvus Black promised that he would pay for Alexia's schooling at Hogwarts.

Louisa Walkin passed away in 1843, and for several years she had enjoyed the company of Corvus Black- he was saddened by her passing, which was seen in his journals. The fate of her daughter Alexia was an early death- though she was able to attend Hogwarts, she passed away at the age of 24 of Cholera, childless. Thus, the line of Corvus Black ended.

## Etymology

Louisa is a variation of Louise (the feminine form of Louis) meaning "famous in war." The surname Walkin was first found in Huntingdon, where they had been granted lands by William the Conqueror, and were originally from the Norman French name Walchelyn.