FORMAN, Simon | British History Online

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

Citation:

Margaret Pelling, Frances White, 'FORMAN, Simon', in Physicians and Irregular Medical Practitioners in London 1550-1640 Database( London, 2004), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-physicians/1550-1640/forman-simon [accessed 27 July 2024].

Simon FORMAN

Biography


Name	Simon FORMAN
Gender	Male
Primary occupation	medical physician (MD) (Physician. Magician. Astrologer. Author. Schoolmaster 1574-8)
Period of medical practice	1578-1611
Place of birth	England (Guidhampton, Wilts (son of William Foreman))
Date of birth	30 Dec 1552
Date of death	Sep 1611
Address	Stone House, St Botolph Bishopsgate 1594. ?Barbican. Lambeth 1601-11.
Other notes	Ox 1573. Trouble 1594-1610. Ca 1604 - lic to pract med. See Rowse, "Tha Casebooks of Simon Forman". Reln of Thomas TWYNE 758.

Known London address


	Stone House, St Botolph Billingsgate
Parish	St Botolph Billingsgate
Ward	Billingsgate
Date	1594
	Barbican
Parish	St Giles without Cripplegate
Ward	Cripplegate (Within & Without)
Date	n.d.
	Lambeth
Date	1601-11

Censorial hearings


	8 March 1594
Entry	F, of Wiltshire but living at the Stone House, St Botolph's Billingsgate, confessed to 16 years' practice, 2 of them in London. Claimed cures for fever on Anize, Nicholas & Allen of Thames Street, and 20 others, by giving electuary of syrup of roses and wormwood water. He had read books by Corkes & Wainefleet, and diagnosed by astronomy. He was examined on astrology & medicine - answers absurd & mirth-provoking.
Attitude of the accused	confessed
Action taken	Fined £5. Accepted to pay in 16 days.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Fined £5 and promised to pay in 16 days
	7 July 1609
Entry	The impostor Forman was to be summoned on the charge of Doctor Rawlins.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	F to be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	m S John B 1610
Entry	College resolved to collect evidence against F.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Evidence to be collected.
	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 Forester to collect all the evidence they could concerning the people, month or day.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	College to collect evidence against F.
Verdict	case not completed
	7 Nov 1595
Entry	F was examined and found 'completely ignorant'. He confessed that he had read no medical writers save Cockis, 'an English writer, a very obscure man, absolutely unknown and certainly of no merit.' Was forced to confess that he practised medicine only by astrology. Was ignorant of the fundamentals.
Attitude of the accused	confessed
Action taken	Imprisoned and fined £10 - the money to be used by the College.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Imprisoned and fined £10
	22 Dec 1595
Entry	F was released from prison on the authority of the Keeper of the Great Seal. The College decided to complain to the Keeper, and ask for him to be imprisoned again.
Action taken	College to seek his re-imprisonment.
	30 Sep 1596
Entry	F appeared and admitted giving compound water to Mr Sotherton, for burning fever, from which he died. F again claimed that he could understand the nature of diseases and could prescribe using astrology alone. He was questioned by the Queen's physician, Dr Smith, on astrology, and shown to be ignorant.
Attitude of the accused	confessed
Action taken	F was imprisoned.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Imprisoned
Number of crimes	1
	7 Nov 1600
Entry	F was to be summoned to the next Comitia.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	To be summoned.
Verdict	case not completed
	25 June 1601
Entry	College officials had tried unsuccessfully to arrest F, of Lambeth. 'Just as if he were in a harbour, he sailed with great joy, pleasure and complete safety.' College to send a petition to the Archbishop of Canterbury (28/06/1601), giving previous findings about F. (AC replied saying that he'd intended calling F before the Ecclesiastical Commission, and pledging the support of his own officers against F.)
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Petition sent to Archbishop of Canterbury (reply favourable).
Verdict	case not completed
	4 Dec 1606
Entry	Dr. Moundeford and Dr. Pope complained about the quack FORMAN.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Second initiator of the complaint	college member
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	?F was summoned to January meeting (see next).
	9 Jan 1607
Entry	F was summoned and sent Mr Whitfield in his stead. W said that F cd not come on this day owing to more important business, and would not come on any other day unless College gave a public pledge to allow him to return.
Action taken	?
	30 March 1607
Entry	Mr Pelham, a professor of medicine, said that F made effigies of his patients and foretold their diseases, then prescribed. F had diagnosed Humphrey Weld as dropsical (true cause was arthritis). Jacob Saterthayte of Little Wood Street said that F had made an effigy of him and had charged fees of 10d., 5s. and 4s. for medicines, including purges.
Initiator of the complaint	other medical practitioner
Second initiator of the complaint	patient
Action taken	F was summoned, but refused to come.
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	3