Ellin Devis

Ellin Devis (December 1746 - February 1820) was a schoolmistress and author of The Accidence (1775), a popular eighteenth-century grammar. She came from an artistic family - her father Arthur was known for his "conversation pieces" and her brother Arthur for historical portraits. According to Carol Percy, The Accidence “seems to have been the first English grammar directed exclusively to a female audience.” Despite being written for girls, Devis’s grammar was recommended by her peers as a general introduction to Robert Lowth’s (1762).

Ellin Devis

Ellin Devis (December 1746 - February 1820) was a schoolmistress and author of The Accidence (1775), a popular eighteenth-century grammar. She came from an artistic family - her father Arthur was known for his "conversation pieces" and her brother Arthur for historical portraits. According to Carol Percy, The Accidence “seems to have been the first English grammar directed exclusively to a female audience.” Despite being written for girls, Devis’s grammar was recommended by her peers as a general introduction to Robert Lowth’s (1762).