Edith Mary Pargeter, better known by her pen name Ellis Peters, was a prolific English author known for her works in diverse genres, particularly history and historical fiction. She was born on September 28, 1913, in the village of Horsehay, Shropshire, England, and passed away on October 14, 1995.

Throughout her career, she was honored for her translations of Czech classics and is perhaps best known for her murder mysteries, both historical and modern. Her most famous work is the medieval detective series The Cadfael Chronicles. Peters had Welsh ancestry, which influenced many of her short stories and books, both fictional and non-fictional, that were set in Wales and its borderlands.

During World War II, Pargeter contributed to the war effort by working in an administrative role in the Women's Royal Naval Service, earning her the British Empire Medal (BEM). Over the course of her career, she wrote over 70 books and was also recognized with the Order of the British Empire (OBE).