Elizabeth Greenly was the daughter of a wealthy lawyer, who died when she was 13, but left a legacy for her family.
For many years she privately circulated verse in a circle that included Edward Lovibond and George Hardinge.
She remained unmarried until the age of 40 when, in 1777, she wed the dissenting clergyman Christopher Lake Moody (1753–1915), vicar of Turnham Green.
The Moody's were dissenting Presbyterians, as was the Monthly Review's editor, Ralph Griffiths, and this is how they came to know him both personally and professionally.
[1] She also reviewed books for the weekly newspaper, The St. James's Chronicle in which her husband owned a share.