Part 34

Your petitioners do therefore humbly pray that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to permitt and direct That a ffyle or Two of y{r} Majesty’s ffoot Guards shall upon applicac͠on to the Commanding Officer attend the publick executions from time to time to guard and assist your Petic͠oners Beadles in the taking away so many dead bodys yearly as are granted unto your Petic͠oners by the said Act of Parliament or otherwise to releive your Petic͠oners in such manner as your Majesty in your Majesty’s most gracious wisdom and condescension shall think fitt.

The Company seem also to have applied to the Court of Aldermen again for assistance in this matter, for, on the 7th March following, it was ordered that 2,000 copies of two orders of the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen, dated respectively 4th February and 4th March, should be printed, and copies fixed up at Newgate and other public places on the road to Tyburn, some time before any execution, and also that the said orders should be inserted in the London Gazette and other papers.

4th April, 1729. Peregrine Compton Rejected being fuddled & not answering a question.

1st February, 1732. It was ordered that any extraordinary cases of Surgery appearing in the journals of the Sea Surgeons should be copied out into a book, as well as any others which might be reported to the Governors, and the same be laid before the Court of Examiners, from time to time, for their direction as to whether the same should be published. This book, if it ever existed, is not now in the Company’s possession.

15th August, 1734. It is ordered that from henceforward a Silver Medal not exceeding the value of a Guinea with a proper device upon each side of it to be made and presented at the end of the year to each of the Demonstrators now chosen and to the Demonstrators for the time being as an acknowledgment for their trouble in performing such Demonstrations.

These medals by a subsequent order, were to have a representation of Holbein’s picture on one side and of Inigo Jones’ Theatre on the other, but they do not appear to have ever been struck.

It was customary at the Demonstrations of Anatomy to provide specimens of parts of animals, presumably for comparison, as appears by some of the expenses incurred, _e.g._, in 1732:--

To a sheeps hart & kidney 0 0 6 A sheeps hart and lights 0 0 4 2 Bullocks eyes 0 0 4

and the following is the Beadle’s Bill at the dissection of a female malefactor in 1735:--

For a board to lay her head upon 0 0 4 For a board to shew her liver upon 0 1 0 For two bullocks eyes 0 0 4 For four sheeps eyes 0 0 4 For a quarter of soap 0 0 1-1/2 For hogs brissels 0 0 1 For a new spunge 0 0 3 For Borrowing a Hone to set the Instruments 0 0 3 For Sticking up the Bills 0 2 6 For nine days attendance at 2{s} 6{d} p{r} Day 1 2 6 ------------ £1 7 8-1/2 ============

4th February, 1735. Under this date is an entry of a long letter from the Commissioners of the Navy, complaining of the want of skill in a Surgeon, whereby great mortality had ensued on the ship _Newcastle_; the Court examined the Surgeon and his Journal and considered that there was nothing to find fault with as regarded his proficiency in Surgery, and that the sickness among the ship’s crew required skill in Physic rather than in Surgery, moreover they declared that the Physician at Greenwich examined the Navy Surgeons as to their skill in Physic and not the Barber-Surgeons’ Company. The Clerk was directed to write to the Commissioners to this effect, and to state that the Company did not consider themselves answerable for any man’s want of skill in Physic.

A long letter dated 5th February was accordingly written and is set out in the Minute Book. The Surgeon complained of was Thomas Middleton, son of Mr. Henry Middleton (the oldest Member of the Court) and it appears that he had been fully examined and qualified.

29th September, 1735. The following order touching the vexed question of dead bodies was issued by the Sheriffs:--

~London~ TO WITT

IN PURSUANCE of an Act of Parliament made in the Thirty second year of King Henry the Eighth and of an order of Sessions bearing date the eighth day of July in the Fifteenth year of our late Sovereign Lord King Charles the First Sir Maurice Abbott Mayor. ~Wee~ do order and command our Officers who are entrusted with or attend the execution of such Malefactors as shall be to dye at any time hereafter during our Sheriffalty to deliver to Henry Gretton and William Littlebury Beadles of the Company of Barbers and Surgeons of London or such other Officer or Officers as the Company shall appoint, One of the Bodys of the said Malefactors from time to time for a publick Dissection and to assist them with the said body to their Hall according to an Order of the Court of Aldermen of the Thirteenth of February 1675[221] Sir William Hooker Mayor and to two other subsequent Orders of the Court of Aldermen one bearing date the fourth day of February the other the fourth day of March 1728[222] Sir Robert Baylis Knight Lord Mayor.

[221] 1676 N.S. [222] 1729 N.S.

Given under our hands this 29{th} day of September 1735.

JN{O} BARNARD RO{T} GODSCHALL.

1st June, 1736. It is ordered that the Constables of the Holborn Division shall be allowed Three Guineas and a halfe above the Guinea already paid them in regard to their expences at the last execution, when the Body was taken from the Beadles and retaken by the Constables and the Clerk is ordered to repay the same But the Clerk is not to pay the officers of the Compter the Two guineas usually received by them at every execution.

24th September, 1741. John Thrift the Executioner this day attended on a complaint made against him by the Beadles for obstructing the Bodys being brought from Tyburne to the Hall for dissection and threatning to prevent the Company’s measures for obtaining the same, when after he had been reproved, was Dismissed, But the Court then agreed (in order to prevent his intended proceedings) to attend the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen that they may on complaint made be releived therein.

18th December, 1741. Ordered that the High Constable of Holburne be allowed Ten shillings and sixpence as his ffee for every Body that shall be brought from Tyburne and delivered at this Company’s Hall and for his aiding and assisting the Company’s Beadles therein and not otherwise.

10th February, 1742. The Court either forgetting or ignoring their order of 7th May, 1713, now ordered that Mr. William Skelton, a proctor in Doctors’ Commons, who had for many years past received five guineas annually as Caveat money (being Registrar of the Bishop of London) and “pretended to be allowed him by this Company on account of his Lordship’s Grant for the Prohibiting of Surgeons to practice within his Diocese be no longer entitled to such fee untill such time as this Court shall be better informed of the nature of his right of demanding the same.”

23rd November, 1740. Great consternation prevailed at the Hall in consequence of a malefactor who had been hung at Tyburn having revived when brought here for dissection. The account of this remarkable occurrence is recorded by the Clerk, Mr. Joseph Wheeler, on the last page of the rough Minute Book 1738-1742, and is very interesting. From the record of his trial at the Old Bailey (see Sessions Papers) Duell appears to have been an outrageous young scoundrel. A popular impression prevails, and frequent currency has been given to it, that Duell subsequently made a fortune abroad and out of gratitude to the Barber-Surgeons for saving his life, presented them with the handsome leather folding screen now in the Court Room, the best answer to which is, that the screen in question is referred to in the Company’s Inventory some thirty years previously to Mr. Duell’s visit to Tyburn.

Mr. Wheeler’s account is as follows--

November the 23{d.} 1740.

This day W{m.} Duell (who had been indicted at the Old Bayley for a Rape and had received sentence of Death for the same) was carryed to Tyburne in order to be executed where having hung some time was cutt down and brought to this Company’s Hall in order to be dissected where he had not been five minutes before Life appeared in him & being let blood and other means used for his recovery in less than two hours he sat upright drank some warm wine and lookˀd often round him and before he was carryed back to Newgate which was about Twelve o’the Clock at Night he severall times pronounced distinctly the word DONT when anybody touched him though was thought to be mostly insensible of anything but paine which in a great measure he endured by his most violent screamings & was often in strong convulsions in his bowells which he then exprest by applying his hands to those parts.

The Sheriffs having ordered him back to Newgate he was carryed out in a blankett putt into a Coach & was seemingly much composed & quiet not making any manner of noise wherein 3 or 4 days time he recovered sufficient to converse & eat & drink very freely but never could give any reasonable account of what had passed. He afterwards obtained a reprieve in order to be transported for life which he was accordingly in the 16th year of his age. (_Vide_ his Tryall in the Sessions paper of that time.)

The Wardens’ accounts give the following particulars relative to this case:--

£ _s._ _d._

Paid the Beadles their expences in bringing the last Body from Tyburne 2 19 0

Paid the Officers of the Two Compters 2 2 0

Paid Joseph Wheeler the Company’s Clerk his Coach hire and expences in attending the Sheriffs when the Body came to life 0 10 0

Paid the Chairwoman for her trouble and expences about the Body 0 5 0

A somewhat similar account of the foregoing circumstance will be found in Maitland’s London (ed. 1756), Vol. I, p. 613, and also in the Gentleman’s Magazine, Vol. X, p. 570.

SURGICAL LECTURES AND DEMONSTRATIONS.

There are many references throughout the books to the Lectures and Demonstrations of Anatomy at our Hall, as well as indications that from the period of Incorporation (1462), if not earlier, the Company took care to provide for the professional education of its members and apprentices, and to increase their proficiency in Surgical science.

[Footnote: The initial letter ~T~ is reduced from one in the Audit Book, 1612-13.]

In addition to the Examiners in Surgery (who though not necessarily members of the Court of Assistants were often consulted by the Masters or Governors) there were chosen “Masters and Stewards of the Anatomy,” generally two Masters and two Stewards, on whom devolved the duty of conducting the Demonstrations, and arranging for the Dinners which invariably followed. The exact duties of these officials are not at all times clearly defined, though elsewhere will be found allusions to, and orders concerning their offices and functions, but it may be generally taken that the Stewards dissected and prepared the body, the Masters reading the Lectures thereon to the assembled Surgeons and their apprentices.

These Demonstrations usually took place four times in the year, and were termed “Public Anatomies,” from the fact that the subject was generally a public body, _i.e._, a malefactor, and the attendance of the free Surgeons was compulsory on these occasions; besides these Public Anatomies, there were also an indefinite number of “Private Anatomies” held at the Hall, and at these the attendance was by invitation. It was illegal for any one to dissect a “humane bodye” within the limits of the Company’s jurisdiction without the permission of the Masters or Governors, and whenever a Surgeon was desirous to anatomatize some specially interesting subject, it was termed a “Private Anatomy,” and generally performed at the Hall by permission, the Surgeon inviting his own friends and pupils, and the Court inviting whom they chose. (See the curious entry as to a Private Anatomy, page 321.)

Besides the Demonstrations of Anatomy, public and private, there were several other lectures delivered (oftentimes once a week) by members of the College of Physicians and members of the Company; two of these, which were trusts, the Arrisian Lecture and Gale’s Anatomy still survive I believe, at the Royal College of Surgeons; the others were provided by the Company out of their corporate funds.

Among some loose papers at the Hall, I found a MS. relating to the lectures, which I lent to Mr. D’Arcy Power, who incorporated it in his work, as “Appendix M.” I have since compared this document with the original minutes, and finding it somewhat incorrect and imperfect, have prepared the following more accurate account.

Previous to 1566 Dr. William Cunningham was Reader at the Hall. He was author of the “Cosmographical Glasse containing the pleasant principles of Cosmographie Geographie Hydrographie or Navigation,” London, 1599. fo. Dr. Cunningham resided at Norwich 1556-9, whence he removed to London. He wrote a letter prefacing John Hall’s book against the “beastlye abusers” of Surgery, which is dated at Coleman Street, 18th April, 1565, and he also wrote a recommendatory letter in Thomas Gale’s “Certeine workes of Chirurgerie,” London, 1586. 4{to.}

14th January, 1567. Here was m{r} doctor Julyo & he made request y{t} he myghte have the worke of the anathomy these iiij{or} or fyve yeres so y{t} the coledge of the phicysions sholde not put hym frome us & also y{t} he myghte have pˀvat anathomyes at his demaund in this howse.

16th January, 1567. ~How that~ doctor Julius borgarneyns shall make ow{r} anathomyes.

~Also forder more It ys ordayned.~ That M{r} Julius borgarniens doctor in physyck w{th}in the Cytie of London unto his request accordyngly Is graunted That for and by the space of fyve yeres shall make and worke ow{r} anathomyes and skellytons Condycionally That at any Tyme and tymes w{th}in in the for saide terme of fyve yeres y{t} yf yt happen the above named m{r} doctor Julius borgarneins to be sycke or oute of Towne or by any other manner his Lawfull absence That then yt shalbe Lawfull to and for the m{r} and govˀno{rs} and y{r} successors To take any other doctor and make ow{r} anathomyes and skellytons and not ellꝭ other wyse as by a paire of Indentures and Covenantꝭ bearynge date frome the xiij{th} daye of August in an{o} dn{i} 1566 and in the viij{th} yere of ow{r} Sovˀaigne lady Quene Elyzabeth as by the same Indentures more at large yt doth testefye the one beyng sealed w{th} the Seale of the mystery and the m{r} and govˀno{rs} for the tyme then beinge have subscrybed y{r} names & markes and unto the oth{r} Indenture the saide doctor Julius burgarniens hath subscrybed his name & have put y{r} unto his seale.

~How that~ the anathomystꝭ shall Leave of theyre Excessyve and extraordenary charges in y{r} expencꝭ

~Also yt is ordayned.~ That John morland shall abyde and stande M{r} of the Anathomye accordynge unto an ordenañce in that behalf pˀvyded and Ordayned, and he also shall beare his portion of the Charges of the same accordingly as hertofore yt hathe bene usually acostomed and yt is fully condesended and agreed that the saide John morelande shall in and for good consideraciõ of his silvered yeres, set and Requyer any one of this saide Cõpany To make Sexcions w{th} the doctor as hymsylf and in his behalf upon the saide Corps or bodye and yf he wyll ~And also~ forder more yt is ordayned by thaucthorytie aforesaide That hereafter the saide m{r} and stewardꝭ of the anathomyes shall not brynge in theyre accomptes any moñy by them or any of them spente or layed forthe at the Tavernes or ellꝭ where at theire sondry metingꝭ but the mere and only exspencꝭ defrayed and paide oute for the Gates and other necessarys at the hall pˀpared for the same tyme and not ellꝭ otherwyse And also the saide anathomistꝭ shall frome hence forwardꝭ put of and laye aparte theire Sooppars[223] and all others y{r} wastefull and excessyve charges and exspenceꝭ by the w{ch} theire accomptꝭ amounteth unto the greter Som̃es. And also John Staple upon his humble request made is lycenced not to be stewarde in this yere, and m{r} bovy is chosen and admytted to be stewarde of the saide anathomy and shall also pˀcede to m{r} of the nexte[224] unto order accordingly.

[223] Suppers. [224] _i.e._, proceed to be Master of the Anatomy next year.

17th January, 1575. It was agreed by this whole howse that m{r} docto{r} Smythe sholde wo{r}k upon Thannatomye for the space of thies iiij yeres next coming and yf he be sick or oute of the Towne to take there choyse where they will.

20th December, 1577. M{r} Thomas Hall to desect the Anatomies.

Thomas Hall (see pp. 183, 187) was a Member of the Court of Assistants, and a brother of the John Hall referred to on p. 314.

1st July, 1596. M{r} Docto{r} Paddy ys chosen to be the desecto{r} of o{r} Anathomies yf yt shall pleas him to accept of the same And also xx{s} ys geven yerelie to the Anathomistꝭ more then they were accustomed to have in regard that suche Doctor{s} of Phisick as shall associate the said M{r} Docto{r} shalbe invited to dyner at the good liking of the masters or governo{rs} from tyme to tyme.

23rd November, 1609. Att this Court upon the motion made by S{r} William Paddy Knighte and at his earnest request and suite made to this Courte and uppon the surrenderinge up of his place which he held for the redinge of the Anathomyes lectures for discection thereof It is by a generall consent of the whole Courte agreed That M{r} Doctor Gwyn doctor in Phisicke shall from henceforth possesse his place in the Hall for readinge of the discection of the Anathomy Att such tymes and when as any such shall happen or be.

28th March, 1610. This day wee had the bodie of one . . . . . . to descect for an Anotomy & M{r} Docter Gwyn did reede upon the same.

17th September, 1612. This daye itt is ordered (upon a motion by the M{r} propounded touchinge that one of the Colledge shold read in this howse the weeklie lectures of Surgery on Tewsdaies) That the M{rs} shall conferr with M{r} President of the Phisitions Colledge to see whether they will give Consent that M{r} Docto{r} Davis or some other sufficient phisition whome the company shall please shall read the weeklie lectures in o{r} howse And yf the president & Colledge shall not consent thereto then this howse is to deale & compound with some other of our owne company to read their lecture in this howse whereof ye M{rs} are to make certificatt unto the said M{r} President And to take such order that the howse maye not in anywise be charged towards y{e} same Lecture.

6th October, 1612. This daie upon the motion made of M{r} Doctor Gwyne to be lecturer Itt is by this Court ordered that the said M{r} Docto{r} Gwyne shalbe reader of the weekelie lectures of surgery w{ch} the said M{r} Docto{r} accepted of In Considerac͠on whereof the M{rs} have allowed unto the said M{r} Doctor Gwyne an yerelie paym{t} of x{li} to contynew soe long as he shall be reder of the lecture.

19th September, 1616. M{r} Doctor Gwyne is by this Court ordered & entreated that he wold proceed in his reading of o{r} lectures out of Gwydoes Surgery.

13th December, 1627. Alsoe this daye o{r} M{r} propounding to this Courte that where as M{r} Docto{r} Gwin our lecturer is lately dead by reason whereof wee are destitute of a lecturer it is very expedient either to choose a Doctor to Reade our lectures on tuesdayes or every Surgion in his turne according to his antiquitye to reade his lecture as formerly the Surgions of this house hath bene used, whereupon deliberac͠on being had it is by this Court fully concluded and agreed that our weekely lectures shalbe reade according to the auncient custome of the Companie by the Surgions of our Companie approved according to lawe and that it shall begin with the auncientest Maister M{r} Richard Mapes and soe after every Surgion in his antiquitye and degree in the Companie.

Alsoe it is further ordered that dureing the tyme of reading of such lecture none of the audience shall interrupt or question the reader till the hower be runn out, and the lecture ended, at which tyme it shalbe lawfull for the M{rs} and Wardeins and the examiners then present (if any error have bene comitted by such lecturer) to question such reader and to make manifest wherein he hath erred.

23rd October, 1628. Alsoe this daye M{r} Doctor Andrewes is freely and loveingly chosen to be our reader at the next publique Anathomye to be holden in this Hall.

9th April, 1632. Alsoe this Court takeing into their considerations the greate care and paines of M{r} Doctor Andrewes in his agitac͠ons and yearely readinge of our lectures in tyme of the discections of the publique Anathomyes for this fower yeares past doe nowe order that there shalbe given him xiij{li} vj{s} viij{d} as of the free guift of this house for his paines therefore.

16th June, 1632. And as concerning the order for reading of lectures in Surgerye by an approved surgion of this Companie, this Court did againe deliberate upon the same and every one of the Assistants declared his opinion therein and the pluralitie of voyces was to have lectures read by the approved Surgians of this house according to our ordinances and not by a Doctor of phisick.

20th December, 1632. Alsoe o{r} Soveraigne Lord Kinge Charles his Letter directed to this Court was here openly reade and thereupon this Court in all obedient duetye and loyaltie to o{r} soveraigne Lord the Kings pleasure signified in that letter doe make mc͠on of M{r} Docto{r} Andrewes to be the weekely lecturer in surgerye for o{r} Companie upon such Court dayes as wee are accustomed to keepe.

28th December, 1632. This daye was reade in Court the letter directed to o{r} M{r} from M{r} Richard Andrews Docto{r} in Phisick whereby he doth desire to be excused from reading o{r} weekely lectures in Surgerye, & thereupon this Court did goe to a new election, takeing notice of M{r} Alex: Reade Docto{r} in Phisick approved by the Colledge of Phisitians London whoe was bredd a Chirurgian in ffraunce and hath bene a long time free of o{r} Companie did make choice of the said Docto{r} Reade to be o{r} Lecturer in Surgerye at such dayes and tymes as by order of Court is formerly ordered by this Court. And this Court doth further order that evˀy Surgian in the Lecture bill shall yearely paye towards the reading of such Lecture a certeyne some pˀticulerly, and that all those moneys gathered being cast up to a totall some shall out of the stock of this house be yearely made up xx{li} compleately for the said Docto{rs} Readeing.

Among a collection of old books on Surgery, in my possession, is a small quarto by Dr. Read (dedicated to Thomas, Lord Windsor, who was free of the Barber-Surgeons) and entitled:--