Thomas Chatterton

About

Eighteenth-century poet and literary forger who committed suicide by ingesting arsenic. His most famous poem, "O synge untoe mie roundelaie," was set to music as a madrigal.

Before Fame

He penned "Elinoure and Juga," the first of his pseudo-medieval works, when he was just twelve years old. When questioned, he claimed that his poetic invention was the work of a fifteenth-century author.

Trivia

He often wrote under the pseudonym of Thomas Rowley.

Family Life

He was the son of Thomas Chatterton, Sr., a literature, music, and occult enthusiast.

Associated With

He was a contemporary of fellow English author Frances Burney.