Thomas Morstede (fl. c. 1411–1450) was an

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

and English

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

who served the three successive kings, Henry IV,

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

and Henry VI of England. He was described by Theodore Beck as the "most eminent English surgeon of the fifteenth century".

Family

Thomas Morstede was the son of Thomas and Alianora Morstede from Betchworth, Surrey. After the death of his first wife, Juliana, Morstede married Elizabeth Michell in 1431. She was the widow of his wealthy friend, William Fitzharry, and the daughter of

John Michell John Michell (; 25 December 1724 – 21 April 1793) was an English natural philosopher and clergyman who provided pioneering insights into a wide range of scientific fields including astronomy, geology, optics, and gravitation. Considered ...

. John Michell had been an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members ...

since 1413, a

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

from 1414 to 1415 and a Lord Mayor in 1424–45. As well as this, he had been a Member of Parliament for London on six occasions and thus an influential father-in-law to Morstede. There are many other people with whom Morstede had valuable friendships during his lifetime. One notable example is in the gift of "10 marks sterling, his English book bound with two latitudinibus and all his instruments of surgery" which Morstede left to his apprentice, Robert Bryttende. Although he was married twice, the absence of children in Morstede's will has led R.R. James to assume he did not have any.

Career

Morstede apprenticed under the surgeon Thomas Dayron in London. He first entered the service of Henry IV in 1410 and was appointed as the King's Surgeon in 1411. By 1413 Morstede was appointed Searcher of the Vessels and was responsible for collecting Henry V's dues from ships travelling on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. This office had previously been held by

John Bradmore John Bradmore (d.1412) was an English surgeon and metalworker who was author of the ''Philomena'', one of the earliest treatises on surgery. He was a court surgeon during the reign of King Henry IV of England. He is best known for extracting an a ...

. Thomas Morstede and William Bradwardyne were also asked to "raise, equip and lead" a company of surgeons during the Agincourt Campaign of 1415. They were therefore contracted to serve the king abroad. In 1423 and working under Henry VI, Morstede, along with physicians John Somerset and Gilbert Kymer, attempted to found a conjoint college of physicians and surgeons. The college was founded "for the better education and control of physicians and surgeons in the city and its liberties". Despite this, the college only lasted a year and collapsed in November 1424. By 1426 Morstede became known as "Master Thomas" and was sheriff in the city of London.

Legacy

Morstede's will is dated 20 April 1450 and his body was buried in the church of St. Olave in Old Jewry. Morstede's legacy remains in many historical works. A manuscript titled ''A Fair Book of Surgery'', which has been dated to 1446, making it one of the earliest surgical works written in English, has been attributed to Morstede. In the manuscript, Morstede states that surgeons should be skilled in both the theory and practice of surgery, and should conduct themselves graciously and show mercy to the poor. S.J. Lang has questioned Morstede's authorship of the manuscript, as it has direct parallels with

's ''Philomena''. Such similarities include a description of an incident at the

Battle of Shrewsbury The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archer ...

. Here, Henry Prince of Wales was struck with an arrow in the left-hand side of his face. The arrowhead became lodged and an instrument illustrated in both Morstede and Bradmore's manuscripts was devised to remove it.

References

External links

Translation of the beginning of Morstede's 1446 manuscript on surgery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morstede, Thomas 1450 deaths English surgeons 15th-century English medical doctors Medieval surgeons Year of birth uncertain