Peter Pindar Manuscripts

This material is held atDurham University Archives

Scope and Content

This group of collections of manuscript works by Wolcot, many in his own hand, consists of work that seems not to have been published at the time. It consists of files of poems with the following working titles: Anacreontics, Cantab & Poet, a dialogue, For young folks, For young folks, in imitation of Watts' Moral songs, Glees, Madrigals, New-old ballads composed for Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary of Scotland, Lord Surrey, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Sir Fulke Greville, &c. by P. Pindar Esq., Poems & hymns for young folks, Sacred poems, Tales & fables for young folks.

Administrative / Biographical History

After training and practising as both a doctor and a priest, John Wolcot found fame under the pseudonym Peter Pindar as a writer of satirical verse in the late 18th century. In the 1780s and 1790s his poems, commenting on society and royalty in Georgian London, proved extremely popular with everyone but the subjects. He produced a large quantity of work, ranging from the bestseller to the ephemeral.

Access Information

Open for consultation.

Acquisition Information

Bought from G.F. Sims, Catalogue 22, item 123.

Note

Part of : Additional Manuscripts

Other Finding Aids

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Sub-Librarian, Special Collections (e-mail PG.Library@durham.ac.uk) and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. The Library will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Related Material

C. C. Abbott Literary Manuscripts: correspondence between Wolcot (ABL 590-598) and James Northcote (ABL 221-224).

Bibliography

DNB entry: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/29828 T. Girtin, Doctor with two aunts (1959)  G. Sinko, John Wolcot and his school: a chapter from the history of English satire (1962)