Thomas Chatterton : Hero and Martyr of the Romantics (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770)

Henry Wallis's painting 'The Death of Chatterton,

Thomas Chatterton was an English poet and a brilliant forger of medieval poetry who tragically died of poisoning from self-administered arsenic, aged just seventeen years and nine months old, on this day August 24 1770.

Chatterton was born at Bristol,on November 20 1752. His father, the sexton of St Mary Redcliffe, a musician, a poet, and a numismatist, who had dabbled in the occult had died four months previously.  Thomas was raised by his mother, grandmother and older sister. But he was close to his uncle, who had taken over his late father’s role as sexton, and he encouraged his precocious nephew in his academic and literary pursuits, as well as giving him the run of the church.

Inspired by illuminated music folios discarded by his father, the young Thomas taught himself to read and spent hours poring over old books, scraps of manuscripts and minuments (title deeds) hidden in his father’s wooden chest.

Chatterton's love for reading was nurtured by his sister, who related that he did not like reading small books. Instead, he was drawn to the illuminated capitals of an old musical folio and the black-letter Bible. Chatterton was a wayward child, uninterested in the games of other children, and thought to be educationally backward. When asked what device he would like painted on a bowl that was to be his, he replied, "Paint me an angel, with wings, and a trumpet, to trumpet my name over the world."

Despite his eccentricities, Chatterton's capacity for learning was recognized by his mother at age 6, and by age 8, he was so eager for books that he would read and write all day long if undisturbed. By the age of 11, he had already become a contributor to Felix Farley's 'Bristol Journal.' His confirmation inspired him to write religious poems published in the paper.

The destruction of a cross in the churchyard of St Mary Redcliffe by a churchwarden in 1763 left a deep impression on Chatterton. He sent a satire on the parish vandal to the local journal on 7 January 1764, demonstrating his strong sense of veneration for the church. Chatterton also had a little attic that he had converted into his study. There, surrounded by books, cherished parchments, loot purloined from the muniment room of St Mary Redcliffe, and drawing materials, the child lived in thought with his 15th-century heroes and heroines.

Chatterton's childhood was full of mystery and wonder, which would go on to shape his literary output in later life. His love for the past, his interest in the occult, and his sense of veneration for the church all contributed to his unique perspective on life.

Best known by his contemporaries for his series of Thomas Rowley poems, purportedly the work of a forgotten Medieval monk but in reality written by Chatterton himself on 15^th century parchment.

Chatterton's adoption of Rowley is believed to have been driven, in part, by his desire to reconstitute the lost father figure in fantasy. 

Having been raised by two women,his mother Sarah and his sister Mary, Chatterton's masculine identity was held back. To compensate for the lack of a paternal presence, Chatterton unconsciously created two interweaving family romances, each with its own scenario.

The first of these family romances was the romance of Rowley, whom he created as a father-like figure with a wealthy patron, William Canynge. Chatterton imagined himself as a talented poet who could earn fame and wealth through his work and thus rescue his mother from poverty. The second family romance was his romance of "Jack and the Beanstalk," which is said to have been a means of resolving his feelings of powerlessness and oppression. Chatterton's adoption of the Rowley persona is notable for the extent to which he immersed himself in the character and he went to great lengths to create a detailed backstory for him, complete with a jargon that he called "Rowleian."

As Thomas Chatterton's literary ambition grew, so did his need for financial support. In search of a patron, he first turned to the antiquarians of Bristol, who were eager to use his Rowley transcripts for their own work. However, they were not willing to pay him enough, and so he set his sights on the wealthier and more influential figure of Horace Walpole. Chatterton sent samples of Rowley's poetry and a manuscript on the rise of painting in England to Walpole, hoping to impress him enough to secure his patronage.

Walpole, intrigued by the possibility of discovering lost works of medieval literature, initially expressed interest in publishing Chatterton's pieces. But when he discovered that Chatterton was only 16 years old and that the authenticity of the Rowley pieces was in question, he turned his back on the young poet, dismissing him with scorn.

Yet Chatterton was not cowed: he went on to publish more than fifty works across literary, political and historical journals under an array of pseudonyms and is alleged to have written a poem attacking Walpole (later persuaded from sending it by his sister Mary). ‘Walpole!’, it begins, ‘I thought not I should ever see/So mean a Heart as thine has proved to be.’ ‘Say, didst thou ne’er indulge in such Deceit?/Who wrote Otranto?’ These ‘Lines to Walpole’ were probably a forgery by Chatterton’s biographer John Dix but they certainly shed light on the poet’s clash with Walpole.

All this is should be noted because  Walpole himself  was highly sensitive to questions over authenticity having himself fallen foul of critics over his Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto (1764) where he had been accused of plagiarism.

The revelation led to Walpole being condemned as ‘false’ and ‘preposterous’ by the poet and clergyman John Langhorne on account of  deceit. The whole affair is curious when Walpole’s extensive antiquarian credentials are taken into account. Perhaps Walpole was ashamed that Chatterton held a mirror up to his own literary forgeries.

Chatterton's search for a patron was not just a matter of financial need, but also a quest for validation and recognition. He yearned for someone to appreciate his talent and to help him achieve the literary success that he believed he deserved. Unfortunately, his attempts to win the support of the literary establishment were met with skepticism and rejection, leaving him feeling disillusioned and alone.

After being rejected by Horace Walpole, Thomas Chatterton's creativity took a hit. However, he soon bounced back and turned his attention towards periodical literature and politics. He started writing for London periodicals like the 'Town and Country Magazine', where he adopted the pseudonym Junius. Junius was a popular letter writer of that time who was known for his strong opinions and controversial writings. Chatterton, in his Junius persona, targeted the Duke of Grafton, the Earl of Bute, and the Princess of Wales.

However, Chatterton's political writings were not without consequences. His attacks on the government and monarchy were seen as treasonous, and he was accused of seditious libel. In 1770, he was arrested for writing a letter that accused the Lord Mayor of London of being corrupt. Although he was eventually released, the incident left a lasting impression on him.

Despite the risks, Chatterton continued to write politically charged pieces. His writing not only reflected his own beliefs but also mirrored the sentiments of the common people who were fed up with the corrupt government and the aristocracy. His writings became a voice for the voiceless and inspired others to speak out against injustice.

Chatterton's political writings were a testament to his courage, wit, and passion for justice. He used his pen to expose the corruption and hypocrisy of those in power and gave a voice to the common people. Although his writing was controversial and led to legal troubles, his legacy lives on as a writer who was unafraid to speak truth to power.

 On the evening of  24 August 1770, Chatterton locked himself  in his room in his Brook Street attic and drunk a dose of arsenic mixed to water after tearing into fragments whatever literary remains were at hand. A few days earlier, while walking in St Pancras Churchyard, Chatterton had fallen into a newly dug grave, which prompted his walking companion to joke that he was happy in assisting at the resurrection of genius. Chatterton, however, replied that he had been at war with the grave for some time, hinting at his troubled mental state.

His body was discovered on the 25th of August. The coroner's ruling, a suicidal death as a result of insanity.He may  also have been suffering from a venereal disease.

 

'Since we can die but once, what matters it,
If rope or garter, poison, pistol, sword,
Slow-wasting sickness, or the sudden burst
Of valve arterial in the noble parts,
Curtail the miseries of human life?
Though varied is the cause, the effect's the same:
All to one common dissolution tends.' -  Thomas Chatterton

 

Thomas Chatterton was buried in a mass paupers grave at London’s Shoelane Workhouse Cemetery. It sadly no longer exists.Chatterton's  untimely death was a tragic end to a brilliant career that promised great things, as as he had shown exceptional talent at an early age and was regarded as a prodigy. His writings showed exceptional talent and revealed his deep knowledge of English literature and history. Chatterton was a master of deception, having created a literary hoax that deceived many scholars of his time. His works, which often imitated the style of medieval poetry, were remarkable for their depth and richness. He was a true genius who died before his time, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire writers and readers today. Chatterton was a seminal figure and precocious and original literary talent, whose been honoured by the powers of  his  literary invention by invoking their reimaginings of his life and legacy.

The Rowley poems were published in 1777 and the 'Rowley controversy' '  continued until the end of the century, By then most people were convinced that the poems were the brilliant creations of Thomas Chatterton.

Seen as a symbol of society's neglect of the artist he was elevated to the status of hero and martyr by the Romantics and the life of this ‘marvelous boy’, as Chatterton came to be known, would subsequently touch some of the most eminent English poets – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott and Dante Gabriel Rossetti – several of whom came to regard him as a muse who mythologized him in their own poetry. 

In popular culture Chatterton's genius and his death are commemorated by Shelley in Adonais (though its main emphasis is the commemoration of Keats), by Wordsworth in "Resolution and Independence", by Coleridge in "A Monody on the Death of Chatterton," by Dante Gabriel Rossetti in "Five English Poets," and in John Keats's sonnet "To Chatterton".  Keats also inscribed Endymion "to the memory of Thomas Chatterton". French singer Serge Gainsbourg wrote a song, Chatterton:

 

 Chatterton suicidé Hannibal suicidé [...] Quant à moi Ça ne va plus très bien

 

 

and Peter Ackroyd's 1987 novel Chatterton was an acclaimed literary re-telling of the poet's story, giving emphasis to the philosophical and spiritual implications of forgery.

Henry Wallis's painting 'The Death of Chatterton,' now displayed at the Tate Britain in London, is the most famous image of the poet in the 19th century. Two smaller versions of the painting are held by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art.

The painting  alludes to the idea of the artist as a martyr of society through the Christ-like pose and the torn sheets of poetry on the floor. The pale light of dawn shines through the casement window, illuminating the poet's serene features and livid flesh. The harsh lighting, vibrant colours and lifeless hand and arm increase the emotional impact of the scene. A phial of poison on the floor indicates the method of suicide. Following the Pre-Raphaelite credo of truth to nature, Wallis has attempted to recreate the same attic room in Gray's Inn where Chatterton had killed himself. The model for the figure was the novelist George Meredith (1828-1909), then aged about 28.  

The British Library holds a collection of "Chattertoniana," which includes works by Chatterton, newspaper cuttings, articles dealing with the Rowley controversy, and other items relating to the poet's life and legacy.

In 1886, architect Herbert Horne and Oscar Wilde unsuccessfully attempted to have a plaque erected at Colston's School, Bristol. Wilde, who lectured on Chatterton at this time, suggested the inscription: "To the Memory of Thomas Chatterton, One of England's Greatest Poets, and Sometime pupil at this school."

In 1928, a plaque in memory of Chatterton was mounted on 39, Brooke Street, Holborn, bearing the inscription below. The plaque subsequently has been transferred to a modern office building on the same site.

In a House on this Site

Thomas Chatterton,

died 

24 August 1770.

Tho end this post here are the final words from Thomas Chatterton:

Farewell, Bristolia's dingy piles of brick,
Lovers of mammon, worshippers of trick!
Ye spurned the boy who gave you antique lays,
And paid for learning with your empty praise.
Farewell, ye guzzling aldermanic fools,
By nature fitted for corruption's tools!
I go to where celestial anthems swell;
But you, when you depart, will sink to hell.
Farewell, my mother!—cease, my anguished soul,
Nor let distraction's billows o'er me roll!
Have mercy, Heaven! when here I cease to live,
And this last act of wretchedness forgive.

 

- Thomas Chatterton , 24 August 1770