John Clare grew up when the Industrial Revolution was bringing massive change. Many former agricultural labourers were moving to the towns to look for work and the countryside was changing: fens were drained, common land was enclosed, and pastures were ploughed up. The destruction of an old way of life upset Clare and this is reflected in the themes of his poetry. He became known as the 'Peasant Poet'.

With little formal education, there is often a lack of punctuation in John Clare's original writing. Clare tried to resist standardised English grammar and many of his poems contain words from his local Northamptonshire dialect, such as 'pooty' (snail) and 'lady-cow' (ladybird).

In 1820, Clare's first collection of poetry called Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery was published. The book was a huge success. His later works The Shepherd's Calendar and the Rural Muse didn't sell as well and Clare often did not have enough money to support himself and his family. He struggled with his mental health and, in 1837, John Clare was admitted to an asylum in Essex. In 1841 he escaped and walked all the way home to Northamptonshire looking for his childhood sweetheart. Later that year he was admitted to Northampton General Lunatic Asylum (later known as St Andrew's hospital) where he lived until his death 23 years later. It was at the asylum he wrote his most famous poem I Am.

He died on 20th May 1864 aged 71 and is now buried in St Botolph's churchyard in Helpston.

See also:
1607: The Newton Rebellion - Protesting against enclosure
1765: Northampton Mercury reports protest against enclosures