Bridget Bostock (born c. 1678, died after 1749), also known as the Cheshire Doctoress, was a faith healer who spent her entire life in

Coppenhall Coppenhall is a small settlement in Staffordshire, England. Coppenhall lies southwest of Stafford and NNW of Penkridge with Baron Stafford as lord of the manor. The parish of ~ is bounded on the east by the Pothooks Brook. The centre of the v ...

, Cheshire. She had been working as a healer for many years, employing "fasting spittle, a little liquor of ‘a red complexion’, touch, and prayer", but came to national prominence after she was featured in a local newspaper in August 1748, when she was about 70 years of age. Her fame became such that by the following month she was receiving 600–700 visitors a day seeking her assistance, and she soon decided that she would only see those she had dealt with before or who were deaf. Sir John Price, a Welsh

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, repeatedly importuned Bostock to raise his wife from the dead, but she refused. Bostock was reported to be a regular churchgoer and a person of great faith by the minister of her church, William Harding of

St Lawrence's Church, Coppenhall St Lawrence's Church, Coppenhall is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in Coppenhall, Staffordshire. History The small ancient church of St. Lawrence, built c.1200, and described by Pevsner as "a perfect 13th century vill ...

https://books.google.com/books?id=QVepDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT118&dq=william+harding+coppenhall+church&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjKwqXr09H6AhXBElkFHR2JCBsQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=coppenhall%20church&f=false whose son claimed that she had cured his lameness. Nothing is known of her after 1749.

References

Notes Citations Bibliography * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bostock, Bridget Faith healers

See also

References