John Fitchett

John Fitchett (1776-1838) was an English poet.

Biography

John Fitchett was born on 21 September 1776. He became an orphan very early. He studied law and became an attorney. He lived in Warrington, England. In 1796 he published his first work named Bewsey, a Poem. John Fitchett never married. He died on 20 October 1838.

King Alfred

John Fitchett is remembered as the author of an epic poem named King Alfred. It was published in the years 1841-1842. It took forty years to write it. It tells about English King Alfred the Great, who lived during the 9th century and fought against the Vikings. The poem is a literary curiosity. It is probably the longest poem ever written in English. John Fitchett left it unfinished, but his friend Robert Roscoe finished and published it. King Alfred is over 131 000 lines long. 2585 more lines were added by Roscoe.