Elizabeth Murray, maternal aunt to Emily Byrd Starr, becomes the girl's primary guardian after her father's death. She governs New Moon Farm on Prince Edward Island alongside her sister Laura Murray and cousin Jimmy Murray. As eldest sister, Elizabeth commands household authority with unwavering adherence to tradition and propriety. Her disciplined, austere outlook stems from an upbringing dominated by an autocratic father, fueling rigid expectations of conduct.

Stately and fair-skinned, Elizabeth possesses cold blue eyes and wears her iron-grey hair in a coronet. Her tall, thin frame features clear-cut lines and a long, thin mouth that mirrors her stern disposition through an austere expression. Formality and no-nonsense authority define both her attire and demeanor.

Practical and suspicious of imagination, Elizabeth prioritizes duty and respectability. She initially condemns Emily’s creative impulses and writing ambitions as frivolous, sparking conflicts—particularly over Emily’s friendship with Perry Miller from impoverished Stovepipe Town. At New Moon, Elizabeth enforces strict rules against frivolity and assigns domestic chores as penance for perceived missteps. Despite her severity, she demonstrates integrity, fiscal prudence, and a deeply concealed familial loyalty. Her harshness aims to instill discipline and secure Emily’s respectable future.

Elizabeth’s relationship with Emily evolves from friction—her rigidity clashing with Emily’s creativity—to grudging respect for the girl’s resilience and talent. Unexpected support surfaces when Elizabeth defends Emily in critical disputes or acknowledges her writing during crises, revealing underlying care.

Her childhood was marked by her father’s tyranny. A pivotal incident saw her push cousin Jimmy Murray into a well during an argument, causing his lasting intellectual limitations. This unspoken guilt fuels her sternness and sense of duty.

In the television adaptation, Elizabeth perishes at sea with her brother Wallace Murray during the second season, following the first season. This loss reshapes New Moon’s household dynamics and influences Emily’s growth.

Elizabeth functions as both antagonist and unexpected ally to Emily, embodying tensions between tradition and individuality, restraint and expression. Her character illustrates generational conflict and adaptation, balancing unyielding discipline with vulnerability and latent affection.