Charles Leigh (1662–1701?) was an English physician and naturalist.

Life

The son of William Leigh of Singleton-in-the-Fylde,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, and great-grandson of

William Leigh William Leigh (1550–1639) was a well-known English preacher, graduate of Oxford, the rector of St Wilfrid's Church (Standish, Lancashire), from 1586 until his death, and is presumed to have baptized Mayflower Pilgrim, Myles Standish. He is now ...

, was born at Singleton Grange in 1662. On 7 July 1679 he became a commoner of

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

, where he graduated B.A. on 24 May 1683. Anthony Wood recorded that he left Oxford in debt; he went to

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

, and graduated M.A. and M.D. (1689) there. Leigh was on 13 May 1685 elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. When Wood wrote his ''Athenæ Oxonienses'', Leigh was practising in London; but he lived at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

at a later date, and had an extensive practice in Lancashire. He is said to have died in 1701, but there is some doubt on this point.

Works

Some of Leigh's papers read before the Royal Society are printed in the ''

Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the first journa ...

'', and he published the following separate works: * ''Phthisologia Lancastriensis, cui accessit Tentamen Philosophicum de Mineralibus Aquis in eodem comitatu observatis'', 1694; reprinted at Geneva, 1736. * ''Exercitationes quinque, de Aquis Mineralibus; Thermis Calidis; Morbis Acutis; Morbis Intermittentib.; Hydrope'', 1697. * ''The Natural History of Lancashire, Cheshire, and the Peak in Derbyshire; with an account of the British, Phœnic, Armenian, Gr. and Rom. Antiquities found in those parts'', Oxford, 1700. This has a portrait after Faithorne as frontispiece. He also wrote three pamphlets in 1698 in answer to

Richard Boulton Richard Boulton ( fl. 1697–1724), was a physician and author from England. Boulton was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, and for some time settled at Chester, was the author of a number of works on the medical and kindred sciences, incl ...

on the ''Heat of the Blood'', and one in reply to John Colebatch on curing the bite of a viper. His ''Natural History'' is little more than a translation of his earlier Latin treatises.

Thomas Dunham Whitaker Thomas Dunham Whitaker (1759–1821) was an English clergyman and topographer. Life Born at Raynham, Norfolk, on 8 June 1759, he was the son of William Whitaker (1730–1782), curate of Raynham, Norfolk, and his wife Lucy, daughter of Robert Du ...

later wrote slightingly of Leigh's "want of literature".

Family

Leigh married Dorothy, daughter of Edward Shuttleworth of Larbrick, Lancashire, with whom he received a moiety of the manor of Larbrick, afterwards surrendered in payment of a debt owing by Leigh to Serjeant Reginald Bretland. He left no issue. His widow died before 1717.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Charles 1662 births 1701 deaths 17th-century English medical doctors English naturalists Fellows of the Royal Society