Was this woman the inspiration for Miss Havisham?

The owner of a vacation home on England's Isle of Wight believes he's discovered the real-life Miss Havisham.

Alan Cartwright has been researching the history of Haviland Cottage for a few years, according to Isle of Wight Radio, and recently discovered that author Charles Dickens regularly dined with island resident Margaret Dick.

Dick, like the famous spinster from the novel Great Expectations, was jilted and subsequently isolated herself.

Ian Dickens, the author's great-great-grandson and president of the Dickens Fellowship, agrees that the similarities are too great to be a mere coincidence.

You can read more from the younger Dickens and Cartwright in the radio station's article, but there's also a special page on the Haviland Cottage website that explores the author's relationship with the island.

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