This may have been true at the time but seem strange now as, since his death, Clare has been recognised as one of the greatest, most powerful and prolific poets in literary history.
But whether it be John Clare scribbling his poetry on the steps of Northampton's All Saint's Church or Andrew Collins' descriptions of growing up in the area, over the years many authors have emerged from the county.
Today bookworms will remember the great classics and contemporary works produced by authors everywhere as the 10th anniversary of World Book Day is celebrated.
And Northamptonshire has a great deal about which it can be proud.
During the 19th century John Clare lived and worked in the county and in the 20th century HE Bates – best known for his work The Darling Buds of May – grew up in Rushden, working for the Wellingborough office of the Northampton Chronicle.
More recently the county has spawned a host of new authors including Andrew Collins whose autobiography Where Did It All Go Right? hit the bestseller list, Mark Haddon who wrote the 2003 Whitbread Novel Prize winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time and Denton author Michael Cox who worked on his first book The Meaning of Night for more than 30 years.
Mr Collins' latest book That's Me in the Memoirs is due to be published in May as the third in a trilogy of autobiographical books – the first of which described his childhood in Northampton.
He said: "When I was at school I wanted to be an artist but when I was doing exams my mum and dad used to say make sure you get your English.
"I wanted to be an artist but found myself working for a music paper and then I found out how much I liked writing."
As a child he liked to read Molesworth books – works about a naughty schoolboy by Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle, as well as Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole books.
But he said children's literature has become more adult than it used to be.
He said: "I think it has changed and adults now read kids books more than ever before. A lot of kids' literature is extremely adult. Harry Potter is probably read by as many adults as kids. You see a lot of adults read them on trains without a care in the world."
He said that writing about Northampton was simply a case of writing about what he knows.
He explained: "I think in a way it doesn't matter where you come from, it can inspire you in different ways. It is interesting that you can be more interested in the history of a place after you have lived there.
"When I was growing up in Northampton all I knew was that if you wanted to see a band you had to go to Leicester, Nottingham or London, although it is better now."
Author Sarah Singleton now lives in Chippenham, Wiltshire, but grew up in Moreton Pinkney. Her fourth book, called Sacrifice, is expected to be published in April.
Sacrifice is her third teenage fiction book of a genre decribed as 'gothic historical fantasy'.
The 40-year-old mother-of-two said: "I have been writing since I was young and started my first novel when I was 12 and finished it when I was 15. I have always loved writing. It feels like becoming a writer has been a long process that has been going on.
"My advice to other people starting out to become published writers would be to read a lot and be prepared to have to work hard. It is like if you are good at music no one expects you to be able to pick up an instrument and play it straight away. Writing is the same; you have to take the time to learn and develop your craft."
The backdrop of Northamptonshire was something familiar to 19th century poet John Clare, who was particularly familiar with the county's rural life.
Professor John Goodridge, journal editor for the John Clare Society, said at this time nature experts such as botanists would count and record the types of wildlife seen in different areas.
He said Clare was listed as someone who had recorded spotting 65 different bird species in the county.
Professor Goodridge, who works as an English lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, said: "At a basic level he was a person who closely observed the natural world. Beyond that, Clare has been described as the best English poet of nature and rural life."
He added: "He is also a poet so people learn an awful lot about what life was like in Northamptonshire and people are interested in the story of his own life.
"He came from a humble background as his father was a thresher, but Clare had a bit of an education. A lot of people identify with that as well.
"He had problems in later life and spent his last 23 years in Northampton asylum, which is now St Andrew's Hospital."
He explained that when Clare was in the asylum he used to be allowed out and he would go to All Saints to write poems in exchange for tobacco from passers by.
Professor Goodridge said: "I always think the attics in Northampton must be full of his little poems on scraps of paper and I always think about Clare when I walk past the church. He was a brilliant poet and the amazing thing about the asylum years was that he kept writing poetry."
The ambition to write has not disappeared from Northamptonshire residents as new authors seem to emerge every year.
Poet Kim Baughan from Bugbrooke has just published her first book of poetry Angel Woman, which dedicated to her mother Shirley Rowley, who died of cancer in 1993.
The book is a collection of poems designed to give people hope and inspiration and is now available at Totally Devine in St Giles Street, Northampton, as well as Crystal Connections in St Peter's Walk.
The 48-year-old mother-of-two, who has now started writing her second collection of poetry, said: "It took me 18 months to get the poetry together.
"I lost my mum to cancer in 1993 and then I started doing some writing and started doing commissions for people for weddings and someone asked me to write something about forgiveness."
Recently she attended her first poetry reading at the central library and believes there is a lot in Northamptonshire to interest the up and coming writer as well as all those interested in literature.
She said: "The event was really good and I'm finding there is a lot in the county that can help me to learn more."
To find out more about World Book Day, log onto www.worldbookday.com