Sir John Eliot, 1st Baronet (1736 – 7 November 1786) was a Scottish physician and Physician to the Prince of Wales.

Life

Eliot, the son of a

Writer to the signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documen ...

, was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

in 1736, and, after education under Nathaniel Jesse, became assistant to a London

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

. He then sailed as surgeon to a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

. Having obtained some prize-money in this service, he decided to become a physician, and graduated with an

M.D. A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...

from the

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

on 6 November 1759. He was admitted as a licentiate of the

College of Physicians of London The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of p ...

, 30 September 1762. A fellow Scot, Sir William Duncan, then the King's Physician, gave him help, and he soon made a large income. In the 1760s

Elizabeth Ogborne Elizabeth Ogborne (1763/4 – 22 December 1853) was a British antiquary who published an unfinished county history of Essex. Life Ogborne claimed that her father was Sir John Eliot, 1st Baronet, but her mother was a dealer in tea and the relati ...

was born to a tea dealer in London and she reported that Sir John Eliot was her father. In 1776 he was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, 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 14th ...

25 July 1778, and became physician to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. When attending the Prince during an illness in 1786, Eliot told

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...

that he had been preaching to him against intemperance "as any bishop could have done"; to which the Queen replied, "And probably with like success". On 19 October 1771 he married Grace Dalrymple, who ran away with Lord Valentia in 1774. Eliot obtained £12,000 damages. He lived in

Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street. Originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), the street was named ...

, London. He died, 7 November 1786, at

Brocket Hall Brocket Hall is a Neoclassical architecture, neo-classical English country house, country house set in a large park at the western side of the urban area of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The estate is equipped with two golf cour ...

, Hertfordshire, the seat of his friend

Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne Peniston Lamb, 1st Viscount Melbourne (29 January 1745 – 22 July 1828), known as Sir Peniston Lamb, 2nd Baronet, from 1768 to 1770, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1793. He was the father of Prime Minister ...

. He was buried in the parish church of Bishops Hatfield, and a tablet to his memory, with some lines by

Edward Jerningham Edward Jerningham was a poet who moved in high society during the second half of the 18th century. Born at the family home of Costessey Park in 1737, he died in London on 17 November 1812. A writer of liberal views, he was savagely satirised later ...

on it, was put up by his uncle, William Davidson.

References

The ''

ODNB The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' corrects the 1885 spelling. "Sir John Eliot must be distinguished from John Elliot MD (1747–1787), with whom he has frequently been confused; the latter's publications have often been attributed to Sir John Eliot, who, as far as it is known, did not publish anything." {{DEFAULTSORT:Eliot, John 1736 births 1786 deaths Nobility from Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish knights Alumni of the University of St Andrews Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain