St Mary Redcliffe Church
1762/4 - Aged: 10/12
Temporary Page - Working on it.
Chatterton was baptised in
St Mary Redcliffe church
1st January, 1753
He was Confirmed
Sometime Between 1762 to 1764
By Bishop Thomas Newton
A Man he was later to Despise
Mary Chatterton, and Dr. Lort (B11457)
Say that he was Confirmed in 1764.
Taylor states that if it was 1764
Then 'On the Last Epiphany'
Is not by Chatterton
Meyerstein Disagrees
And seems convinced
That it is Chatterton's work.
It's just another conundrum.
At around 10 years of age
Chatterton, according to his sister,
"Was more cheerful
After he began to write poetry,"
The engraving of St Mary Redcliffe,
By William Henry Toms,
Shows the church as
Chatterton would have seen it.
It lost its spire in 1446
After a lightning Strike.
Now let me introduce you
to the Kator family:
Mr Kator was a Sugar-Baker
His son, Henry, was a friend of
Chatterton's.
The Tom's Engraving of SMR
Adorned a Room
In the Kator House.
It is reasonable to assume
That Chatterton saw the engraving
And would have been entranced
By the historic detail.
The details on the engraving is said to refute the claim by Rowleyites that Chatterton could only have learned the history of St Mary Redcliffe church
from the manuscripts in the Coffers of the Muniment Room.
The image on the postcard shows the church after the spire was rebuilt in 1872.
A mere 426 years after it was destroyed by a lightning strike.
The St Mary Redcliffe website has a great page about Chatterton. It has a couple of poetry readings and is well worth the visit: Visit the site to read more...
Research St Mary Redcliff (Redcliffe)