John Griffiths of Erryd (28 October 1754 – 17 September 1822) was a London medical practitioner and surgeon. His parents were the Reverend John Griffiths, B.A. from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and Mary Denham.

Career

Dr Griffiths was appointed surgeon to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

's Household on 23 November 1792, which position he held until 1818, and was surgeon at

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 ...

(1796 – 1822). Griffiths was among those who gave evidence to the 1802 ''Committee of the House of Commons on Dr JENNER'S Petition respecting his Discovery of Vaccine Inoculation'' against

small pox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...

, recently discovered by

Edward Jenner Edward Jenner, (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was a British physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines, and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms ''vaccine'' and ''vaccination'' are derived f ...

. In his evidence, Griffiths indicated ''that he had inoculated upward to fifteen hundred persons, none of whom has had untoward symptoms, among them three of his own children, at various periods within three years.''

Marriage, family and death

Griffiths married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir

William Neville Hart William Neville Hart (27 December 1741 in St James's Palace, London – 23 October 1804, Inveraray Castle, Scotland) was a British banker, politician and diplomat. He was born to Denise Gougeon, the wife of Lewis Augustus Blondeau. His mother wa ...

M.P. and Elizabeth Aspinwall, on 4 June 1787 and had issue. Griffiths died on 17 September 1822 and his wife Elizabeth on 16 April 1824. He died in

Charmouth Charmouth is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England. The village is situated on the mouth of the River Char, around north-east of Lyme Regis. Dorset County Council estimated that in 2013 the population of the civil parish was 1,310 ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, where they are both buried in the graveyard of St Andrew's Parish Church. He was the elder brother of Lieutenant-General Charles Griffiths. His younger brother's wife, Caroline, was the sister of his own wife.''Burke’s Landed Gentry''; 17th Edition 1952; under ''Copland-Griffiths of Potterne''; NOTE at bottom of 2nd column p.1082, and page 1083, right hand column - ''4. Charles, Lt.-Gen''. Griffiths and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of George Richard Griffiths and the grandparents of

George Neville Griffiths George Neville Griffiths (23 January 1840 – 28 April 1905) was a New South Wales colonial politician. He was born in Sydney to banker George Richard Griffiths and Letitita Chatfield. Educated in England, he graduated from Cambridge Univers ...

M.L.A (New South Wales). The latter was the grandfather of Wiliam Charles Wentworth IV M.P (Australia).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffiths, John 18th-century British medical doctors 19th-century British medical doctors British surgeons 1754 births 1822 deaths Members of the British Royal Household