Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 1 (of 2)Howitt, William
History
Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Howitt, William
Literary landmarks -- Great Britain; Poets, English -- Homes and haunts
am told, were occupied by an equally extensive ironmongery concern. Thus
all memory of the particular spot which was the room of Chatterton, and
where he committed the suicide, is rooted out. What is still more
strange, the very same fate has attended his place of sepulture. He was
buried among the paupers in Shoe Lane; so little was known or cared
about him and his fate, that it was some time, as stated, before his
friends learned the sad story; in the mean time, the exact site of his
grave was wellnigh become unknown. It appears, however, from inquiries
which I have made, that the spot was recognized; and when the public
became at length aware of the genius that had been suffered to perish in
despair, a headstone was erected by subscription among some admirers of
his productions. With the rapid revolutions of property which now take
place, especially in the metropolis and other large cities; with new
plans and improvements, which in their progress seem to spare nothing of
the past, however sacred, we have already seen, in the course of these
volumes, how many traces of the resorts and dwellings of our poets have
vanished from among us. The very resting-place of Chatterton could not
escape the ungenial character of his fate. London, which seemed to
refuse to know him when alive, refused a quiet repose to his ashes. To
lie among the paupers of Shoe Lane was, one would have thought, a
sufficiently abject lot for so proud and soaring a nature; but fortune
had still another spite in reserve for his remains! The burial-ground in
Shoe Lane, one of those inclosures of the dead which a dignitary of the
Church has asserted to be guarded and guarantied against all violence
and change by the ceremony of consecration, was sold to form Farringdon
market; and tombs and memorials of the deceased disappeared to make way
for the shambles and cabbage stalls of the living. Was there no lover of
literature, no venerator of genius to take the alarm; to step in and see
that the bones and the headstone of Chatterton were removed to the
grave-yard which still is attached to St. Andrew's Church? It appears
not. Neglected in death as in life, the headstone was pulled up, the
bones of the poet were left to share the fate of those of his pauper
comrades, and it is now most probable that they are scattered--Heaven
knows where! for I am assured, on good authority, that houses are now
built on the spot where this unfortunate youth lay. If houses are built,
most likely cellars were dug to those houses; and then the bones of
Chatterton--where are they? Echo may answer--where?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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