Barber-Surgeons Company

“ Its membership, however, was select, and when the physicians declined an alliance with it, it amalgamated with the barber companies in 1540. The United Company of Barbers and Surgeons was peculiar in that strangers and those who were not free men were admitted, while the journeymen of the craft formed a subordinate body within the company. In 1745 the surgeons separated from the barbers and formed a surgeon's company which rapidly acquired influence. ”

“ He never knew of the Barbers interfering in or giving interruption to examinations, and he never heard any fact mentioned as a reason for the separation desired by the Surgeons, except that a great many foreign brothers (who are gentlemen that practise both in and out of town) refuse to come into the Company on account of the present expense. ”

“ On 15 Jan. 1598, and again 20 July 1607, he was appointed an examiner of candidates for admission to the freedom of the Barber-Surgeons' Company, then exercising as complete control of the surgeons practising in London as the various medical boards do at the present time. ”

“ TURNER, DANIEL (1667–1741) , physician, born in London in 1667, became a member of the Barber-Surgeons' Company. He practised as a surgeon, and describes consultations with Charles Bernard [q. v.] (Skin Diseases, pp. 24, 32) . In 1695 he published ‘Apologia Chyrurgica, a Vindication of the Noble Art of Chyrurgery,’ and in 1709 ‘A Remarkable Case in Surgery.’ On 16 Aug. 1711 he was permitted to retire from the Barber-Surgeons' Company on payment of a fine of 50l. ”

“ Clause 19 provides that any freemen of the mystery who shall use any arts, trades or sciences other than Surgery “shall be accepted, reputed, adjudged and taken for Barbars.” Empirics and impostors were to be rigorously dealt with, and the Court was to have supervision over all Navy Surgeons, their chests, medicines and instruments. No Barbers or Surgeons were to be impressed for the Navy without license of the Court, and numerous regulations were made for the government of the Company.
The document is signed by Richard Earl of Portland, Lord Treasurer ”

“ Of these two fraternities, the Barbers by the regular and every day nature of their calling, as shavers and hair cutters, together with the practice of Surgery combined by so many of them, were the most likely to become the more popular Company; their fees would surely be on a lower scale than those of the more aristocratic Surgeons, and their numbers and constant intercourse with the citizens, in their capacity as Barbers, enabled them easily to extend their connection as Surgeons. ”

“ Armed with this additional authority, the Surgeons’ Guild again sought to interfere with and scrutinize the Barber-Surgeons of the Barbers’ Company. These latter, however, must have had good friends at Court, and were not slow in asserting and obtaining confirmation of their rights and privileges, as will be seen by reference to the following record in Letter-Book K. 27B.:—
1424. ”

“ The Barber-Surgeons’ Company has at various periods in its history possessed large quantities of plate, a great deal of which is now unfortunately lost to us, most of it having been parted with during the troublous times of the seventeenth century, when the money demands made upon the Company necessitated its sale. We have however, been fortunate in preserving some very distinctive and beautiful plate, among which are no less than three Royal gifts from Sovereigns of England, viz., Henry VIII, Charles II, and Anne. ”

“ Being asked what proportion the Barbers pay to the Poor’s Box, he said that the greatest part of the income applied to that use arises from the examination of Sea Surgeons, but that the Apprentices of Barbers (who are as twenty to one) always pay when bound at the Hall, and at their admission to the freedom, as well as the Surgeons.
Mr. Hayward put before the Committee a statement of the fines received by the Company, which was as follows—
The Clerk’s and Beadle’s fees are not included in the above. ”

“ This “Composition” is of so interesting a nature that it is here given in full, as extracted from the fine old Book of Ordinances at the Hall; it did not unite the two bodies in any way beyond this, that they agreed to follow the same rules and practice with regard to the government of all Surgeons; that each guild was to choose two Wardens, and that the four so chosen were to act in a conjoint capacity as rulers or masters in matters surgical, and thus comprehend all Surgeons, whether of the Barbers’ Company, the Surgeons’ Guild, or “foreyns.” ”

“ Hitherto we have considered two distinct and somewhat hostile fraternities, the Surgeons on the one hand, and on the other the Barbers (consisting of Barbers and Barber-Surgeons) , both of them City Guilds, existing by prescription, having independent rules and Ordinances for their government and the scrutiny and correction of abuses in their respective Crafts, the former Company few in number, the latter far more numerous and popular; the Surgeons without, and the Barbers with, a Livery. ”

“ That the Barbers are generally present at the four public lectures of Anatomy, two of which are at the expense of the Company, the other two being at the expense of the Surgeons. That the Demonstrators of Anatomy and Osteology are chosen by the whole Court of Assistants (fifteen of whom are Barbers, and fifteen Surgeons) . That he apprehends the present union is the reason why so many persons do not bind their sons apprentice at the Hall. ”

“ I may here take the opportunity to remark that the Barbers and Barber-Surgeons held a somewhat distinctive position apart from other Companies, inasmuch as they were a Professional rather than a Trade Guild, and their History, consequently, becomes invested with an especial interest. Another point to which I, as a Barber, am proud to refer is that our Company stood out, alone, as the pioneer of Technical Education, hundreds of years before it became as popular as it now is. ”

“ The original charter to the Barber-Surgeons provided that the two mysteries of barbery and surgery should be kept distinct, and it gave facilities for obtaining the bodies of executed felons for purposes of anatomical98 study. There is no doubt that the anatomy lectures at the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall preceded those given by the physicians. The necessity of a knowledge of anatomy must have been felt daily by these early surgeons, and, like practical men, they took steps to supply their wants. The giving of these lectures, a physician being appointed lecturer, was the chief work of the Company. ”

“ Item. It is ordained that each Master who shall choose any other man to be in his place, that is to say for to be Master; he who shall choose such man to be Master for the year shall be bound by himself for him, in an obligation to the Company for the money.36
It agrees with the Record,
William Colet.
Coeval with our Company of Barbers there existed in the City of London, another Fraternity or Guild, that of the Surgeons, in no way connected with the Barbers, but, like them, existing by prescription only and unincorporated. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Surgeons in the City and suburbs, as also the oversight of all their instruments and medicines, etc., and to have the power of inflicting punishment, by fine or imprisonment, on offenders. None were to practise Surgery until examined and approved by the Masters and presented to the Mayor, and authority was given for the freemen of the Company to be admitted into the freedom of the City. ”

“ At this Court Robert Young who was the apprentice of James Phillips Surgeon was admitted into the freedom of the Company by service and was sworn, and the said Mr Young at the same time took the Livery, and his master Mr Phillips out of his own bounty and a just sense of the diligent and faithfull services of the said Robert Young during his Apprenticeship did not only pay the charges of the said Mr Young’s freedom but did likewise bestow upon him his fine for the Livery being ten pounds. ”

“ With land at its present enormous value, it is not to be wondered at, though much to be regretted, that the Company has turned every available inch to account; and the medical antiquary who now goes in search of this, to us, almost sacred edifice, will need to be warned that it is hemmed in and hidden by warehouses. It was in 154097 that Henry VIII. gave a charter to the Barber-Surgeons, and Holbein’s famous picture of this event is the chief treasure of the Barbers’ Hall, which contains many other relics of medical interest. ”

“ His old master, Charles Bernard, died in October, 1710, and it seems that Dickins succeeded him when quite a young man in the important office of Serjeant-Surgeon. In 1728 he was Warden of the Barber-Surgeons, and in 1729 Master of the Company. He was Surgeon to St. George’s Hospital 1733–38. On the separation of the Surgeons from the Barbers in 1745, Mr. Dickins became an Assistant of the Surgeons’ Company and an Examiner of Surgeons. He probably died in 1747, as on 7th September in that year Mr. Cæsar Hawkins was appointed Serjeant-Surgeon in his place. ”

“ Several Barbers were prosecuted for exercising their Trade within the limits of the Company’s Charters and brought to terms, generally they became freemen, and then were compelled to come on to the livery ”

“ If a freemen desired to start in business, the By-laws of 1530 required that he should prove to the Court as an act precedent to his so doing, that he was possessed of goods to the value of ten marks.
A certain class of members called “Foreign Brothers” are very frequently alluded to in the Books, and it has been a matter of some difficulty to ascertain what their status exactly was, but by collation of numerous entries I have come to the conclusion that, with very few exceptions, they were all of them practising Surgeons, and that they had not been apprenticed to freemen of the Company. ”

“ If practising within the jurisdiction of the Company, they were compelled to join, or else to forbear to practise, and it seems that on admission they were required to satisfy the Court by the production of their Indentures of apprenticeship to Country or other Surgeons that they had duly served seven years, and to give ample proof of their skill and knowledge before the Examiners ”

“ From the middle of the fifteenth century the Company was careful to provide for Surgical Lectures, and the regular and systematic instruction of its members. The means originally employed may have been primitive, but they were dictated by high motives, and gradually extended and developed; a Museum (a poor one, it is true) and a valuable Library were founded, an Anatomical Theatre was built, and every opportunity taken to encourage the Scientific study of Surgery—all with results fraught with the greatest benefit, not only to London, but to the Kingdom at large. ”

“ It was ordained that every member attending the dinner the day on which the Wardens were presented to the Lord Mayor was to pay 20d., and if he brought his wife with him, then 2s.
The Barber-Surgeons from the earliest times appear to have entertained the ladies at certain feasts, and their unique toast “The Good Wives, Merry Maids and Buxom Widows of the Worshipful Company of Barbers” is traditionally said to have had its origin in Elizabeth’s time. ”

“ The greatest care was taken of him, as may be understood from the directions which the Barber Surgeons gave to their Stewards in Anatomy or those members of the Company who were appointed to supervise the arrangements for the lectures. They were ordered “to see and provide that there be every year a mat about the hearth in the Hall that Mr. Doctor be made not to take cold upon his feet, nor other gentlemen that do come and mark the Anatomy to learn knowledge. And further that there be two fine white rods appointed for the Doctor to touch the body where it shall please him ”

“ We here get the foundations of our present coat of arms; the fleams representing the old Barber-Surgeons or Barbers, and the crowned rose and spatula the Surgeons proper, both of which were introduced into one shield in 1561, and quartered in 1569.
On either side of the shield of the Surgeons’ Arms stands a Saint habited as a doctor or physician, one of whom holds a medical vessel in his right hand, while the other has a box of ointment and a spatula, indicative of their being professors of the healing art. These are the patron Saints of the Company, Cosmus and Damianus. Mrs. ”

“ In 1662 Sir John was elected Master of the Grocers’ Company and also President of Christ’s Hospital, which latter office he held until 1683. In the Parliament of 1660 he represented Dartmouth; on the 10th March, 1663, he was elected one of the Members for the City and so continued until the dissolution in January, 1679. In 1674 he gave £100 towards rebuilding Barber-Surgeons’ Hall; he also repaired and fitted up the Great Hall at Christ’s Hospital at a cost of £5,000. In 1664 he bore the expense of bringing the Conduit Water from Gray’s Inn Fields to the Hospital. ”

“ It was ordered that the Master and Wardens, with four of the Ancient Masters, should for the “worship & credytt of this Company,” yearly go and visit the Lord Mayor at dinner, and that 20s. each should be allowed them for their “charges” of the same. This allowance of 20s. each was probably given to some officer of the Lord Mayor to secure his favour towards the Company.
6th February, 1613. An order was made that at the dinner after any private anatomy, any of the Livery, either Barbers or Surgeons, might come thereto on payment of 12d. each. ”