William Hatchett facts for kids

William Hatchett (born around 1701, died in the 1760s) was an English writer who worked as a translator, a dramatist (someone who writes plays), and a pamphleteer (someone who writes short books or essays about important topics). He was born and went to school in York, England. Later, in the late 1720s, he moved to London, where he lived for most of his life. William Hatchett was also a long-time partner of another famous writer, Eliza Haywood. They often worked together, and some of Hatchett's writings were even published by Haywood.

Becoming a Translator

William Hatchett's first three works were translations of big books from French. In 1728, he translated The Adventures of Abdalla, Son of Hanif by Jean-Paul Bignon. He also translated Advice from a mother to her son and daughter by Anne-Thérèse de Marguenat de Courcelles, Marquise de Lambert, in the same year. In 1729, he translated The Morals of Princes by Giovanni Battista, conte di Comazzi. Eliza Haywood even supported this last translation by subscribing to it.

Writing and Performing Plays

In 1730, Hatchett translated a play called The Rival Father. Both he and Eliza Haywood acted in this play, which was based on La Mort d’Achille by Thomas Corneille.

A few years later, in 1733, Haywood and Hatchett worked together again. They turned Henry Fielding's play Tragedy of Tragedies, or Tom Thumb the Great into a type of musical play called a ballad-opera. They named it The Opera of Operas, and John Frederick Lampe wrote the music for it. Hatchett helped produce this opera, and it was very successful! Later, in 1738, there was a disagreement about money related to the production.

It seems that in 1737, Hatchett and Haywood were part of Henry Fielding's acting group, the Company of Comedians. Hatchett wrote a play called A Rehearsal of Kings, and Haywood acted in it. In 1740, Hatchett planned to publish all his works, but he only released The Chinese Orphan in 1741. This play was an adaptation of a Chinese play from the Yuan dynasty (1260–1368), which had been translated into French by Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare.

Writing About Important Topics

In 1730, William Hatchett became involved in events with a Frenchman named Monsieur de Montaud. Hatchett wrote about these events in a pamphlet called An Appeal to All Lovers of Their Country and Reputation in 1731.

In 1736, Hatchett went on a long summer trip with Bryan Dawson. It seems Dawson was helping Hatchett financially for some time. After this trip, Hatchett signed a paper promising to pay Dawson some money. In 1741, Dawson asked Hatchett for the money. Hatchett then wrote about Dawson's actions in a pamphlet called A Remarkable Cause on a Note of Hand in 1742. Much of what we know about William Hatchett comes from this pamphlet, which was like his own story.

His Later Years

William Hatchett continued to be involved in theatre throughout the 1740s. In 1748, he worked with Henry Fielding's puppet show. In April 1749, he shared in a special performance at the Covent Garden Theatre. In December 1749, people mentioned that he helped distribute a letter written by Eliza Haywood. Hatchett might have lived into the 1760s. It's possible he was the person who gave information for a short story about Eliza Haywood's life, which was published in 1764 by David Erskine Baker.