When Professor Eric Robinson's library was sold after his death in 2019, many had interlinear comments from the great man. One or two had more. In his copy, bought in 1946, of "Poems Chiefly from Manuscript" by Edmund Blunden and Alan Porter. A newspaper cutting was posted on the page opposite the Professor's signature:
Mrs T.H. Dennis and Eliza Louisa Sefton are one and the same person. Eliza Louisa Sefton was married to Thomas H. Dennis in September 1866. The marriage was registered at Peterborough. Since Eliza Louisa was born in 1843, the newspaper cutting must date to around 1920 since she is by then 77.
1920 is the date of this book’s publication! Presumably the cutting was stuck inside by the first owner. In any case, whoever posted that item in the book wanted to maintain a connection between themselves and John Clare. So maybe this book once belonged to a descendent of Eliza Louisa Sefton, or even to Eliza herself. At any rate, it must have been nice for Eliza to see John Clare's poems collected in this book.
(With thanks to Jonathan Wonham for the information)
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