Clarke, Christiana Evans (1814-1859)

Chrissey 'Chrissey' Evans was George Eliot's beloved older sister, the eldest child of Robert Evans and Christiana Pearson Evans. After their mother died in 1836, Chrissey took over the running of the house. The following year, in May of 1837, Chrissey married Edward Clarke, a poor doctor. The couple was plagued with economic problems after their marriage. Over the next 15 years, she would give birth to nine children, and five died in childhood. Eliot's character Gritty Tulliver Moss in The Mill on the Floss may be loosely based on her sister, Chrissey.

Chrissey's husband, Edward Clarke ran a medical practice in a small town and struggled to make a living. When he died in 1852, he left Chrissey in a difficult financial position that drove her to seek help from her family. Eliot sent money to Chrissey many times, and cared deeply for her and her children. When Eliot revealed her relationship with George Henry Lewes, Chrissey and her half-sister Fanny followed strict orders from their brother Issac and stopped writing to their sister. Chrissey would not see her sister in person again, but, when she began to deteriorate form tuberculosis, the two reunited via letters, though not in person. Chrissey died from her illness in 1859.

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

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