Ellen was a friend of Charlotte Brontë. Charlotte once lent her a book by Mary Wollstonecraft, but Ellen was forbidden from reading it by her father, who thought it was "the work of the Devil".
In 1895 the pair visited North Lees Hall, where they were hosted by Lord Marlborough. Ellen soon fell victim to the psychic manipulation of an Aranox that was hiding the hall's attic, and was drained of energy. Before she could be completely taken over, Clara Oswald gave Ellen a brooch that would block the psychic attacks. (COMIC: Unearthly Things)