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.