Clarke, Emily Susannah (1844-1924)

Emily Susannah Clarke was the daughter of Eliot's elder sister Chrissey and the surgeon Edward Clarke. She was born in 1844, and she outlived all her brothers and sisters, dying in 1924. Her father died in 1852 and her mother in 1859, and Eliot became a steady presence in her life. Emily wrote to her as Aunt Polly, and Eliot wrote back warmly, paid for her to spend time in Leipzig in 1880, and longed to visit her at Brighton. When Lewes died in 1878 Emily wrote at once with sympathy, and on the day of Eliot's wedding in 1880 she wrote from Leipzig to congratulate her. Eliot left her five thousand pounds in her will.

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

Emily Susannah Clarke (1844-1924), Clarke, Emily Susannah (1844-1924), Social Network Gallery, George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed November 11, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/97153