Dionysius Wielobycki (1813 – 16 November 1882) was a 19th century Polish doctor living in Scotland. A controversial homeopath during a period of scientific focus, his adventurous life ranged from being a soldier in the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31) (), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in Russian Partition, the heartland of Partitions of Poland, partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. ...

and being a noted astronomer to being found guilty of

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

in the British courts. He was fluent in Polish, German, French and English.

Life

He was born the second son of Stanislaw Wielobycki a judge and his wife Sophie Soboloska in 1813. The family had lived initially in Byten in the

Wolyn Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in Ukraine it is roughly ...

region in what is now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

then moved west to what is now

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

(but was then

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

territory) in or near

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, where he studied Medicine. He would have spoken both German and Polish. He was a member of the Kraków Astronomical Society. In 1830/31 he and his whole family took arms in a local fight for independence from Russia (

) and recognition of their Polish identity. His father was a Captain in this resistance movement. Initially studying Science at

Kraków University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the wor ...

and

Bonn University The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Will ...

under a false (German) name, he obtained a PhD at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

in 1837. Originally intending to stay in Kraków his role in the 1830 rebellion was exposed and he was imprisoned in Kraków. He escaped and managed to evade capture in a 900km cross country trip to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. In 1839 he left Germany with his older brother Severin Wielobycki, sailing from

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

. He initially made a living teaching French (which was more in demand than Polish or German. In 1841 he enrolled at

Edinburgh University The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and offi ...

with his brother, both studying Medicine. They received their doctorate (MD) in 1843 and his brother left to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

soon thereafter (but returned to Britain and worked in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

). His dissertation was on "plica polonica". From 1843 to 1845 he was assistant surgeon at the Royal Maternity Hospital. He was created a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (LRCPE). He was then living at 35 York Place, Edinburgh. He decided to focus in the field of

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths or homeopathic physicians, believe that a substance that ...

and joined Drs Francis Black and

John Rutherford Russell John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

in the Stockbridge Homeopathic Dispensary. Up to this time he was living at a flat at 25 Montagu Street in the south of the city. Immediately successful as a homeopath, in 1850 he took premises at 59

Queen Street, Edinburgh Queen Street is the northernmost east-west street in Edinburgh's New Town, Edinburgh#The First New Town, First New Town. It begins in the east, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. It links York Place, Edinburgh, York Place with the Moray ...

, one of the best addresses in the city, standing on a prominent corner. Sadly in 1852 Edinburgh medical society rallied against him and he and his brother Severin were stripped of their Licentiate. He moved to a slightly smaller ground floor and basement house at 55 Queen Street in 1855. He appears to have had many affluent clients in

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original Neoclassicism, neo-classical and Georgian architecture, Georgian period architecture. Its ...

and his stealing of wealthy clients from the Edinburgh medical establishment continued as a friction. In 1856 he was charged with forging the will of a patient and making himself the beneficiary. This concerned the Darling family of Portobello. Thomas Darling had left his estate to his sisters: Margaret and Isabella. Wiebolycki in conspiracy with Isabella forged a will of Margaret (who died a few months after Thomas). He had already got Isabella to leave her estate to him. The crime, whilst proven, was somewhat futile as Isabella would have inherited from Margaret with or without a will. The sum concerned was £1200. He was found guilty and sentenced to be transported to Australia for 14 years. Going into hiding in England he was apprehended on 28 November 1856. He spent time in various prisons:

Wakefield Prison His Majesty's Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. The prison has been nicknamed the "Monster Mansion" along with HM Prison Frankland due to the large num ...

Lewes Prison His Majesty's Prison Lewes is a local category B prison located in Lewes in East Sussex, England. The term local means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners. The prison is operated by His Maj ...

and the infamous

Dartmoor Prison HM Prison Dartmoor is a Prison security categories in the United Kingdom, Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, England, Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the mo ...

where he spent from July 1859 until February 1862. He was then released after appeal to the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, his defence being led by the

Dean of Faculty Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usu ...

of Scotland himself. In 1862 he was living in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

and running a homeopathic clinic there on Granby Street. From 1871 until death he was living at 3

George Square, Edinburgh George Square () is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is in the south of the city centre, adjacent to the Meadows. It was laid out in 1766 outside the overcrowded Old Town, and was a popular residential area for Edinburgh's better-off c ...

. In 1881 he got back in the news: suing Isaac Atkinson,BMY vol 2, 1882 an affluent tailor living at 12 St Andrew Square in the city centre. Atkinson was obliged to return £107 to the doctor. He died in Edinburgh on 16 November 1882 and is buried in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hi ...

in the south of the city. The grave lies in an obscured location backing onto the south side of the central vaults on their east side.

Family

In 1871, shortly before return to Edinburgh, he married Henrietta Felicia Kierblewska Kennedy ("Lady Felice") of 5 Eldon Place in

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

. Her real background is still unknown, though there were suppositions that she was the daughter of Stephen Kennedy Esq. After his death his wife styled herself "Baroness Wielobycka" and married a Dr Robert MacHardy LLD, the organist at Edinburgh Cathedral. They travelled around Europe. However their lavish lifestyle exhausted their funds. She was forced to sell 3 George Square to pay debts and they lived then in humble house at

Lesmahagow Lesmahagow ( ; or ''Lesmahagae'', ) is a small town in the historic county of Lanarkshire on the edge of moorland, near Lanark in the central belt of Scotland. Lesmahagow was also a civil parish. It lies west of the M74 motorway, M74, and sout ...

before final years in a cottage ("hut") on Whitehill Close near Chapel farm in the parish of

Strathaven Strathaven ( ; from ) is a historic market town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland and is the largest settlement in Avondale. It is south of Hamilton. The Powmillon Burn runs through the town centre, and joins the Avon Water to the east of the to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wielobycki, Dionysius 1813 births 1882 deaths People from Kraków Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh British homeopaths Forgers