The Hopkin Collection and Willie’s Stamp

Artefact 5: The Stamp of Willie Hopkin | Article 2 of 4

The Hopkin Collection at Eastwood public library

In the second of four articles, John Pateman explores the role of Olive Hopkins in helping preserve the legacy of Willie Hopkin, and what this collection tells us about Lawrence’s friendship with this influential Eastwood figure.

John Pateman

Some of the books in the Hopkin Collection at Eastwood public library that were gifted to Hopkin by D.H. Lawrence bear Willie’s signature and some also bear his personal ownership mark in the form of a caricature. The printing block that was used to make this image is also in the collection. It can be said that Willie left his mark on ‘Bert’ and Lawrence, in turn, left his mark on Hopkin, in many more ways than book inscriptions and caricatures.

When Hopkin died in 1951, his second wife, Olive, was left with the Lawrence books, paintings and letters which Willie had collected over the years. She presented this collection to Eastwood library, commemorating the life of Lawrence and ensuring Willie’s rightful place in the history of Eastwood: one, among many, selfless acts in a life of quiet devotion keeping alive her husband’s memory and, through him, that of Lawrence.

Lawrence’s indebtedness to Hopkin is clear in many of the letters which now form part of the collection. Further evidence of his affection is shown in the inscriptions on many of the signed first editions in the collection: Sons and Lovers was inscribed ‘To my friends Sally and Willie Hopkin from the author’; Look We Have Come Through was inscribed to ‘Willie Hopkin from D.H. Lawrence with affectionate greetings on his birthday 12 June 1918’; Lawrence also inscribed his copy of Love Poems to Sallie Hopkin, Willie’s first wife (d.1922), to ‘my very close friend’. In addition, Etruscan Places was inscribed ‘To W.E. Hopkin from Frieda Lawrence’ and The Early Life of D.H. Lawrence was inscribed ‘To Emmie and Will with love from Ada [Clarke] May 1933’. D. H. Lawrence: A Personal Record was presented to Hopkin by Jessie Chambers. Hopkins affixed his poem ‘Miriam’ to the fly-leaf. Jessie appeared as Miriam in Sons and Lovers.

The Hopkin Collection includes a copy of William Shakespeare signed by Jessie Chambers. The text pages of ‘Macbeth’ show signs of heavy use, many passages being marked and underscored in pencil. In her memoir Jessie offers a vivid picture of the family reading of ‘Macbeth’ in the kitchen at Haggs Farm:
‘We read Macbeth with father taking the part of MacDuff, and horrified at the speech he had to make when he came face to face with Macbeth. He stopped to exclaim, “Oh dear, oh dear! How awful!” Lawrence stood knitting his brows, half amused, half vexed at the interruption. He was excited and inclined to be domineering over the play readings but we knew him too well to take offense’.

Two other plays in William Shakespeare are also referred to in Jessie’s memoir: ‘Corialanus’ and ‘Hamlet’, both of which Jessie read with Lawrence, presumably using this copy.

Up until her death in 1988 Olive Hopkin entertained local people as well as those from all over the world who wanted to know about Lawrence. Proof of this may be found in the many books written about Lawrence which acknowledge ‘Mrs Olive Hopkin of Eastwood’. She continued Willie’s ‘open house’ tradition so that no one was turned away, but it was never quite the same: ‘Young people came and sat at Olive’s feet, but Willie’s ghost was there, somehow casting his presence over the proceedings.’ At the launch of the Hopkin Collection Enid Hilton said:

“I’m very proud to be here tonight because my father and Lawrence are the two people who have had the greatest influence on my life. Both were very helpful, especially Lawrence later, and my father when I was a child. Lawrence introduced me to the world and to interesting people. I feel that in Eastwood belong all that remains of Hopkin and Lawrence.”

For more information see Pateman, John, Willie Hopkin: D.H. Lawrence’s Socialist Friend, (Five Leaves Press, 2024).

References:
i E.T. [Jessie Chambers], D.H. Lawrence: A Personal Record (Cape, 1935), 108
ii William Cobau, ‘A View from Eastwood: Conversations with Mrs O.L. Hopkin’ in The D.H. Lawrence Review, vol 9, no 1, Spring 1976), 126
iii Enid Hilton, Unpublished typescript (Eastwood Library, ND)