# Cornwallis Hewett FRSC (1787 – 13 September 1841) was a physician who served as

Downing Professor of Medicine The Downing Professorship of Medicine was one of the senior professorships in medicine at the University of Cambridge. The chair was founded in 1800 as a bequest of Sir George Downing, the founder of Downing College, Cambridge. The original electo ...

and Physician-Extraordinary to the King. His younger half-brother

Prescott Gardner Hewett Sir Prescott Gardner Hewett, 1st Baronet, FRCS (3 July 1812 – 19 June 1891) was a British surgeon, and the son of a Yorkshire country gentleman. Life Hewett lived for some years in early life in Paris, and started on a career as an artist, but ...

also served as Physician-Extraordinary as well as

Serjeant Surgeon The Serjeant Surgeon is the senior surgeon in the Medical Household of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The origin of the post dates back to 1253. Early serjeant surgeons were military surgeons who followed their king ...

Early life

Hewett was born in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

in 1787 to William Nathan Wright Hewett of

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

and Bilham House,

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. His father was initially a very wealthy man who lost his fortune from his love of horse-racing. Even though his father's change in fortune meant that he had to remove to France, he still managed to have a strong education at

Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...

followed by

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

in 1806, and received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1809 with a Members' Prize. He later transferred to

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

and graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in 1812, his

medical license A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a governme ...

in 1814, along with a further

Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

from

as well as an incorporated

from

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 ...

Medical career

After receiving his M.L. Hewett was appointed

, one of the most senior medical appointments in the gift of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Hewett was also appointed a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

and Tutor at

in 1814 and later he received his

Doctorate of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 1822. On receiving his M.D. on 9 August 1822 he was also appointed as a Member of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, becoming a fellow on 12 April 1824. On 25 March 1825 he was appointed the physician to

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...

, London a position in which he served until 1833. He was also appointed Physician-Extraordinary to the King,

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

on 20 July 1832, although no works were published under his name during that appointment. His distinguished career although outdone by his younger half-brother

did inspire him to also join

in his wake.

Personal life

Hewett lived at

Berkeley Street Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a civil parish created in 1724 in the Liberty of Westminster, Middlesex, which was later part of the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of St George's, Hanove ...

, Middlesex. He died at

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

on 13 September 1841. As well as being brother to Rev. John Short Hewett and Sir Prescott Gardner Hewett, Bt., he was also uncle of Rev. John Hewett and Vice-Admiral

William Hewett Vice-Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett, (12 August 1834 – 13 May 1888) was a Royal Navy officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Common ...

, great uncle of John Prescott Hewett and of

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

George Hayley Hewett George Hayley Hewett, (12 November 1855 – 7 October 1930) was a British naval officer in the Royal Indian Navy who rose to become Director of the Royal Indian Marine. Hewett was also the brother of the colonial administrator and Member of Parl ...

References

External links

Alumni Cantabrigienses page

Alumni Oxonienses page

Cambridge Medical School Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewett, Cornwallis 1787 births 1841 deaths People educated at Charterhouse School 19th-century English medical doctors Fellows of Downing College, Cambridge Downing Professors of Medicine Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford