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​Chatterton’s  Seven Works

Written on the blank pages of

his personal copy of :

Reverend Alexander Catcott's
A Treatise on The Deluge, 1756-68*​​​

(Bodleian Library. Ref : MS. Eng. poet. e.6.)

eng poet e6 2a Bodleian Spine small crop.jpg
eng poet e6 2a Bodleian Spine small crop 1.jpg

The book was discovered among the rest of Chatterton's meagre belongings, when his attic room was broken open on the morning of 24th August 1770, and Chatterton was found dead on his pallet bed.

​​The Seven Works

Epistle to the Revd Mr [Alexander] Catcott. 

Chatterton’s remarks on Rev. Alexander Catcott.

If wishing for the mystic Joys of Love.

Heccar and Gaira.

The Methodist.

The Defence.

Sentiment.

xx

Control Panel  ↓ :

Chatterton’s Original Autograph Manuscripts :

  • Written on the blank pages of a copy of the Rev. Alexander Catcott’s book, 

*A Treatise on The Deluge 1768, & Remarks on the Second Part of The Lord Bishop of Clogher's…Mosaic  account …Creation and Deluge, 1756. Two books bound as one. 

(Located at the Bodleian Library. Ref : MS. Eng. poet. e.6.)

 

           Provenance of the book : 

  • Macray describes finding the book in a pub in Oxford  :  Macray’s article in ‘Notes and Queries’, 1858 : View Panel 38 

         

  • Provenance Note from the Bodleian. An amazing story of good fortune. The above book was given to Chatterton by the Rev. Alexander Catcott. Chatterton used the blank endpapers of the book to write some of his works. More than a hundred years later and it is rescued from oblivion off of the shelves of a pub in Oxford by Mr Macray. The story is detailed in the provenance notes :  View Panel 39 

  

  • Scroll to read the Chatterton content as it appears in the book, or select from the list below :

                          

Chatterton’s Works (in order of appearance) : 

 

  • Epistle to the Revd Mr [Alexander] Catcott. Decr 16 1769  : View Panel 6

                                         followed by :

  • Chatterton’s remarks on Rev. Alexander Catcott  : View Panel 19

 

  • ‘The Sentiment’

                                          Consisting of seven lines, complete, at the top of the page,

                                           followed by the start of ‘The Methodist’)  : View Panel 26

 

  • ‘The Methodist’ 

Starts on panel 26, continues on panel 27,  

but ends before the squiggly line : View Panels 26 + 27

 

  • ‘If wishing for the mystic Joys of Love’

Starts directly after the squiggly line, and ends on same page.  : View Panel 27 

         

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 Additional Drawings and marks  :

 

 

 

  • Three words in ink ‘Hmm this Part’ [?] see foot of p.416.  : View Panel 24


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          Notes & Additional Links : 

 

  Front Cover, Verso Endpaper :   

 

  • Chrisr Jeaspeson? ; Jos Oldham; W. D. Macray  :  View Panel 1

 

Heccar and Gaira - A note tipped in re the final two pages of  Heccar and Gaira:  

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  • “The two leaves at the end containing lines 1 - 92 of Heccar and Gaira were restored to their place by the bequest of E. H. W. Meyerstein in 1953 ; see MS. Eng. poet. e.6.” :  View Panel 2 

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Ms. Letter of 4 pages from William R. Morfill, tipped in  : 

  • Each of the four pages is followed by a transcript by (QE!). Contains some information on Chatterton’s works. (transcripts by (QE!).   View Panel 3-5

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  • Title page of :

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‘Remarks on…The Lord Bishop of Clogher’s…Creation and Deluge,  by Rev. Alexander Catcott  :  View Panel 21

 

  • Title Page of  :

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  ‘A Treatise on the Deluge’, by Rev. Alexander. Catcott. :  View Panel 25

 

  • Back Cover - reminiscent of the Turin Shroud?  :  View Panel 37

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  • Read an online copy of the book (without Chatterton’s works) : 

 

A Treatise on The Deluge 1768, & Remarks on the Second Part of The Lord Bishop of Clogher's…Mosaic  account …Creation and Deluge, 1756 :  View

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Panel 1 : ↓ Verso front cover. Christopher Jeaspeson? ; Jos Oldham; W. D. Macray

The book was discovered among the rest of his meagre belongings 

when they broke into his room and found him dead on his pallet bed.

xx

I am working on placing the entire article of the Bodleian book on this page. In the mean time you can read the entire article here

 

The Reverend Alexander Catcott was the brother of George Symes Catcott.

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The history of the book is interesting, and needs a little more research, however I have made a start:

A key name in the provenance of the book is John Oldham. He was, according to Meyerstein, a button seller, of the button and silk warehouse in Lombard  Street, London.  Two years after Chatterton's death he married Beliza, the sister of John Lambert the Attorney, and employer of Chatterton during his apprenticeship. See Holden's 1802-4 Directory, and the Post Office Directory for 1809 in Beliza's name.

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A history of the book : 

1768-69 :  Reverend Alexander Catcott.

1769-70 :  Thomas Chatterton  - A gift from Alexander Catcott.

Jos Oldham from Chatterton's attic room in Holborn ???? Was he a visitor to the room?

?...- 1792 Jos Oldham

1792-1812 Christopher Jeasperson (A gift from Jos Oldham)

1812-?... Christopher Jeasperson (Without two leaves of Heccar and Gaira)

1858-1877 :  W. D. Macray (without two leaves of Heccar and Gaira)

1877- current :  Bodleian Library.

 

1812-1931+ Mrs Roberts. The two leaves of Heccar and Gaira owned by Mrs Roberts, a gift from Chris Jeasperson

​1931+- 1955 Meyerstein (the two leaves of Heccar and Gaira).

1953 The two leaves were bequeathed and replaced in the book after Meyerstein's death.

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The spine titles were added after the book was discovered in a pub by Mr. W. D. Macray, or by the Bodleian when they purchased the book from him for £15 in 1877, the equivalent of £2,269 in 2026.

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I am working on this during 2026 and ongoing for a few days more.

In the mean-time all of Chatterton's works in the Bodleian copy of the book can be :  Viewed Here

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Original Chatterton Works :

Written on the blank end pages of *Rev. Alexander Catcott’s book, A Treatise on The Deluge 1768, & Remarks on the Second Part of The Lord Bishop of Clogher's…Mosaic  account …Creation and Deluge. 1756. Two books bound as one.     

Titles on the spine : 'Catcott on the Deluge 1756-1768'  'With Autograph Poems by Chatterton.' (Bodleian No. M.S. Eng. Poet. e.6.). ​​

 

Chatterton works are listed below :

                         Important Works are in Bold Type with Cream Background.                          

                          Scroll through or select from below ↓ :

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List of  the works included

Epistle to the Revd Mr [Alexander] Catcott. 

Chatterton’s remarks on Rev. Alexander Catcott.

If wishing for the mystic Joys of Love.

Heccar and Gaira.

The Methodist.

The Defence.

Sentiment.​​​​​​​​

​​Working Notes Research:

Chatterton asks his mother to send him Catcott's Deluge 14 May 1770. Also his MS Glossary.

Jos Oldham, the name on the front pastedown, was the brother of John Oldham (John died in 1789, GM P.1058 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015010955006&seq=516 ).

John Oldham visited Chatterton attic room and took away what belonged to Chatterton, including his stained Pocketbook. Also the Bodleian book. 

So the book found it's way back to Bristol in 1770.  But was retained by John Oldham  he or his brother married in to Lambert's family.  Oldham having died in 1789 the book fell to Joseph Oldham who, in 1792, gifted it to Chris Jeasperson.  Whereabouts unknown until it appeared on the shelf of the pub in Oxford. 

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Front Cover : Verso Endpaper
Christopher Jeaspeson; Jos Oldham; W. D. Macray

eng poet e6 3 Bodleian inside front cover1.jpg

Epistle to the Reverend Mr. [Alexander] Catcott   :  

Epistle to the Reverend Mr. [Alexander] Catcott   :  

Epistle to the Reverend Mr. [Alexander] Catcott   :  

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