Margaret Capel Cure was daughter of Reverend Laurence George Capel Cure and Augusta Elizabeth Smith (daughter of Sir Charles Joshua Smith 2nd Bt). The family home was the rectory at Abbess Roding in Essex.
Margaret's great-great-grandmother, Harriet Carr (1771–1848), and her great-uncle, Robert Henry Cheney (1801–1866), were watercolourists. Harriet Carr spent much time in Italy and her talents were brought to the attention of Joseph Farington.
Margaret's great-uncle, Edward Cheney (1803–1884), amassed an important collection of Venetian paintings and drawings at Badger Hall, Shropshire, and he was friend and patron of the artist Thomas Hartley Cromek ANWS (1809–1873), to whom there is a watercolour attributed in this collection.
One of Margaret's sons was the early pioneer of photography Alfred Capel Cure.
