William Gordon (1801–1849) was a physician and Fellow of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

, associated with Christian temperance and social causes in the English city of

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

in the early 19th century. Gordon was born at

Fountains Hall Fountains Hall is a country house near Ripon in North Yorkshire, England, located within the World Heritage Site at Studley Royal Park which include the ruins of Fountains Abbey. It belongs to the National Trust and is a Grade I listed buildin ...

near

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

, in

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, England on 2 August 1800 and educated at the Grammar School in Ripon. On leaving school he was articled to a general practitioner at

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically a part of the West Ridi ...

. He further studied medicine at London and Edinburgh, and set up a medical practice at Welton in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. In 1832 he was elected a Fellow of the

, and completed his

M.D. 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 1841. Settling in Hull as a fully qualified physician, he became closely involved with Christian movements and as an active advocate of many of the claims put forwards by the working classes, became known as 'the poor man's friend'. His only child, Charlotte, was born at Welton in 1828. When only four years old he taught her elements of Latin and botany, and thought it ''a disgrace that the education of ladies should be merely that of superficial accomplishments'', sending her to London for an education and writing to her every day enclosing botanical specimens. She was married at the Albion Chapel,

on 14 April 1846, to the chapel's Congregational pastor

Christopher Newman Hall Christopher Newman Hall (22 May 1816 – 18 February 1902), born at Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 ...

. Towards the end of his life Gordon became president of the Hull Christian Temperance Society. His funeral sermon was preached in Albion Chapel, Hull by his son-in-law

, and published. A public subscription monument was raised over his grave in his honour. An obelisk of white marble, it stood twenty-five feet high and was inscribed: ''Erected by public subscription, to William Gordon, M.D., F.L.S. - the People's Friend. Ob. Feb. 7 1849''.

References

Sources

* Hall, Christopher Newman (1850/reprinted 2007). ''The Christian Philosopher... a narrative of the life of the late William Gordon''. USA:Kessinger Publishing, 2007
online version
* Obituary in 'The Gentleman's Magazine', January to June 1849 p431. John Bowyer Nichols:London {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, William People from Kingston upon Hull 1801 births 1849 deaths Fellows of the Linnean Society of London English temperance activists 19th-century English medical doctors