Grandmother of UK’s ‘biggest family’ has 154 grandchildren and great grandchildren

A WOMAN who believes she has one of Britain’s biggest family has 154 grandchildren.

Ninety-seven-year-old Margaret Howarth, who lives in Middleton, north Manchester, has 154 grandchildren.

With so many offspring, the family struggle to keep count, but the latest count Margaret boasts 45 grandchildren, 84 great grandchildren and another 25 great-great grandchildren.

Super gran Margaret has 12 children of her own with her late husband Robert, but unfortunately one of their children, also called Robert, passed away as a toddler.

Two of Margaret’s daughters, Anne and Mary, also sadly passed away in adulthood, but the mother still has daughters Margaret, Patricia, Christine and Kathleen, and sons James, William, John, Michael and Steven, who are in their 50s, 60s and 70s,

The oldest of Margaret’s 45 grandchildren is 52-year-old Anthony Conroy, while the youngest of her great-great grandchildren is seven-month-old Jack Gavin.

Margaret is a huge Manchester United supporter and while she still lives independently in a house decorated in the team strip, she loves having her sons round to watch the football matches.

The gran even names her beloved pets after ex-United players, with her late cat being dubbed Schmeichel.

The great-great gran was born at home near Salford Hospital in 1919, before moving to Middleton about 50-years-ago.

She married Robert, who worked as a rag and bone man for years, on Boxing Day in 1939.

Before she had her children, Margaret worked in a few different mills and factories.

Margaret loved playing darts at the former Ducie Bridge pub in Manchester city centre, and was notorious for her no nonsense attitude that meant she was often called upon to sort out any trouble that started.

Margaret’s granddaughter, Amanda Meekin, said her grandma loves getting the family together for huge gatherings – and most of them still live in Middleton and north Manchester.

Amanda said: “She’s very feisty and she wants what she wants. She’s not one for suffering fools. She’s a very family orientated person, obviously, as there’s so many of us.”

The next get together will be in June for Margaret’s 98th birthday.

Amanda added:”She’s very mothering and we see her regularly.

“She’s a massive football fan and loves having her lads round to watch it with her – her house is brilliant, it’s decorated in red.

“She’s had grandchildren born across the last five decades.

“She still has a lot of family gatherings, everyone will go round to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her, she loves having her family round her.

“Even though there are so many of us, she knows everyone.

“I bet there’s no one in England who has as many grandchildren as she does. She’s just amazing.”

Recently, Amanda Holden revealed how her 96-year-old grandmother who worked in an ice cream factory is her ultimate role model, while a stunning 47-year-old model becomes a social media star for being the hottest gran in the world.