Thomas Chatterton Manuscript Project
Portrait of Henry Burgum by John Simmons
Burgum's Coat of Arms
Created and Painted by Chatterton
​Henry Burgum is shown posing with a prized possession, a folio of Handel's music. In 1752, at the age of 13, Henry became a Pewterer's apprentice. In 1765 he went into business with George Catcott, making all kinds of pewter, from plates & bowls to lidded tankards & inkstands.
Now, here's a real treat for you all :
Alyson & Mike Marsden's delightful article 'Burgum & Catcott, Pewterers of Bristol' : View
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You might also like to visit the Burgum Family website to view their biography of Henry Burgum : View
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It seems that Chatterton saw Burgum as an easy target, and came up with a plan to present him with a fake pedigree, for which Burgum paid him five shillings. Chatterton must have been flushed with delight and promised burgum that he would have much more about the history of his family in due course. The promised second instalment arrived soon after, complete with poems supposedly written by Henry's ancestor John Burgum, and a second payment of five shillings (according to Joseph Cottle) was duly paid.
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Even though Chatterton perpetrated this somewhat cruel hoax, he also wrote about Burgum in glowing terms in his poem Kew Gardens, see the relevant section below, or : View the whole work
Burgum in Chatterton's Poem Kew Gardens
'Account of the Family of the De Bergham's'
Chatterton's Original Handwritten Manuscript
(In Two Booklets)
Written 1768/9 : Published 1788 / 1803
De Bergham, also known as De Burgham's, and Burgum.
The two booklets are in their original marbled covers with central staples. Each booklet is additionally bound within red covers with white labels. The red covers and labels were probably added by Joseph Cottle.
The booklets are held by Bristol Reference Library : Booklet One ref. No. B20927. Booklet Two ref. No. B21640.
Original marbled cover : Booklet One
Booklet One
(Ref. No.: B20927)
Account of the Family of the
De Berghams (First Part)
Contents of Booklet One
(In two sections)
Front cover label : Booklet One : Section 1
Section 1, starts at the front of the booklet and continues to the middle :
De Burghams Coat of Arms, is on a loose leaf of parchment : View
Account of the Family of the De Burghams (Ist part) : View
After writing the 'Account of the Family..(Ist part)', Chatterton flipped the booklet over and used it to write section 2, see below.
Back Cover Label : Booklet One : Section 2
​Section 2, starts from the Back Cover to the middle of the booklet :
(This section is not part of Account of the De Burghams.)
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Contents of Section 2 :
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Chatterton and Burgum, the Bristol Pewterer : View
(a Newspaper Cutting stuck to the inner Back Cover)
The Tournament an Interlude : View
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Booklet Two
(ref. No. B21640)
Continuation of the
Account of the Family of the
De Berghams (Second Part)
Contents of Booklet Two
Front cover : Booklet Two
(Rear cover not shown as it is blank)
Booklet Two contents :
Continuation of the Account of the Family of the
De Burgham's from the Norman Conquest to this time : View
​​​The above 'Continuation' includes the following:
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Also, one page of 'forged' signatures written by:
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William-Henry Ireland, the Shakespeare Forger : View
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That's the end of the two books of Chatterton's 'Account of the Family of the De Bergham's'.
Spooky Note:
One of Chatterton’s sources for his Account of the Family of the De Bergham’s is the 'Baronettage of England.' See page 19, of volume 1, which contains two mentions of the name Thomas Chatterton; and then take a look at page 20, which mentions Sir Baldwin:
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Baronettage of England, 1720, by Arthur Collins - volume 1 : View
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Baronettage of England, 1720, by Arthur Collins - volume 2 : View
Henry Burgum
Works & Sundry Items
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Poor Henry, he seems to be the target of a number of people.
Consultation
by
James Thistlethwaite
When you read Henry Burgum's writings you simply know that he was mortified when James Thistlethwaite wrote the above 'Epistle Dedicatory' to him in his 'The Consultation, A Mock Heroic, in Four Cantos : View online