Sir William Duncan, 1st Baronet (died 1774) was a Scottish physician. He was a fashionable society doctor in London, and physician

in ordinary ''In ordinary'' is an English phrase with multiple meanings. In relation to the Royal Household, it indicates that a position is a permanent one. In naval matters, vessels "in ordinary" (from the 17th century) are those out of service for repair o ...

George III of Great Britain George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

Life

He was the brother of Alexander Duncan of Lundie, Forfarshire, and uncle of

Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan Admiral Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, KB (1 July 17314 August 1804) was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown on 11 October 1797. This victory is considered one of the most significant actions in naval history. Li ...

. Duncan graduated M.D. from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

in 1751. He attended George III, becoming physician in ordinary in 1760, taking the place in the new reign of

Frank Nicholls Frank Nicholls (1699 – 7 January 1778) was a physician. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1728. He was made reader of anatomy at Oxford University when young and moved to London in the 1730s. Life The second son of John Nicholl ...

; and was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

in the

County of Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbouring ...

on 9 August 1764. He treated the king in his first illness (1765). In partnership with a Scottish physician, Andrew Turnbull, he obtained land grants in Florida, where they planned a new settlement, New Smyrna, using indentured labour from the Mediterranean and Negro slaves. In 1768 eight ships set off from Minorca with more than a thousand settlers on board, but on arrival they found conditions deplorable. Duncan was 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 knowledge, including mathemat ...

in 1771. Towards the end of his life he moved abroad, passing his practice to Sir John Eliot. He died at

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, in September 1774. The large investment he had made at New Smyrna was lost a few years later in 1777 when the surviving indentured settlers deserted New Smyrna ''en masse''.

Family

In 1763, Duncan married Lady Mary Tufton, daughter of

Sackville Tufton, 7th Earl of Thanet Sackville Tufton, 7th Earl of Thanet (11 May 1688 – 4 December 1753) of Newbottle, Northamptonshire, known as Sackville Tufton until 1729, was a British Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1722 until 1729 when he succeeded to ...

. He left no son, and the baronetcy died with him. Lady Mary was born in 1723, and died in 1806. She was noted for her high wigs, and supposed infatuation with

Gaspare Pacchierotti Gaspare Pacchierotti (21 May 1740 – 28 October 1821) was a mezzo-soprano castrato, and one of the most famous singers of his time. Training and first appearances Details of his early life are scarce. It is possible that he studied with Mario Bi ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, William Year of birth missing 1774 deaths 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of St Andrews Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain