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Chatterton in Brooke Street
1st June 1770 - 25 August 1770
Age 17 and he won't reach 18.
Lodging with Mrs Angel
Mr's Angel's House ?
4 Brooke Street (1825/30)
Illustrated London News
1857
Meyerstein's, A Life of Chatterton
Image dated 1825
Chatterton has moved from the restrictions and lack of privacy of Shoreditch, to his own attic room at Holborn. He can now control what his family in Bristol might be told about his situation - nobody can belie him now, but he has just 12 weeks and 1 day to live.
Brooke Street, it is said, was a somewhat sleazy and run-down area but now, at last, Chatterton had the privacy he craved. The privacy he needed to put pen to paper and bring to light the works filling his head - that's how I see it - for what it's worth!
It is not known on what date Chatterton moved to Holborn, but I have selected June 1st as his first day, based on the following: his letter to his mother dated the 14th May, states 'Direct for me, at Mr. Walmsley's, at Shoreditch - only, so at that point in time he had no plans to be anywhere else; The Death of Nicou, was dated Brooke-Street, 12th June - so a date in-between the two dates seems reasonable enough.
So, Chatterton is now in Brooke Street, but which house did he actually live in?
It has been claimed to be number 4, however, in a magazine dated 1858, named 'The Train,' a writer demolishes Masson's 1856 essay, 'Chatterton: A story of the Year 1770,' and states that the house was actually number 39. It took Masson until 1874 to publish the Chatterton essay as a stand alone book where he corrects his errors, 'Chatterton: A Story of the Year 1770.'
The British Museum has Wykeham's drawing, which dates to around 1825/30. Wykeham (1808-1864) states the house to be No.4, and that Chatterton died in the garret (attic room) top left of the image. The curator at the BM corrects this, stating that No. 39, on the opposite side of the road, is where Chatterton lived and died
Nothing remains of the house in Brooke Street, so it hardly matters which house it was, apart from helping to determine the depth of research a particular editor has put into the production of his work but, it must be said, it is so much easier these days.
One of Chatterton's earliest works produced in Brooke Street. Part of Letter VI from A Hunter of Oddities, which appeared in the Town & Country Magazine June 1770.
It reminds me of an anecdote/story in the Town and Country magazine for 1769, about Samuel Derrek challenging someone to a duel.
(.QE!.) is currently working on this page
Chatterton's Works
Brooke Street, Holborn
1 June 1770 - 24 August 1770
Around 75 Works to Consider.
39 Authentic Works;
28 Of Doubtful Authenticity;
8 Wrongly Attributed.
Authentic Works (39)
The Death of Nicou, An African Eclogue
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Letter 6, A Hunter of Oddities
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Maria Friendless Letter
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Exhibition of Sign Paintings at the West End of Town
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Letters to Mary Chatterton 19 & 29 June 1770
Written 1770. Pub. 1803
Speech of Sir John de Beauchamp
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
The False Step, a Real History
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
To Miss B-sh, of Bristol
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Written 1770. Pub. 1795
A Bacchanalian sung by Mr Reinhold
Written 1770. Pub. 1795?/1803
The Invitation to be sung by Mrs Barthelemoon....
Written 1770. Pub. 1795?/1803
A Bacchanalian
Written 1770. Pub. 1795?/1803
The Virgin's Choice
Written 1770. Pub. 1795?/1803
The Happy Pair
Written 1770. Pub. 1795?/1803
Betsy of the Hill
Written 1770. Pub. 1784/1795
A Burlesque Cantata
Written 1770. Pub. 1784
Burletta. The Woman of Spirit
Written 1770. Pub. 1784
To Thomas Cary, 1st July 1770
Written 1770. Pub. 1837/1842
Genuine Copy of a Letter from the Earl of C--d to the...
Written 1770. Pub. 1771
An Excelente Balade of Charitie
Written 1770. Pub. 1777/1803
Letter to Sarah Chatterton, 8 July 1770
Published 1780.
Letter to Mary Chatterton, 11 July 1770
Published 1780
Letter to Mary Chatterton 20 July 1770
Published 1780
The Art of Puffing by a Bookseller's Journeyman
Written 1770. Pub. 1783
Memoirs of a Sad Dog
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
An African Song
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Menenius. To William Lord M--d
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
From George Catcott, 8 August 1770
Pub. 1930
To George Catcott, 12 August 1770
Published 1792/1803
The Happy Pair. A Tale
Written 1770. Pub. 1771
Gorthmund
Written 1770. Pub. 1770
Colin Instructed
Written 1770. Pub. 1784
To John Rudhall and Baster, n.d
Written 1770. Pub. 1803
Impromtu on the Immortality of the Soul
Written 1770. Pub. ????
To a Friend on his Intended Marriage
Written 1770. Pub. 1803
The Resignation
Written 1770. Pub. 1780
From an Unknown Girl, n.d. The Letter Paraphras'd
Written 1770. Pub. 1856 (letter) / 1933 (paraphrase).
To William Smith n.d.
Written 1770. Pub. 1803
Works of Doubtful Authenticity
Holborn, London
Ist June 1770 - 24th August 1770
28 works (checked 2/1/2021)
All correct as per Taylor
Anecdote of Lord Ch---d
Writ1770 - Published 1770 TP1150A
An Elegy on the Much Lamented Death
of William Beckford, Esq.
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1150
Anecdote on Judge Jeffries
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1151
The Polite Advertiser
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1152
Old Bailey Intelligence Extraordinary, for 1770
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1153
Letter 7 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1154A
A Letter from Ninion L'Enclos in the Shades
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1154B
Verax. To the L. B. of B.
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1155
Ambulator's Exhibition
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1156
Atticus. To the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Bristol
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1157A
Catalogue of Pictures Every Day Exhibited
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1157B
Naked and Friendless to the World Expos'd
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1158
The Last Verses Written by Chatterton
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1160
T. C. to Lord N---h
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1161
Letter 8 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1154A
Tony Selwood Letter
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1164
On the Origin, Nature, and Design of Sculpture
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1165
Letter 9 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1166
Letter 10 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1167
Adventures of a Star
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1168
Letter 11 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ1770? - Published 1770 TP1171A
Letter 12 from a Hunter of Oddities
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1171B
One Hour after Marriage. A Tale
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1172
1771 The Happy Pair
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1173
1792 When that day of Death shall come
Writ 1770? - Published 1792 TP1174A
1938 What boots it for the Sacred Nine
Writ 1770 - Published 1770 TP1174B
On a very Calm Sea
Writ Unknown date - Published 1971 TP1175A
Lines on Mrs. Haywood
Writ unknown date - Published 1815 TP175B
Works Wrongly Attributed
Lost Works (?)