Churchill, Charles (1731–1764)

English satirical poet. He wrote coarse personal satires, mainly dealing with political issues. They include The Rosciad (1761), a satire on the London stage; The Prophecy of Famine (1763), the first of his political satires; and An Epistle to William Hogarth (1763), which he wrote after a quarrel with the English artist. Churchill was an associate of the radical politician John Wilkes.

Churchill was born in London and was ordained a cleric in the Church of England. He made many contributions to Wilkes's journal the North Briton 1762–63, before it was suppressed for attacking the government. When Wilkes was arrested for libel, Churchill escaped only by his friend's ready wit. In 1764 he went to Boulogne to meet Wilkes in exile, but was taken ill and died.