Ellen Egryn was the daughter of Ellis Humphrey Evans, a village schoolmaster, and his wife.
She was brought up in western Wales in the little village Llanegryn, then in Merionethshire, where she learnt to write poetry as a child.
Although she did not receive the same degree of attention as contemporary male poets, the work is considered to be a milestone in the history of women's literature in Wales.
[3] It presents a broad range of poetry covering bereavement, friendship, exile and depression, purposefully invoking an impression of the high moral standards enjoyed by Welsh women.
Elen Egryn contributed a poetic introduction to the first issue, in which she called for women to rise "above shame and hateful mockery" (goruwch gwarth a dirmyg cas).