John Somerset or Somerseth (died 1454) was an English physician and administrator. He was born in London and attended Oxford University, but moved to Cambridge University to avoid the plague, graduating master in 1418. Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, appointed him master of the grammar school at Bury St Edmunds and just five years later he was named as a governor of a proposed joint college of medicine and surgery in London. Somerset worked on the college with

Thomas Morstede Thomas Morstede (fl. c. 1411–1450) was an esquire and English surgeon who served the three successive kings, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI of England. He was described by Theodore Beck as the "most eminent English surgeon of the fifteenth ...

and

Gilbert Kymer Gilbert Kymer (died 1463) was Dean of Salisbury Cathedral, Chancellor of Oxford University, and a physician. Kymer was educated at the University of Oxford. He was a proctor of the University (1412–13) and Principal of Hart Hall, Oxford (1412 ...

until its plans collapsed in November 1424. In 1427 he was found a place in the royal household as physician and tutor to the young Henry VI. In 1442 he became the first medical man to sit in parliament, as a

knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. In 1439 he was appointed

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

and

Warden of the Royal Mint Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role ...

. Somerset's tenure as Chancellor and Warden occurred during the

Great Bullion Famine The Great Bullion Famine was a shortage of precious metals that struck Europe in the 15th century, with the worst years of the famine lasting from 1457 to 1464. During the Middle Ages, gold and silver coins saw widespread use as currency in Eur ...

and the Great Slump in England. After 1450 he was out of favour, with Parliament demanding his removal from court as an undesirable influence. He died intestate on 4 June 1454, leaving no children.

References

* 1454 deaths Politicians from London English MPs 1442 Chancellors of the Exchequer of England Year of birth unknown 15th-century English medical doctors {{15thC-England-MP-stub