Born Elizabeth Greenly, daughter of a wealthy lawyer residing near Kingston, southwest of London, Elizabeth Moody grew up surrounded by a fashionable set that included lawyers, politicians, courtiers, and literary dilettantes. A booklover from an early age, she also attained unusual fluency in French and Italian, and with access to several fine libraries among neighbours and relatives, she was well read in English, French, and Italian literature. For many years she composed and privately circulated verse in a coterie that included poet Edward Lovibond and George Hardinge.

Elizabeth Greenly remained unmarried until 1777, when at age forty she wed the dissenting clergyman Christopher Lake Moody, a literary man whose interests emphasised publication. Soon after Elizabeth Moody began to

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Citation: Waters, Mary. "Elizabeth Moody". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3170, accessed 19 March 2024.]

3170 Elizabeth Moody 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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