Sir Simon Baskerville, M.D. (1574–1641) was an

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physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

Life

Baskerville, son of Thomas Baskerville, ( apothecary and sometimes one of the stewards of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, who was descended from the ancient family of the Baskervilles in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

), was baptised at the church of

St. Mary Major The Basilica of Saint Mary Major ( it, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, ; la, Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris), or church of Santa Maria Maggiore, is a Major papal basilica as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome and the larges ...

, Exeter, on 27 October 1574. After receiving a suitable preliminary education, he was sent to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, was taught under Dr Thomas Holland, and matriculated on 10 March 1591 as a member of Exeter College, where he was placed under the care of

William Helm William Helm (March 9, 1837 – April 10, 1919) was the largest individual sheep farmer and noteworthy among the early pioneer settlers of Fresno County, California. He was instrumental in the growth and prosperity of the San Joaquin Valley. ...

, a man famous for his piety and learning. On the first vacancy, he was elected a fellow of the college before he had graduated B.A., and he did not take that degree until 8 July 1596. Subsequently, he proceeded M.A. On the occasion of King James I's visit to the university, Baskerville was "chosen as a prime person to dispute before him in the philosophic art, which he performed with great applause of his majesty, who was not only there as a hearer, but as an accurate judge". Turning his attention to the study of physic, he graduated M.B. on 20 June 1611 and was afterward created doctor in that faculty. He seems to have practiced at Oxford for some years with considerable success. Then he removed to London, where he was admitted a candidate in the College of Physicians on 18 April 1614 and a fellow on 20 March 1614–15. He was censor of the college in 1615 and several subsequent years, anatomy reader in 1626, and consiliarius in 1640. He attained to great eminence in his profession and was appointed physician to James I and afterwards to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, who conferred on him the honour of knighthood 30 August 1636.as Dr. Baldwin Hamey wrote: "Rex autem in Bibliotheca Oxoniensi, tanquam in acie sui generis instructissima eundem in Equestrem cooptavit". It is related that he had no fewer than a hundred patients a week, and that he amassed so much wealth as to acquire the title of "Sir Simon Baskerville the rich". Further it is recorded of him "that he was a great friend to the clergy and the inferior loyal gentry", insomuch that "he never took a fee of an orthodox minister under a dean, nor of any suffering

cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...

in the cause of

under a gentleman of an hundred a year, but with physick to their bodies generally gave relief to their necessities". He died on 5 July 1641 and was buried in

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...

, where a mural monument, with a Latin

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, was erected to his memory.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Baskerville, Simon 1574 births 1641 deaths 16th-century English medical doctors 17th-century English medical doctors Burials at St Paul's Cathedral English knights Medical doctors from Exeter Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Fellows of Exeter College, Oxford