John Clare's Background

• John Clare was born in Helpston, Northamptonshire, in 1793. He is regarded as one of the great romantic poets, an agricultural labourer, he was known as the 'peasant poet'.
• In 1820 his first book 'Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery' was published. This was a great success and led to a first book visit to London where he was feted by fashionable society.
• Further collections published were:
• The Village Minstrel (1821)
• The Shepherd's Calendar (1827)
• The Rural Muse (1835)
• However, Clare's mental health gradually declined and in June 1837 he was placed in an asylum in Epping Forest, from where he escaped in 1841, walking 88 miles back to his home in Northamptonshire.
• On 27th December the same year Clare was taken to the Northamptonshire General Lunatic Asylum, where he spent the rest of his life and continued to write poetry. John Clare died on the 20th of May 1864.

The Clare collection includes:

• Books, articles and theses about Clare
• Clare's own library of about 400 volumes
• Contemporary newspapers and periodical cuttings
• Manuscripts covering all periods of his life
• Microfilms of manuscripts held by other institutions, especially those held by Peterborough Museum
• Portraits of Clare and contemporary illustrations of buildings and scenes known to him
• Thousands of poems and letters
• You can also search the collection catalogue on the HemsoP database.
• The manuscript collection is available on microfilm. Originals can only be viewed on application to the Northamptonshire Central Library Manager.
• For sale:
  • The Life and Times of John Clare - £2.95

Other manuscripts that belonged to John Clare are held at Peterborough Museum.