Author: Taylor, Ellen
Biography:
TAYLOR, Ellen (fl 1792)
All that is known of her is from her book, Poems (1792), particularly the preface which was written by the unknown friend who prepared the work for publication and sought subscriptions to alleviate Taylor’s desperate circumstances. The preface describes her as the daughter of a cottager in Queen’s County (now County Laois). On the father’s death his property went to the eldest son; Taylor and a younger brother lived together in poverty. One of her poems is addressed to this younger brother; after his death from tuberculosis Taylor went into service with the Porter family (not identified) in Laois. Another poem describes going to the River Barrow to wash linen. She suffered ill health and left her position; later, while living in a cottage by Lyons Common (not identified), she attempted to run a small school where she taught reading and writing. The preface states that some of her poems were published in newspapers but these have not been located and no other information about her has been found. The subscribers include Alicia Le Fanu (q.v.) and several members of the Huguenot La Touche family. (Poems) SR