Thomas Chatterton Manuscript Project
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Much more than Rowley's Nursemaid
George Symes Catcott played a hugely important part in the Chatterton story. He is, along with William Barrett, the major reason Chatterton became known to a wider audience.
George was a bit of a manipulator who could clearly see the main chance when it came along. His correspondence with William Barrett and others, as well as some of his letters to the periodicals, show him as a man ready to do whatever was needed to get what he wanted - fame and money.
He was, the younger brother of the Reverend Alexander Catcott, vicar of Temple church - The church with the excessively leaning tower - and author of A Treatise on the Deluge, which includes a possible influence on Chatterton, a paraphrase of psalm 104, written by their father Alexander Stopford Catcott, headmaster of the grammar school in Bristol.
George spent an inordinate amount of time transcribing Chatterton's works over and again; this was not an altruistic endeavour for he was actually maintaining a trade in transcriptions of 'Rowley's' works.
One of George's dearest wishes was to be remembered in after-times, and it is in my power to see that his wish is granted. To this end I aim to upload, in due course, all of his transcripts and works, with links on this page to view them in their entirety. It must be borne in mind that some of his transcripts are faded and my transcripts of his transcripts will facilitate ease of reading. This is a big job, which is a little onerous and time consuming, but strangely enjoyable, and it will take some time.
Catcott meets Boswell & Johnson
Over The North Porch of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, is a large hexagonal room, previously known as the Treasury House or the Muniment Room, but now known as Chatterton's Room. It once held the various coffers, which contained ancient archives belonging to the church and also deeds and the like relevant to the business dealings of William Canynges. This is where Chatterton claimed to have found the Rowley manuscripts. The coffer in the image below, with Johnson, Boswell and George Catcott in the background, is on show in the muniment room - but it is not the famous Chatterton Coffer.
Johnson, Boswell and Catcott
St Mary Redcliffe, North Porch
The imaginative montage of mine, shown above, pictures (for the first time) the famous meeting of three great minds, George Symes Catcott, Samuel Johnson & James Boswell.
Note: The new Bristol Bridge, 1768, with St Nicholas church in the background, can be seen in the engraving on the wall behind Catcott.
"There, there is the very chest itself," is, according to Boswell, what Catcott said to Boswell & Johnson. This Much is True!
Or is the chest an imposter? Six Locks the Chest had. Warton states it was an Iron chest but Catcott confutes Warton by stating that 'the Chest was made of wood. In Catcott's time it was in a decayed and decrepit state - so it cannot be the chest shown above. Read Catcott's description of the chest in his own handwriting: View. One great clue from Catcott is that Canynges' Coffer was made in the room, indicating that it was too big to have been carried up the narrow and winding staircase. I wonder where the Coffer is now? Did one of the vicars 'offended' by the belief that Chatterton was a suicide, destroy the Coffer to stop the flow of visitors to the muniment room? Read on for a stunning recent discovery:
Canynges Coffer - Rediscovered
(A very tiny part of it at least)
Chatterton's Muniment Room St Mary Redcliffe The Illustrated History of Methodism, 1900
The earliest image of the coffers and, probably the most reliable. Engraved in 1802 for the 1803, three volume edition. The image is the frontispiece in volume 2
Divided back with 1/2d price for inland postage, which dates the card to 1902-1918
Chatterton's Muniment Room St Mary Redcliffe The Illustrated History of Methodism, 1900
The slide-show above shows six images of the muniment room and its coffers. The earliest is image No.1, engraved in 1802 for the three volume set of Chatterton's Life & Works, and published in 1803. Image No. 4 dates from 1902-1918. Image No.5 is from The Illustrated History of Methodism, 1900, and is especially interesting because the man with the walking-cane appears to be pointing at a specific coffer, which is front and centre. So, which one is Canynges' coffer?
George can help with this as he has left a basic description. It seems that George Catcott was the first port of call when it came to showing visitors the muniment room and its coffers, and he did get into an argument with regard to the construction of Canynges' Coffer. He described the coffer, in the 1780s, as being in a decrepit state. He also said that it was wooden and not metal, however, it would have had metal locks and, probably, metal bands. Click the slideshow to see larger images and to read the descriptions of each image.
Well now, here's a turn up for the books: On December 16th 2022, a piece of the iron band from Canynges' Coffer appeared at auction, see below :
Unfortunately I failed to win the bidding war as the lot also included some other important artefacts, which boosted the price beyond my limit. So, after the auction I wrote to the winning bidder (a very nice man indeed) and he agreed to sell the relic to me. One thing is for sure, the note (shown above), which came with the piece of the iron band, is definitely of the period. To read the full report on the amazing rediscovery more..
George Catcott & Henry Burgum
Partners in Pewter
A few of the pewter items made by Henry Burgum & George Catcott.
St Nicholas Church & the Pewter Plate
Bristol Bridge & St Nicholas Church
George is famous for climbing the spire during its construction and placing a pewter plate, etched with his and his brothers details, within a cavity of the spire. It is still there waiting for the day it is rediscovered - it might be a while George! George was very competitive, he paid 5 guineas to be the first person to cross the new Bristol bridge in 1768.
George Catcott v Samuel Taylor Coleridge
George was a Bristol Librarian when he became famous for a spat with Coleridge.
Say what you will, but George, who, in his own words 'was bred to trade,' and also has a 'propensity' to overreact, has rules that he must follow or face the prospect of losing his job. Coleridge, like most poets, is not necessarily in touch with reality.
George Symes Catcott
Catcott's Manuscript Book 'Chattertoniana'
Correspondence & Transcripts : BPL B5342. 533+ pages
Catcott's Correspondence with: Thomas Tyrwhitt : Dr. Glynn : Thomas Warton : Dr. Thomas Fry : Dr. Francis Woodward : Rev. Thomas Croft (letter to Dr. Woodward) : Thomas Velley (Botanist) : William Smith : Lord Camden : Lord Charlemont : Dr. Thomas Smith : Rev. Thomas Broughton : Thomas James Mathias (Treasurer to the Queen) : Jacob Bryant : Dr Thomas Dampier (Dean of Durham) : Dr. Jeremiah Milles (Dean of Exeter) : Joseph Cooper Walker (Travelled from Dublin to learn more about Chatterton).
Too much to list here; Click to read 'Chattertoniana' in full (533+ pages)...View
Ok, Ok, here's a sample page (p.119) from the 533+ pages of Catcott's Chattertoniana. This page specifically relates to Rev. Thomas Crofts (wiki). He, it would seem, is the man who arranged to bring Catcott together with Tyrwhitt, the editor of the 1777 volume, and Payne the publisher. To read the rest you must click the View link above.
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George Symes Catcott Copy-Book, Chattertoniana B5342
Correspondence with Rev. Thomas Crofts : View
George has taken a copy of Tyrwhitt’s 1778 third edition and added his own commentary and annotations. :
Poems, Supposed to have been Written at Bristol, by Thomas Rowley, and Others, in the Fifteenth Century... to which is added an appendix, containing some Observations upon the Language of these Poems; Tending to Prove, that they Were Written, Not by any Ancient Author, but Entirely by Thomas Chatterton.
Where Tyrwhitt leaves no doubt that 'Rowley's works were clearly written by Chatterton. This has obviously infuriated Catcott, because it is clear in his correspondence with Tyrwhitt, that Tyrwhitt was a believer in Rowley (at the start), but it doesn’t stop George from using the edition to create a ‘product’ to sell. After all, he was certainly generating some good income by making this type of thing, but he needs to refute Tyrwhitt and he does this by enhancing the volume with his own annotations, complete with instructions to the Binder to include specific pages from various publications. What we have now, with the annotations and editions, is Catcott’s view of the controversy or, rather, the view he wants us to believe;
A note on Thomas Jolley: he seems to have created one of the largest private libraries in the world, which took 53 days to sell at auction.
Catcott's Ms. Copy-Book B5343-4
(Annotations & Transcripts)
The Execution of Sir Charles Bawdin
The Battle of Hastings, & English Metamorphosis
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It is not known how many of these gallimaufries George Catcott produced. I can only assume that each time he produced one he was hoping for a sale. This one starts with a printed copy of the 1772 edition of The Execution of Sir Charles Bawdin (BPL B5343); and is followed by George's handwritten Ms. (BPL B5344) transcripts of that same edition, plus his transcripts of The Battle of Hastings, and English Metamorphosis ; Click to read more...!
What would we do without George Catcott? This copy-book has an 'embarrassment of riches,' from copies of Chatterton's 'The Whore of Babylon' and 'The Exhibition', to his little poem 'On Oure Ladies Chyrche. It also includes Chatterton's correspondence with various schoolfriends and, perhaps, one of his closest, Mr Baker, in Charles Town, South Carolina, America; as well as his wonderful letter to William Smith, which includes 'the key to the Rowley Poems, for all the hards in the letter can be found in Kersey's dictionary, 1708,' Chatterton signs this letter jokingly Hasmot Etchaorntt, or, as Meyerstein has it, 'anagrammatized,' click to read more...!
Catcott's Ms. Copy-Book : B6489
'G.S.Catcott ● Rowley ● Chatterton MS.'
Transcripts, Correspondence
This vellum covered Copy-Book, in the handwriting of George Symes Catcott, has two distinct sections : B6489-a and B6489-b. The majority of the pages are transcripts of Chatterton’s works or refer to his life :
B6489-a : The Rowley section : 88 pages sewn directly to the vellum covers.
B6489-b : Chatterton's acknowledged works : 37 pages in blue covers, sewn in directly after the Rowley section.
Transcript of the above by QE! : complete with links to every individual work : View.
Catcott's Ms. Copy-Book : B6490
'From Catcott, Dedicated to Thomas Eagles
Transcripts, Correspondence
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This book is a joy to read and will take you directly into 18th century Bristol during the time of the Chatterton phenomenon.
To make it easy for us all I have transcribed Catcott's Contents List, and added a link to every individual item, which includes:
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A general Introduction to Rowley;
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Proofs in favour of Rowley.
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Catcott's correspondence with various people including Dr Milles; William Barrett; Dr Glyn; Lord Dacre; Dr Percy; Lord Camden; etc.
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Catcott's transcripts of upwards of 20 works by Chatterton:
Dr. Fry's Transcript for Catcott : Copy-book B6493
"Extracts from Rowley"
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This copy-book is completely in the handwriting of Dr. Fry. It contains "Extracts from Rowley."
The link takes you to Dr Fry's page on this website, where you can also read the book click to visit Dr Fry
George Symes Catcott - Correspondence
Catcott's Correspondence with Chatterton : View
A Descriptive Account of a Descent into Penpark-Hole
By George Symes Catcott : Published 1792
Catcott became a published author with this little booklet. It has nothing to do with Chatterton but it does give you an insight into Catcott. A priest by the name of Thomas Newman visited the cave with his sister and two friends. He was trying to gauge the depth of the cavern by dropping a line into the hole, holding onto a tree branch at the mouth. It gave way and he fell to his death. The recovery of the body, which took some weeks to find, attracted great crowds of onlookers.
Catcott's book is, apparently, only the second English book on caving; click to read book online :
A Pious Meditation by John Whitson Alderman of the City of Bristol
To which is subjoined some account of the Author by the late
Mr. George Symes Catcott
Here we have George getting his wish to live in after-times, with the posthumous publication in 1829, of this little book about John Whitson. The Catcott contribution to this book was originally published in 1789; click to read more...!
The memorial to Whitson in St Nicholas Church, Bristol, is shown above.
The Catcott Sisters - Martha & Augusta
Augusta and Martha Catcott (The Rose of Virginity), sisters of George Symes Catcott.
An interesting pair of pictures were up for auction on 14th March 2024. They include two portraits of ladies whose names will ring a bell in the heads of anyone interested in Chatterton.
Dominic Winter, the auctioneer, describes the lot as follows:
“Cut-out Figures. Two framed painted cut-out full-length portraits of 18th century ladies, including Augusta Smith, wife of Richard Smith, Surgeon, circa 1785, the first with full-length scissor cuts of 4 ladies in profile, the details of features and dress painted in watercolour and gouache, some toning and staining, three annotated to hem of skirts in contemporary brown ink: 'Miss Archer 1785'; 'Mrs. Augusta - wife of Mr. Richard Smith, Surgeon AD 1785'; and 'Mrs Bertha Catcott', the fourth figure that of Mrs Smith's maid, largest figure 30.5 x 17.5 cm (12 x 7 ins), mounted on gold satin, framed and glazed (42.5 x 84 cm), the second with a repeat of three of the figures (without Miss Archer), a little light toning and foxing, mounted on red velvet, framed and glazed (42.5 x 63.5 ins), annotated with figures' names on backboard.”
I must correct an error in the listing, as the name of the ‘fourth figure’ should be listed as Martha not ‘Bertha’.
There were two Catcott sisters, Augusta and Martha. E.H.W.Meyerstein notes the following about Martha : ‘Martha called Chatterton “a sad wag of a boy always upon some joke or other,” which is borne out by a floral coat of arms which he designed for her, with “Rose of Virginity” as legend.’
George Symes Catcott lived with his brother, the Reverend Alexander Catcott, along with their sister Martha in the 'Old Vicarage, Near Temple Church' (above, from a drawing by Paul Hardy, 1885). Martha kept house for the two brothers, which adds to the magic of the picture further up the page, showing Martha greeting her sister Augusta. In all likelihood they would have walked through the gate to be greeted by Martha at the door of the vicarage.
Where is George Now
According to Meyerstein, pp.309 & 488n, poor old George lies 'buried in a brick grave in Temple Churchyard, not, however, before an intended slight on the name that had won him recognition and friends of influence ; for on March 19, 1799 to Dr Glynn, about Southey, he wrote, "whose poetical abilities are superior to the late unfortunate Thos. Chatterton."
Go on then, I will add my own view on Catcott's statement ; it's simple really, he is effectively saying that Chatterton did not have the ability to write Rowley's works, which is what he had been saying from the start. If he changed his tune all of his customers would be entitled to demand their money back for the transcripts he sold them.
The other issue for George, who was desperate to have his name remembered in aftertimes, was the Bristol Blitz, which destroyed much of Temple Church, apart from the leaning tower, which still stands, and so poor George's grave is now unmarked. However, the image above, from William George's pamphlet, Thomas Chatterton and the Vicar of Temple Church, 1888, does show a couple of graves matching the description of 'a brick grave.'
Help the project: if you know of a photograph of George's grave do share it with us.