Dilke was born in 1857. Her parents were Martha Mary (born Dalrymple) and Thomas Eustace Smith. Her father owned Newcastle shipping interests and he was a Liberal MP for Tynemouth (1868–85). Her parents travelled widely and they were patrons of the arts and this included particularly the Pre-Raphaelites. She had five other sisters and they were educated at home as well as in Lausanne in Switzerland. Margaret also went to Orleans, where she qualified herself as a French teacher.
