The Literary Papers of the Reverend Jermyn Pratt, 1723-1791

The Reverend Jermyn Pratt was a close friend of the poet Christopher Smart (1722-1771), who mentions Pratt and his sister Harriot in several of his poems, including the poem for which he is most famous, Jubilate Agno (1759-1763). But Jermyn Pratt (1723-1791) was himself a highly idiosyncratic writer of comic and satirical literature. His often hilarious writings provide new insights into the distinctive literary culture in Norfolk and the ways the Anglican clergy participated in church and national politics. Pratt’s dramatic, poetic, and essayistic writings also complement James Woodforde’s (1740-1803) diary, painting a vivid picture of the pressures and pleasures of parish life in rural Norfolk.