English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
King George III
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 ...
. With his brother
Granville Sharp
Granville Sharp (10 November 1735 – 6 July 1813) was one of the first British campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade. He also involved himself in trying to correct other social injustices. Sharp formulated the plan to settle black ...
, he was an active supporter of the early campaign against slavery in Britain.
He commissioned a well-known painting of his extended family playing music on a barge.
Archdeacon of Northumberland
The Archdeacon of Northumberland is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Newcastle. As such she or he is responsible for the disciplinary supervision of the clergy within the geographical area of the archdeaconry.
History
The firs ...
, William Sharp was born in 1729. His grandfather, John Sharp, also a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
man, had risen to become
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...
, and Sharp's father was his
biographer
Biographers are authors who write an account of another person's life, while autobiographers are authors who write their own biography.
Biographers
Countries of working life: Ab=Arabia, AG=Ancient Greece, Al=Australia, Am=Armenian, AR=Ancient Rome ...
. His other grandfather was
Sir George Wheler
Sir George Wheler (20 January 1651 – 15 January 1724 ) was an English clergyman and travel writer.
Life
The son of Charles Wheler of Charing, Kent, colonel in the Life Guards, by his wife Anne, daughter of John Hutchin of Egerton, Kent, he ...
. Sharp was one of a family of thirteen children, although three of his brothers died in infancy. Sent first to a local school 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 ...
, at the age of fourteen he left his parents to go to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
as a student of surgery.''Notes and queries'' (Oxford Journals, 1868 p. 199 accessed May 2010Rev. John Owen, ''A Discourse occasioned by the Death of William Sharp, Esq., late of
Fulham House
Fulham House is a military installation at 87 Fulham High Street, Fulham, London. It is a Grade II listed building.
History
The original house was named ''Passors'' after a family living on the site during the reign of King Edward III. A passor ...
, delivered in substance at Fulham Church, on sunday, March 25, 1810'' (Hatchard, 1810, 38 pp.) review in ''
The Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine ...
'' for November 1810, at p. 450
Career
In February 1755, Sharp became an assistant-surgeon at
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
Early history
Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...
, in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
, and he resigned from the hospital in 1779. He published some medical papers, including one advocating the use of paste board as a material for splintingfractured limbs, and another concerning a
stone
In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...
removed from the bladder of "the Rev. Mr. T. C." His medical appointment book for 1784-1785 survives.
He 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 April 1769
Alexander Chalmers
Alexander Chalmers (29 March 1759 – 29 December 1834) was a Scottish writer.
He was born in Aberdeen.
Trained as a doctor, he gave up medicine for journalism, and was for some time editor of the ''Morning Herald''. Besides editions of the wo ...
's ''A General Biographical Dictionary'' says of him that he was "...many years an eminent surgeon in London". In a catalogue of
Zoffany
Johan Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections, includin ...
's works it is reported that Sharp declined 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 ...
cy, which was offered as a reward for his successful attendance on Princess Amelia.J. Dixon, 'WILLIAM SHARP, SURGEON' in ''Notes & Queries'' for 22 June 1867 p. 497 online at books.google.co.uk, accessed 24 May 2010 Such an attendance in 1798 is confirmed by the published correspondence of George III.
In 1769, Sharp had a house in London's
Old Jewry
Old Jewry is a one-way street in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It is located within Coleman Street ward and links Poultry to Gresham Street.
The street now contains mainly offices for financial companies. The ...
, but at that time for most of the year he and his wife lived on a
barge
Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
moored in the
River 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 ...
.Adam Hochschild, ''Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves' pp. 42-44 online at books.google.co.uk, accessed 24 May 2010 During the last twenty-two years of his life, Sharp lived at Fulham House, Fulham, a property previously owned since the 15th century by
John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton
John Stourton, 1st Baron Stourton (19 May 1400 – 25 November 1462) of Stourton, Wiltshire, was an English soldier and politician, elevated to the peerage in 1448.
Origins
He was born on 19 May 1400 at Witham Friary, Somerset, the son of Sir ...
, and his descendants. The house was sometimes also called Stourton House and adjoined the Fulham bridge. While living there, he added a waterside cottage which was connected to the main house by an underground passage going under Church Lane.Samuel Bentley, ''Literary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century'' (vol. 8) pp. 391-392 online at books.google.co.uk
Sharp married Catherine Barwick, the fifth daughter of Thomas Barwick of London. They had only one child, a daughter called Mary, who in May 1800 married Thomas John Lloyd Baker, of
Hardwicke Court
Hardwicke Court is a Grade II* listed country house in Hardwicke, Gloucestershire, England. The house is Late Georgian in style. It was designed by Sir Robert Smirke and built in 1816–17, although a canal still remains from the early ...
,
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, and had three children, Catherine, Mary Anne, and Thomas Barwick Lloyd Baker (born 1808). Mary Baker died at Dawlish on 26 December 1812.
Sharp twice came to notability.
The case of Jonathan Strong
Sharp used to treat poor Londoners at his house. One night, he was asked for help by a slave who had been beaten by his owner. Sharp treated the man but also discussed the case with his brother,
Granville Sharp
Granville Sharp (10 November 1735 – 6 July 1813) was one of the first British campaigners for the abolition of the slave trade. He also involved himself in trying to correct other social injustices. Sharp formulated the plan to settle black ...
. The man was called Jonathan Strong and he had been so badly beaten that he was nearly blind and required four months of treatment at
St Bartholomew's Hospital
St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust.
History
Early history
Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (die ...
. Sharp met the expense of Strong's recovery and arranged his employment with a pharmacist. However, two years later, while Strong was serving as a
footman
A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage.
Etymology
Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...
on the pharmacist's coach, he was seen by his owner, David Lisle, who sold him to a
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
kidnap
In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
ped. Strong got a message to Granville Sharp, who immediately took the matter up with the
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
, who called a hearing and declared Strong to be now free. Lisle challenged Granville Sharp to a duel, but he declined, later explaining "David Lisle, Esquire, (a man of the law) called on me to demand ''gentlemanlike satisfaction''. I told him that as he had studied the law so many years, he should want no satisfaction that the law could give him." The
English courts
The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales.
The United Kingdom does not have a ...
ultimately sided with the Sharp brothers, denying an application that they should pay Lisle two hundred pounds in damages for taking another man's property.Strong, Somerset and Sharp – liberating black slaves in England Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section, October 2005, accessed May 2010 From this encounter, Sharp's younger brother Granville went on to become an early advocate for the abolition of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
and remained so for fifty years.
Painting by Zoffany
While Sharp and his immediate family were living on the Thames in a barge, a wider family group, consisting principally of Sharp and several of his brothers and sisters, was in the habit of meeting regularly to play music to entertain guest audiences. Although other musicians joined them, the core players were Sharp himself ( organ and
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
serpent
Serpent or The Serpent may refer to:
* Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes
Mythology and religion
* Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature
* Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts
* Serp ...
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
...
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
. The family sometimes also travelled by barge on "musical expeditions", organized by Granville, which could last for days, and one such expedition is known to have travelled more than 280 miles. Sharp's brother James was an
ironmonger
Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...
conversation piece
A conversation piece refers to a group portrait in a domestic or landscape setting depicting persons chatting or otherwise socializing with each other.Johann Zoffany which shows ''The Family of William Sharp: Musical Party on the Thames''. The painting is believed to have been painted between 1779 and 1781, and is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. Zoffany composed the painting in a series of sittings with each of the subjects, to take their separate portraits, but none of his sketches or compositional studies views are known to survive. The first of these sittings took place in November 1779, the last over a year later, and the finished painting was ready to be exhibited by at the Royal Academy's exhibition in Spring 1781.A Note on Zoffany's 'Sharp Family' John Kerslake, ''
The Burlington Magazine
''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation s ...
'', 1978, p. 753, accessed May 2010 William Sharp is shown at the top of the painting, with his hat raised in one hand. He wears the red collar of a
Windsor uniform
The Windsor uniform is a type of formal dress worn at Windsor Castle by male members of the British royal family (and some very senior courtiers).
History
The uniform was introduced by King George III in 1777. The full dress version, which h ...
(which he would have been entitled to wear as a member of the Royal Household) and is not holding the
French horn
The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
King George III
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 ...
", but no contemporary sources have been found that confirm these claims.
The painting, which has also been called ''The Sharp Family on a Yacht on the River Thames'', was inherited by Sharp's daughter
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
and thereafter by her Lloyd-Baker descendants of Hardwicke.
Esq.
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 gentleman a ...
, late of Fulham House, in this parish, who died March 17, 1810, aged 81", with his sister Elizabeth Prouse, "late of Wicken Park,
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
, who died Feb. 23, 1810, aged 77". The
epitaph
An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...
on their shared tomb reads
The allusion is to the deaths of Jonathan and
Saul
Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...
: "Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."
On 6 July 1813, Granville Sharp died and was buried beside them, the memorial on his tomb stating that "Here, by the Remains of the Brother and Sister he tenderly loved, lie those of GRANVILLE SHARP, ESQ."Prince Hoare, ''Memoirs of Granville Sharp, esq'', Vol. 2 (1828 p. 319 at books.google.co.uk, accessed 25 May 2010
A reredos erected a generation later in All Saints' Church, Fulham, reads: "This reredos was erected in 1845 to the honor of God and in memory of William Sharp of Fulham House, Surgeon to King George III, Catherine his wife, daughter of Thomas Barwick, Granville Sharp, his brother..."Charles James Féret, ''Fulham Old and New: being an Exhaustive History of the Ancient Parish of Fulham'' (vol. 1, 1900) p. 197