She was the daughter of the novelist and stage-critic Harriet Evans Martin, and Richard Martin MP, a prominent member of the Martyn family of Galway.
She spent the first years of her life in London, where her father sat as member for parliament for Galway.
Following her father's dismissal from the House of Commons for illegal election in 1826, Martin, her mother and surviving sister accompanied him into exile in France, which lasted till his death in January 1834.
Martin is said to have travelled widely in Europe and in North America.
She made the acquaintance of John Banim in Paris, and while staying with him, wrote her best-known work, Canvassing.