Sir Alexander Nisbet (6 April 1796''Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950'' – 22 June 1874) was a Scottish

naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Speciali ...

notable for his role in early

convict transport Penal transportation or transportation was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies became their ...

s to Australia, and as HM Inspector of Hospitals for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Life

Alexander Nisbet was born in

Oldhamstocks Oldhamstocks or Aldhamstocks ("old dwelling place") is a civil parish and small village in the east of East Lothian, Scotland, adjacent to the Scottish Borders and overlooking the North Sea . It is located south-east of Dunbar and has a populat ...

East Lothian East Lothian (; sco, East Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Ear) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In 1975, the histo ...

, Scotland, son of Margaret Patterson and Captain Alexander Nisbet. He joined the British

Royal Navy Medical Service The Royal Navy Medical Service is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for medical care. It works closely with Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service. History The history of the service can be traced back to 1692 when treatment for ...

in 1812. He saw active service during the American War (1812-1814). In 1823 he completed a doctorate in medicine at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, submitting a dissertation entitled ''Pneumonia Typhode''. He then began a long and successful career as a surgeon-superintendent serving on seven convict ships transporting convicts from the UK to Australia (1824-1840).Boase, Frederic. 1892-1921. ''Modern English Biography''. Truro: Netherton & Worth. In January 1830 Nisbet decided to return to Australia on the Asia to work as assistant commissioner for the

Australian Agricultural Company The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) () is a public-listed Australian company that, as at 2018, owned and operated feedlots and farms covering around of land in Queensland and the Northern Territory, roughly one percent of Australia's la ...

until he was replaced in August 1831. In 1841 Nisbet was included on the list of surgeons for the

and served in Cornwallis. In 1844 Nisbet became deputy director of Hospitals at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. Nisbet also worked in 1844 as deputy medical inspector of hospitals and fleets on half-pay. On 12 December 1854, at Arley, Staffordshire, he married Lucy Susannah Davenport, daughter of the Rev. E.S. Davenport. In 1855, Nisbet was appointed Inspector of Hospitals and Fleets at Haslar Royal Hospital, retiring from the Royal Navy in 1861. In 1865 Nisbet started to receive the good service pension. He was appointed as Honorary Physician to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

in 1873 and later that year he was knighted by Prime Minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. He died of "natural decay" at his home Arley Lodge in

Lee, London Lee, also known as Lee Green, is an area of South East London, England, straddling the border of the London Borough of Lewisham and the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is located northwest of Eltham and southeast of Lewisham. It is within the h ...

at the age of 79, and is buried in

Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries (also known as Ladywell and Brockley Cemetery) were opened within one month of each other in 1858 and are sited on adjacent plots of previously open land. The two component parts are characteristic examples of the ...

."Deaths". '' The Belfast Newsletter'', 27 June 1874. p. 1.

References

1796 births 1874 deaths Scottish surgeons People from Oldhamstocks Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Knights Bachelor People from Lee, London Royal Navy Medical Service officers 19th-century Royal Navy personnel 19th-century Scottish medical doctors 19th-century surgeons {{UK-navy-bio-stub