Marianne Woods was born in London in 1781 to George Woods, a successful merchant tailor, and his wife, Hannah. George and Hannah had two other children, Martha and William. Martha married George Tindall, an engraver who became well-to-do. William, later Sir William, had an illustrious career at the College of Arms, which deals with all matters of heraldry, and whose officers are appointed by the sovereign, William always maintained that his biological father was Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk, and his appointment to the College of Arms suggests that he was right.

The Woods's marriage may have been damaged by Hannah's extramarital affair, for while her siblings stayed in London, Marianne was sent to Edinburgh when she was about seven and a half—approximately the same age that Jane was when sent from India to Altyre—to be brought up by her paternal uncle William Woods and his wife, Ann. William Woods was an extremely popular actor on the Edinburgh stage who in 1800, when past his prime, commanded the top salary of two guineas a week. The three must have lived comfortably, for the Edinburgh and Leith Directory to July 1801 lists William Woods as occupying one of the new terraced houses on Leith Street, like Charlotte Square, a New Town development.

Elizabeth Hamilton would have approved of the upbringing Marianne received from her second parents. Aunt and uncle took it upon themselves to instill moral principles in their niece so she would grow up “well-disposed and well-principled.” So that she would be able to live by her own means, she was taught skills and social accomplishments. Her uncle “spent many hours a day with her, in reading with her and pointing out the beauties of the English language, so as to qualify her for earning her own bread as a teacher or governess”; as she grew older, she assisted him “in teaching reading and elocution to private pupils.” Subsequently, with her uncle's approval, she began teaching on her own. Despite William Woods's connection with the stage, she “was not permitted to frequent the theatre.” The result of this model upbringing was that she was adjudged a “remarkably modest, well-behaved young woman.”