Gilbert Heathcote [1664-1719] - Physician of Cutthorpe
by Judith Stubbs
Gilbert Heathcote, son of George Heathcote and Lydia Clarke, was descended from a long line of Heathcotes of Derbyshire who were lead dealers and bell founders. His home was Cutthorpe Hall which lies to the south of his mother's house [the Old Hall]. George Heathcote, Gilbert's great grandfather purchased this house in 1614 from the Foljambe Family.
Gilbert was the younger son of George Heathcote of Cutthorpe and had a brother George, two years older. George formed a relationship with a woman, Mary Harvey by whom he had in illegitimate daughter Barbara who was later to cause much trouble to Gilbert. At her husband's death in 1677, Lydia put the house into trust for her sons for 5 years. George died young in 1685 before this period was complete and his mother very cleverly sold Cutthorpe Hall to Gilbert, the younger son before any claim could be made on it. After the death of her husband in 1677 Lydia married again to Thomas Ogle, a graduate from Queen's College, Cambridge University and a dissenting minister. They were married about 1683 and became dissenters together. Finally the Act of Religious Toleration was passed by William and Mary in 1688. Until this date, the Hall at Cutthorpe was licensed, together with 5 others, to hold dissenters meetings
In 1688 Gilbert was sent to Padua and then Leyden in Holland to the universities there to train as a physician. When he returned he set his up practice in Cutthorpe. He brought back some Narcissi bulbs from Holland and proceeded to plant them in the field opposite his house which has remained unploughed ever since. The variety is one of oldest known in England.
In 1690 Gilbert met and married Frances Rodes a daughter of Sir John Rodes of Barlborough Hall who was a firm Quaker. Gilbert was already practising as a dissenter and was converted to Quakerism on his marriage. His uncle, Cornelius Clarke together with Gilbert's mother Lydia, founded the elder yard chapel in Chesterfield in 1694 which was for dissenters.
Gilbert and Frances had six children, one dying in infancy, of which Martha married Sylvanus Bevan , a chemist whose first wife was a daughter of the eminent quaker, Samuel Quare. Other family friends, who were Quakers, were William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. Gilbert's second son, who became his heir, graduated also in Physick from Leyden in 1718 at the age of 24.
Gilbert began to expand his practice and some of the wealthy local families patronized him. Amongst his patients were the Duchess of Rutland [Haddon Hall] , Elizabeth Manners, a relation of the duchess's. The Duchess of Newcastle [Welbeck Abbey] and Caleb Dickinson and wife, a relation. Gilbert was interested in finding a cure for Leprosy on which he wrote a small dissertation in Latin. He wrote to many other physicians of the day asking them whether they thought that certain 'well waters' were any help.
During these years Gilbert's fame as a physician was spreading and among the well known names, was a visit to the Duchess of Rutland in 1711 together with Sloane and Chamberlayne. Another visit together with Sloane and Chamberlayne, was to his uncle Gilbert, Lord Mayor of London, for which the two rendered a bill for £600 for his services.
He also had an income from property leased to other apothecaries and physicians in the area. He is recorded as making an ointment for Queen Anne from his Narcissii bulbs to treat her Erysipelas. According to family records he is supposed to have told the Queen, "Now Anne I have cured thee, tha musn'a put thy hand to thy mouth so often". His friends were also Physicians to Queen Anne; Hans Sloane founder of the Chelsea Physic Garden in London and Chamberlayne the great 18th century obstetrician.
The biggest mistake of Gilbert's life was to agree to have his brother's daughter, Barbara, to live at the Hall in 1701. She was a troublesome wench and very lazy. In 1707 Barbara married William Pyke of Outwych in London. From then on they persecuted Gilbert trying to recover lands that she claimed as rightfully hers through her father. Finally Gilbert was asked to sign an Affidavit as to the affairs of the family. Being a Quaker he refused to sign and was incarcerated in the Fleet Prison in 1712. After six months in prison Gilbert made a strong plea to 'The Right honourable the Lord High Chancellor of England' and he was allowed home where he was again pestered to sign his lands away to Barbara. When he refused he was again thrown back into the Fleet after only two weeks freedom. Gilbert became ill with goal fever and was expected to die. Frances made a strong petition to the judiciary and after some intervention by his influential friends he was released in the understanding that he returned to his house in the country [Cutthorpe].
Gilbert recovered and carried on his practice in Cutthorpe and again in London in his house in Lincoln's Inn Fields where they lived. He was finally killed when his carriage overturned in Hampstead whilst returning home from visiting a Patient. He is buried in Bunhill Fields Ground, the Quaker Cemetery in London.
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