Marian Gamp I

## Marian Gamp I (née Prewett)

**Marian Gamp I** (née **Prewett**) (19 July, 1820 - 12 August, 1859) was an English pure-blood witch who lived in the 19th century, and an later member of the Gamp family, as the wife of Hector Gamp I.

She was born into the House of Prewett as the daughter of Horace Prewett and Marion Prewett (née Roth), in 1820, and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1831 to 1838. She married Hector Gamp I in 1840, and according to those who knew her, "wholly despised him."

Much of the Gamp family's wealth had been spent on lavish jewelry for her so that Marian might not refuse to spend time with Hector, therefore squandering the family's gold. Hector and Marian only had one child together, Hector Gamp II, and when it came time for him to have children himself, there was almost nothing left. Her grandchildren had to make do with what they received.

Her husband Hector came to an untimely death in 1849, after nine years of marriage. Many who knew the couple were convinced that Marian had poisoned him, but it could not be proven.

After many cast suspicion on her story, leading to many ostracising her from society, Marian proceeded to die in the year 1859 at the age of 39, after her son came of majority and cut her off from the family vault, leaving her penniless. Her son, Hector II, was nineteen.

Marian is an ancestress of many witches and wizards in Great Britain. It is estimated that she has close to eleven grandchildren and twenty-seven great-grandchildren, and an uncounted number of total descendants, all through her only son, Hector Gamp II.

## Biography

### Early life (1820-1831)

Marian was born in Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England, the daughter of Horace Prewett and his wife Marion Prewett (née Roth). She was their oldest child and had three younger siblings, including twins, Fern and Fraser, as well as Mathilda Prewett. The Prewetts once owned a lively estate that is now the site of the Weasley family's Burrow. In Marian's time, the land held a grand estate.

Marian's childhood was spent with a lot of time outside and playing with her three siblings. The four of them were reportedly very close.

### Hogwarts years (1831-1838)

Marian received her Hogwarts letter in July of 1831. She purchased a wand made of silver lime and dragon heartstring at Ollivander's Wand Shop in London, sometime before her first year at school. Marian was sorted into Slytherin House on 1 September 1831.

The incident shocked her family, but became less of a surprise when her younger brother Fraser was also sorted into Slytherin a few years later, while both of her sisters went to Gryffindor.

### Later life (1839-1859)

At the age of 19, Marian was proposed to by Hector Gamp, a Slytherin from the year above her in school. She at first refused the proposal, but her father insisted. After marrying him, she produced one child with Hector in January 1840, whom she disliked.

Much of the Gamp family's wealth had been spent on lavish jewelry for her so that Marian might not refuse to spend time with Hector, thereby squandering the family's gold. Hector and Marian only had one child together, Hector Gamp II, and when it came time for him to have children himself, there was almost nothing left. Her grandchildren had to make do with what they received.

In 1849, Marian was suspected of poisoning her husband, who passed away suspiciously in early August. There was no evidence with which to implicate her, however, and the rest of her family ignored it. Her son was only nine years old at the time of the murder, and left for Hogwarts two years later.

#### Decline and Death (1849-1859)

Many in the greater wizarding community at large cast suspicion on her story, leading to many ostracising her from society. Marian proceeded to die in the year 1859 at the age of 39, after her son came of majority and cut her off from the family vault, leaving her penniless. Her son, Hector II, was nineteen.

#### Legacy

Marian Gamp's son, Hector, later married Miriam Selwyn, of the House of Selwyn, and they had eleven children together, none of which Marian ever met, as she died long before they were all born.

Through her grandchildren, her bloodline extends to an estimated twenty-seven great-grandchildren, as well as an estimated twenty-nine or so great-great grandchildren.

## Appearance

Marian Gamp (née Prewett) was described to have been very beautiful. She had the trademark Prewett red hair, and pretty blue eyes. Her face was unmarked by dragon pox as a lot of girls were in her day.

## Personality and Traits

Marian was a somewhat crafty yet suspicious character. For one, she was suspected of poisoning her husband, but got off, and had a wand made of silver lime, which is supposed to be good for the mind arts. She was also a Prewett who was sorted into Slytherin, an event which was particularly noteworthy considering that in the early 19th century the family was known to be very light-leaning.

She married a husband whom everyone knew that she despised, Hector Gamp I, when she was twenty years old. He spent so much money gifts in the form of jewelry for her that even the Gamp family's deep vaults at Gringotts were unable to support their grandchildren only two generations later. Granted, Hector Gamp II had eleven children, which may have been why, but modern members of the family (most of them angry that the Gamps had been excluded from *The Pure-blood Directory*) blamed Marian Prewett for their poverty.

## Etymology

The name Marian is a variant of the name "Marion," which was a medieval French diminutive of the name Marie, from the name "Maria," from the name "Mary." The meaning of the name Mary is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child".

The name Marian was borne in English legend by Maid Marian, Robin Hood's love. Members of the Prewett family occasionally named their children after Arthurian legends, and although Robin Hood was never an Arthurian legend, the theme seems to fit with the family that she was born in.

Furthermore, the character of Marian was once portrayed as a historical outlawed nobleman, perhaps representing the fact that she was cast out from society, after her son, Hector Gamp II, gained control of his trust fund.

The surname Prewett is derived from the Middle English word "*prou*," meaning "brave," or "valiant," with the addition of either of two common diminutive suffixes: "*-et*" or "*-ot*." As such, this name is thought to have originally been a nickname for someone small, but brave.