FORRESTER, William | British History Online

Physicians and Irregular Medical Practitioners in London 1550-1640 Database. Originally published by Centre for Metropolitan History, London, 2004.

'FORRESTER, William', in Physicians and Irregular Medical Practitioners in London 1550-1640 Database, (London, 2004) pp. . British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-physicians/1550-1640/forrester-william [accessed 20 April 2024]

William FORRESTER

Biography


Name	William FORRESTER (FORESTER)
Gender	Male
Primary occupation	medical physician (MD) (Physician. ?Apothecary's servant before 1611. [?NOT Clergyman 1608 1614.])
Period of medical practice	1591-1621
Place of birth	England (of Cambridgeshire)
Date of death	Nov 1621
Address	St Katherines by the Tower 1621
Other notes	Trouble 1601-14. Ca 1607. Lic med & surg from Cantab 1608. Confused with 283 James Forster - MA & clergyman.

Known London address


	St Katherine by the Tower
Parish	St Katherine's Hospital (St Katherine at the Tower)
Ward	Portsoken
Date	1621

Censorial hearings


	18 July 1594
Entry	John Green of Rutland complained that F had cheated him of a large sum of money for the treatment of a fractured tibia caused by a kick from a horse, which he had not carried out successfully. F had often purged G with pills & vomit. Mr Burton, a gentleman of Gray's Inn, complained on similar grounds - had paid £3 10s. (another £3 10s. to follow on completion of cure) and had been purged and vomited, but not cured. F had not answered the summons.
Initiator of the complaint	patient
Second initiator of the complaint	patient
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	F to be fined £10 and imprisoned.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Fined £10 and imprisoned (when found)
Number of crimes	2
	30 March 1607
Entry	Mr Huxley of Cheapside complained about F because last Christmas when he had undertaken the treatment of his wife he had taken £20 in advance: not only had he not kept his promise but also due to extreme negligence he had allowed the woman he should have cured to die. A certain man Skidmor had paid £5 for a cure, and F did nothing. Summoned, F refused to come without a public pledge of his return.
Initiator of the complaint	spouse of the patient
Second initiator of the complaint	patient
Action taken	F refused to appear.
Number of crimes	1
	7 Aug 1607
Entry	F, having been summoned, did not come: he sent however a letter in which he stated that he had been given a licence by the university to practise freely, in whatever place, without the interference of anyone.
Action taken	?
	22 Dec 1607
Entry	Dr Jordan & Dr Clement accused F and desired him to be summoned.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Second initiator of the complaint	college member
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	To be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	2
	1 July 1608
Entry	The Beadle was ordered to summon F (and others) to the next Comitia.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	F to be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
	10 April 1609
Entry	The President (Dr Atkins) mentioned a few complaints against F.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	?
Verdict	case not completed
	11 Aug 1609
Entry	Mr Whetnoll made a serious charge against F. See E.
Initiator of the complaint	person unconnected with the patient or the case
Action taken	See E.
Sentence	?
Number of crimes	1
	m S John B 1610
Entry	F (and others) had been recently indicted, and had promised to be at hand to prove the case. The Fellows were asked to collect evidence of illicit and ill practice against F (and others).
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Evidence to be collected against F.
	1 Oct 1610
Entry	The President giving warning about the quacks urged that action should be taken against them and asked the Fellows with regard to Tenant, Forman and F to collect all the evidence they could concerning the people, month or day.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Evidence to be collected against F.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	To be prosecuted at law
	19 Jan 1611
Entry	F appeared. The Attorney General (presum after finding him guilty) had requested mercy for him. F agreed to pay £10 for a licence, but refused an examination because he already had a licence from Cambridge. He denied purging Lady May of Holywell (a consumptive) to death in 1609, and claimed to have been taught medicine as an apothecary's servant by Dr Rawlins. Said he had travelled abroad.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	Dismissed, but his `extreme impudence' was complained of to Att Gen
Number of crimes	1
	13 July 1596
Entry	A certain F appeared who denied absolutely that he had practised medicine, but when he was strongly pressed he confessed that he had adminstered a clyster in which he had put Diaphaenicon and Benedicta Laxativa (which he called the Benedicta medicine) to a certain man at the Sign of the Mill; the patient had died. As a purge he had prescribed Diaprunum Solutinum and Electuarium e Sucra Rosarum ana 1 oz.
Action taken	?
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	1 Oct 1596
Entry	F was in list of persons to be summoned.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	To be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
	4 Nov 1597
Entry	F was accused by Maurice Abbot of having given his pregnant wife, who had been spitting blood, an emetic, then a purgative on the same day. This caused a miscarriage in 3 days, then death in 6 days.
Initiator of the complaint	spouse of the patient
Action taken	?
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	2 Nov 1599
Entry	Citatory letters against F (and others) were to be written.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	To be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
	5 June 1601
Entry	It was decided that WF, practitioner, should be arrested as soon as possible.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	F to be arrested.
Verdict	case not completed
	5 May 1602
Entry	Margaret Peacock complained that a vomit given by F three weeks previously had killed her husband, who had taken the medicine at 5 p.m. on a Friday and had had about 100 stools and vomits until he died after a haemorrhage at 9 p.m. on the Saturday.
Initiator of the complaint	spouse of the patient
Action taken	Imprisoned in Wood Street Counter.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Imprisoned in Wood Street Counter
Number of crimes	1
	25 June 1602
Entry	F had been released from the Wood Street prison without the College's permission. College to sue the Keeper, Mr Nicholas.
Action taken	Keeper of the prison to be sued.
	4 Dec 1606
Entry	Dr Fryer complained about F and promised to produce a letter which revealed his fraud and trickery.
Action taken	Evidence to be produced against F.