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Key People

Henry Burgum

1739 - 1789

Henry Burgum Pewterer, Bristol
Thomas Chatterton's Burgum Pedigree coat of armspedigree burgham 3.jpg

1. Portrait of Henry Burgum by John Simmons.  2. Burgum's coat of arms, created & painted by Chatterton.

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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 areal treat for you all;  Alyson & Mike Marsden's delightful article about : Burgum & Catcott, Pewterers of Bristol.  And that's not all, you might also like to visit the Burgum Family website to view their biography of Henry, but do bear in mind that some of the 'facts' will conflict with our own current knowledge of the Chatterton story.

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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: 

Thomas Chatterton's poem Kew Gardens Henry Burgum

'Account of the Family of the De Bergham's'

Chatterton's Original Handwritten Manuscript

Written 1768/9 : Published 1788 / 1803

Account of the Family of the De Berghams (Aka: De Burgham's; Burgum) :  Written in two exercise books with central staples and marbled covers.  Each of the two books have been additionally bound within red covers with white labels. 

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The two books are held by Bristol Reference Library:

Book One  (ref. No. B20927) ; and Book Two (ref. No. B21640).

Book  One

Chatterton's account of the Family of the De Burgham's Pedigree Book 1

Book  One  : Section 1

Z6 Z1 Title Contents Label.jpg

Book  One  : Section 2

Book  One  -  Contents :   (In two sections) :

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Book One, Section 1, contains:

  • Account of the Family of the De Bergham's (Ist Part) : View 

       This work is written from the cover to the middle of the book​​.

 

  • De Burghams Coat of Arm  : View

        ( A separate, loose item, on parchment) ; see top of page.

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Book One, Section 2, contains:

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  • Chatterton and Burgum, the Bristol Pewterer (a newspaper cutting) : View

  • The Tournament an Interlude : View

  • Gouler's Requiem : View

The two works above start from the cover and continue to the middle of the book . They are not part of the Account of the De Berghams.  After writing the works above, Chatterton flipped the book over and wrote the first part of the Account of the...De Burgham's, see below.

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Book  Two

Chatterton's Continuation of the Account of the Family of the

Book Two -   Front cover

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Book  Two  -  Rear cover

Book Two - Contents 

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Account of the Family of the De Burgham's (2nd Part)  : View

(Continuation of the Account of the Family of the

De Burgham's from the Norman Conquest to this time )

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Which includes:

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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'

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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:

 

  • Baronettage of England, 1720, by Arthur Collins - volume 1 : View

 

  • Baronettage of England, 1720, by Arthur Collins - volume 2 : View

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Henry Burgum

Works & Sundry Items

(More to come, when time allows.)

Burgum to the Public regarding the mistreatment of a worker

Poor Henry, he seems to be the target of a number of people.

Waiting to update this page - QE!

thistlethwaite consultation mock heroic titlepage.jpg
thistlethwaite consultation mock heroic Burgum.jpg

When you read Henry Burgum's writings you simply know that he was mortified when James Thistlethwaite wrote the 'Epistle Dedicatory' to him in his 'The Consultation, A Mock Heroic, in Four Cantos :  View online

Book One
The Tournament. An Interlude & Gouler's Requiem
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The Romaunte of the Cnyghte
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