At the Circulating Library

Author: Ellen Palmer

Author: Ellen Palmer (1827–1906)

Biography: Ellen Palmer was born about 1827 in Liverpool, the daugher of music seller Jannet Palmer (her father cannot be traced). By 1851, she worked as a governess for the Boult family in Wirral, Cheshire. She will remain with the family for the rest of her life. In the 1870s, Palmer began writing poetry, nonfiction, and fiction producing a number of volumes over the next decades. She never married and died in February 1906 in Wirral. A local obituary noted "the extent of the deceased lady's learning [and] her very considerable literary powers" shown in her regular contributions to church newspapers in both prose and verse.

Author Tags:

• Governesses

References: Birkenhead News (10 March 1906); British Census (1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901)

Fiction Titles:

1. Christmas-Day at the Beacon.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1870.
2. The Standard Bearer: A Story of the Fourth Century.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1871.
3. Helen Siddal: A Story for Children.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1871.
4. Nonna: A Story of the Days of Julian the Apostate.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1872.
5. Stories told in a Fisherman's Cottage.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1874.
6. Three Wet Sundays with the Book of Joshua.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1874.
7. Heroes of Ancient Greece: A Story of the Days of Socrates the Athenian.  1 vol.  Edinburgh: W. P. Nimmo, 1876.