1
Towards a Medical Career
SUFFOLK AND LONDON
On 21 March 1825 Elizabeth, wife of the Reverend Osborne Shribb
Reynolds, rector of Debach and De Boulge, Suffolk, England gave birth
to her sixth son and her eleventh child. She was thirty-three years of age.
The boy was christened by his father on the day of his birth and was
given only one name, Samuel. Equally simple names had been given to
his five sisters and five brothers, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary, Emma and
Ann; Osborne, Robert, William, Henry and John. Robert and William
had died in their infancy.
Osborne Shribb Reynolds had succeeded to
the Debach-De Boulge
living – the two livings were consolidated in June 1761 – in September
1817 when his father the Reverend Robert Reynolds had retired to Wood-
bridge. There had been Reynolds clergymen, or clerks as they were
usually named, at the village of De Boulge for many generations. John
Reynolds who matriculated from Jesus Cambridge in 1614 and obtained
his Bachelor of Arts in 1617 and his Master's degree in 1623 was rector
somewhere about 1621.
living – the two livings were consolidated in June 1761 – in September
1817 when his father the Reverend Robert Reynolds had retired to Wood-
bridge. There had been Reynolds clergymen, or clerks as they were
usually named, at the village of De Boulge for many generations. John
Reynolds who matriculated from Jesus Cambridge in 1614 and obtained
his Bachelor of Arts in 1617 and his Master's degree in 1623 was rector
somewhere about 1621.
A Mr Reynolds, spelt then Raynolds and
sometimes Raynolldes, clerk
of De Boulge, is shown in the Ship Money Returns of March 1640 as
paying three shillings to this tax which had been revived by Charles I to
pay for his navy. Unlucky Mr Raynolldes. Later that same year the whole
Ship Money Tax was to be repealed by parliament thanks to the brave
stand taken by John Hampden, a more courageous man it seems than
Mr Raynolldes.
of De Boulge, is shown in the Ship Money Returns of March 1640 as
paying three shillings to this tax which had been revived by Charles I to
pay for his navy. Unlucky Mr Raynolldes. Later that same year the whole
Ship Money Tax was to be repealed by parliament thanks to the brave
stand taken by John Hampden, a more courageous man it seems than
Mr Raynolldes.
Robert Reynolds who had acquired the
living of Debach on 6 Septem-
ber 1779 was a man of independent means. As a curate in Kelsale he had
married Sarah Shribb who had inherited a considerable amount of land
1
ber 1779 was a man of independent means. As a curate in Kelsale he had
married Sarah Shribb who had inherited a considerable amount of land
1
from her father Robert Shribb of Kelsale. In those days the parson’s
stipend provided a good income. By 1855 the Debach stipend was £300, a
considerable sum. In 1795 Robert Reynolds purchased the Debach Manor
and became lord of the manor. With a good income and ownership of
land Robert Reynolds and later his son, Osborne Shribb who succeeded
him, lived very comfortably. A name was coined for the parson who
owned land; he was called a squarson.
Robert and Sarah Reynolds had five
children, two daughters, Sarah
and Eliza and three sons, Osborne Shribb and the twins, Robert and
Joseph. The twins died shortly after their birth.
and Eliza and three sons, Osborne Shribb and the twins, Robert and
Joseph. The twins died shortly after their birth.
Like most Suffolk men Robert Reynolds was
a keen gardener and
there still stands today, in the garden of the Old Rectory, now privately
owned, a fine stone potting shed which he built and in the keystone
above the door he placed his monogram, the initials RR and the date
1801. He planted some of the great elms, cedars and beeches which
shelter the Rectory and the small flint stone church, All Saints, Debach.
All Saints stands at the boundary of the Rectory property where a church
has stood for six hundred years.
there still stands today, in the garden of the Old Rectory, now privately
owned, a fine stone potting shed which he built and in the keystone
above the door he placed his monogram, the initials RR and the date
1801. He planted some of the great elms, cedars and beeches which
shelter the Rectory and the small flint stone church, All Saints, Debach.
All Saints stands at the boundary of the Rectory property where a church
has stood for six hundred years.
When Robert Reynolds acquired the living
of Debach and De Boulge
the parish population was very small and no one could call his duties time
consuming. He enjoyed visiting and it was probably more social than
parochial, he superintended the family education, sending young Osborne
to good schools at Long Melford and Ipswich, and above all he worked
in his garden. It was necessary that the Rectory family be as self support-
ing as possible. Robert saw to his orchard, his kitchen garden, his vine
house and potting shed and stables, and superintended the building of a
fine stone wall in that special Suffolk construction known as crinkle-
crankle in which the stones are set to form a continuous S and the walls
require no buttress support. Portions of the high and low crinkle-crankle
wall still stand in the garden.
the parish population was very small and no one could call his duties time
consuming. He enjoyed visiting and it was probably more social than
parochial, he superintended the family education, sending young Osborne
to good schools at Long Melford and Ipswich, and above all he worked
in his garden. It was necessary that the Rectory family be as self support-
ing as possible. Robert saw to his orchard, his kitchen garden, his vine
house and potting shed and stables, and superintended the building of a
fine stone wall in that special Suffolk construction known as crinkle-
crankle in which the stones are set to form a continuous S and the walls
require no buttress support. Portions of the high and low crinkle-crankle
wall still stand in the garden.
At seventeen years of age Robert's eldest
son Osborne Shribb was
admitted as a pensioner at Caius, Cambridge University. Cambridge was
the natural choice of Suffolk men and Reynolds men had studied there
for many generations. Some, like Osborne, were admitted as pensioners
and 'paid for their own commons', some were scholars, members of the
College foundation and holders of scholarships, and some were admitted
as sizars receiving an allowance from the College. Over the years
Reynolds' students were admitted to Caius, Trinity, St. John's, Queens'
and Christs'. After matriculating in 1800 Osborne obtained his Bachelor
of Arts in 1804 and his Master's degree in 1807. In 1805 he was ordained
a deacon at Norwich and a priest in 1806. It seems as if the long history
of Reynolds' sons taking up holy orders was not always a call to a
vocation but an imposed choice since other than entering the army, and
none chose that, there were few professions for academic men of small
income. Accepting, or inheriting, a living in one of England's many
2
beautiful villages or towns could also be very pleasant, as the Reverend
Osborne Shribb Reynolds found when he inherited the Debach living
from his father.
admitted as a pensioner at Caius, Cambridge University. Cambridge was
the natural choice of Suffolk men and Reynolds men had studied there
for many generations. Some, like Osborne, were admitted as pensioners
and 'paid for their own commons', some were scholars, members of the
College foundation and holders of scholarships, and some were admitted
as sizars receiving an allowance from the College. Over the years
Reynolds' students were admitted to Caius, Trinity, St. John's, Queens'
and Christs'. After matriculating in 1800 Osborne obtained his Bachelor
of Arts in 1804 and his Master's degree in 1807. In 1805 he was ordained
a deacon at Norwich and a priest in 1806. It seems as if the long history
of Reynolds' sons taking up holy orders was not always a call to a
vocation but an imposed choice since other than entering the army, and
none chose that, there were few professions for academic men of small
income. Accepting, or inheriting, a living in one of England's many
2
beautiful villages or towns could also be very pleasant, as the Reverend
Osborne Shribb Reynolds found when he inherited the Debach living
from his father.
He was a tall, handsome, young man, a fine
preacher, a lively talker
with an intense interest in people, musical, a great reader, a good chess
player, a decided acquisition to a parish and very popular with young
women. He remained unmarried till the age of twenty seven and then he
fell in love with pretty Elizabeth Geater Stearn who was not quite fifteen
years old. They were married by his father in August 1809 in All Saints'
Church, Debach, after Elizabeth's mother, Mollie Stearn widow of
William Stearn and designated in his will as the mother guardian, had
signed a bond that Elizabeth, a minor, 'might lawfully solemnize
marriage with Osborne Shribb Reynolds'. A girl when she married,
Elizabeth soon had the cares of motherhood; her first child, Elizabeth was
born a year after her marriage, Mary two years later and Robert a year
later, just six weeks after the family had moved to the Debach rectory.
The baby died a few weeks later.
with an intense interest in people, musical, a great reader, a good chess
player, a decided acquisition to a parish and very popular with young
women. He remained unmarried till the age of twenty seven and then he
fell in love with pretty Elizabeth Geater Stearn who was not quite fifteen
years old. They were married by his father in August 1809 in All Saints'
Church, Debach, after Elizabeth's mother, Mollie Stearn widow of
William Stearn and designated in his will as the mother guardian, had
signed a bond that Elizabeth, a minor, 'might lawfully solemnize
marriage with Osborne Shribb Reynolds'. A girl when she married,
Elizabeth soon had the cares of motherhood; her first child, Elizabeth was
born a year after her marriage, Mary two years later and Robert a year
later, just six weeks after the family had moved to the Debach rectory.
The baby died a few weeks later.
Robert Reynolds had retired from the parish
and with his wife Sarah
had moved to Woodbridge. Families did not move far away from each
other and Woodbridge was just five miles from Debach, considered then
an easy enough walking distance for they were great walkers. Certainly it
was no problem with carriage and horse. Robert died at Woodbridge in
1820 aged sixty-eight years but his widow Sarah lived to be eighty-three
years of age. For many of these years she had the companionship of her
son's mother-in-law, Mollie Stearn, who lived in Woodbridge, and died
in her eighty-fifth year.
had moved to Woodbridge. Families did not move far away from each
other and Woodbridge was just five miles from Debach, considered then
an easy enough walking distance for they were great walkers. Certainly it
was no problem with carriage and horse. Robert died at Woodbridge in
1820 aged sixty-eight years but his widow Sarah lived to be eighty-three
years of age. For many of these years she had the companionship of her
son's mother-in-law, Mollie Stearn, who lived in Woodbridge, and died
in her eighty-fifth year.
With the rapid increase of his family
Osborne Reynolds was compelled
to add to the rectory; he built a two storey wing at the back of the house.
It in no way spoiled the charming building which rated a note in White's
Suffolk Directory of 1855: 'Debach five miles N.N.W. of Woodbridge is
a small scattered village and parish containing only 104 inhabitants and
about 500 acres of land mostly the property of the Reverend Osborne
Reynolds. The church, All Saints', is a small ancient fabric and near it
is a neat rectory house which was much improved in 1813. The church
has lately been restored and refitted with old oak benches.'
to add to the rectory; he built a two storey wing at the back of the house.
It in no way spoiled the charming building which rated a note in White's
Suffolk Directory of 1855: 'Debach five miles N.N.W. of Woodbridge is
a small scattered village and parish containing only 104 inhabitants and
about 500 acres of land mostly the property of the Reverend Osborne
Reynolds. The church, All Saints', is a small ancient fabric and near it
is a neat rectory house which was much improved in 1813. The church
has lately been restored and refitted with old oak benches.'
The 'neat rectory house' with its blue
slate roof and walls of that
pleasant yellow Suffolk brick which turns grey with age, had further
additions through the years but it is today still basically the home it was
for Osborne and Elizabeth Reynolds and their lively family. Three giant
recessed arches at the front of the house reach to the full height of the
second storey and hold large windows; the rooms are large and finely
proportioned. Stairs and archways lead to different levels of the house and
must have echoed constantly to children's footsteps. The kitchen had that
typical Suffolk addition, a back kitchen called a 'back 'us' with a brick
bread oven in one corner. The rectory was remarkably self contained. The
3
The garden so much improved by Robert Reynolds was still further
improved by Osborne. He built a large L-shaped pond which induced a
later owner to call the house Moat House and as such it is mentioned by
Nikolaus Pevesner in his Suffolk volume of the Buildings of England.
Commander Simpson happily returned the house to its proper name, The
Old Rectory. Commander Simpson has described the garden as it must
have been in the Reynolds' day:1
pleasant yellow Suffolk brick which turns grey with age, had further
additions through the years but it is today still basically the home it was
for Osborne and Elizabeth Reynolds and their lively family. Three giant
recessed arches at the front of the house reach to the full height of the
second storey and hold large windows; the rooms are large and finely
proportioned. Stairs and archways lead to different levels of the house and
must have echoed constantly to children's footsteps. The kitchen had that
typical Suffolk addition, a back kitchen called a 'back 'us' with a brick
bread oven in one corner. The rectory was remarkably self contained. The
3
cellar held stone brine tanks for hams and
bacon with a 'smoking
chimney' in an out house to complete the curing. Two large coppers filled
another out house, one for washing clothes, one for brewing. Now known
as The Old Rectory, it is the home of Commander John Simpson of
Debach and is listed as 'of special historical or architectural interest'.
chimney' in an out house to complete the curing. Two large coppers filled
another out house, one for washing clothes, one for brewing. Now known
as The Old Rectory, it is the home of Commander John Simpson of
Debach and is listed as 'of special historical or architectural interest'.
The garden so much improved by Robert Reynolds was still further
improved by Osborne. He built a large L-shaped pond which induced a
later owner to call the house Moat House and as such it is mentioned by
Nikolaus Pevesner in his Suffolk volume of the Buildings of England.
Commander Simpson happily returned the house to its proper name, The
Old Rectory. Commander Simpson has described the garden as it must
have been in the Reynolds' day:1
The grounds
originally amounted to over ten acres, including a paddock
each side of the garden which with the orchard amounts to 5.7 acres.
They were planted with everything the family could need, mulberry
trees, quince, three vines, fig trees, plums and peaches – a green house
was built round a peach tree – and there were apples of every kind,
Blenheims and Russets, eating apples, cooking and cider apples and
pears, and round two sides of the orchard, walnut trees and many
varieties of hazel nut. Two huge elms, framing the house, are visible
three miles away.
each side of the garden which with the orchard amounts to 5.7 acres.
They were planted with everything the family could need, mulberry
trees, quince, three vines, fig trees, plums and peaches – a green house
was built round a peach tree – and there were apples of every kind,
Blenheims and Russets, eating apples, cooking and cider apples and
pears, and round two sides of the orchard, walnut trees and many
varieties of hazel nut. Two huge elms, framing the house, are visible
three miles away.
Many years later in his Australian home
Samuel Reynolds told his own
children and his grand children of his young days in this busy, lively
home. He was always considered the quiet one and as he was the second
youngest he spent much time with the youngest child, Robert, who was
three years his junior. Even as a very small child Samuel loved this
garden and many years later his great wish to make a Suffolk garden in
the town of Mansfield, Victoria, came as nearly true as he could make it in
that very different climate.
children and his grand children of his young days in this busy, lively
home. He was always considered the quiet one and as he was the second
youngest he spent much time with the youngest child, Robert, who was
three years his junior. Even as a very small child Samuel loved this
garden and many years later his great wish to make a Suffolk garden in
the town of Mansfield, Victoria, came as nearly true as he could make it in
that very different climate.
The family grew up with a love of music.
The father had a fine voice,
the older girls, taught by their mother, played the piano, Samuel played
the flute and an elder brother the violin. They all joined in pleasant family
concerts.
the older girls, taught by their mother, played the piano, Samuel played
the flute and an elder brother the violin. They all joined in pleasant family
concerts.
Osborne, the eldest son, was the first to
leave home and on 25 Septem-
ber 1832 he was admitted as a pensioner to Trinity, Cambridge. Seven
weeks later sorrow came to the rectory. Elizabeth, the mother, died aged
only thirty-eight years. The rector was left with ten children, Elizabeth
the eldest, twenty-two years old and Robert the youngest not quite four
years of age. Samuel was seven. There were many friends to help in
running the rectory and in the care of the younger children and as
remembered by Samuel it was a warm, happy home, its numbers
inevitably decreasing as older brothers went up to Cambridge or out to
earn a living and sisters married.
ber 1832 he was admitted as a pensioner to Trinity, Cambridge. Seven
weeks later sorrow came to the rectory. Elizabeth, the mother, died aged
only thirty-eight years. The rector was left with ten children, Elizabeth
the eldest, twenty-two years old and Robert the youngest not quite four
years of age. Samuel was seven. There were many friends to help in
running the rectory and in the care of the younger children and as
remembered by Samuel it was a warm, happy home, its numbers
inevitably decreasing as older brothers went up to Cambridge or out to
earn a living and sisters married.
Three years after his wife's death a new
interest came into the lives of
4
the father and the children. Edward Fitzgerald, poet, essayist, man of
letters, came to live in Boulge. Reynolds died before the translation of
Omar Khayyam made Fitzgerald famous but he was fortunate to share
thirteen years with this delightful, warm hearted, gifted and amusing
man. The Fitzgerald family occupied Boulge Hall and their son Edward,
with ample means of his own lived in Boulge Cottage outside the gates of
the Hall. His friends, many from Trinity, included the two Tennysons,
Frederic and his famous brother Alfred, Thackeray, Carlyle, William
Donne, descendant of John Donne, James Spedding, the editor of Bacon,
Maria Edgeworth the novelist, Charles Keene, Samuel Laurence, artist,
commissioned by Fitzgerald to paint portraits of many of his friends, and
John and Fanny Kemble. He had other Suffolk friends belonging to a
smaller, more homely circle, Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet of Wood-
bridge, a collector of snuff boxes, and a good friend of Charles Lamb,
Thomas Churchyard, Alfred Smith, George Crabbe, eldest son of the
poet and vicar of Bredfield, and Osborne Shribb Reynolds, vicar of
Debach and De Boulge. 'My parsons Fitzgerald called them . . . 'My
garden is covered with yellow and brown leaves, and a man is digging up
the beds before my window and my parsons come and smoke with me.'
The friends met in their own homes and more often at Boulge
Cottage, by day to walk and talk in Fitzgerald's garden, to learn about
his latest picture for he was an ardent collector, and to share his simple
luncheon though sometimes it was a grander affair. 'Bring up with thee'
he wrote to Barton, 'a pound of Derby cheese for a toast and some oysters.
I have a fowl hanging up and if my father's cook arrive as I think she
will she shall handsell her skill on my fowl.' Of all dishes Fitzgerald liked
toasted cheese best.
the father and the children. Edward Fitzgerald, poet, essayist, man of
letters, came to live in Boulge. Reynolds died before the translation of
Omar Khayyam made Fitzgerald famous but he was fortunate to share
thirteen years with this delightful, warm hearted, gifted and amusing
man. The Fitzgerald family occupied Boulge Hall and their son Edward,
with ample means of his own lived in Boulge Cottage outside the gates of
the Hall. His friends, many from Trinity, included the two Tennysons,
Frederic and his famous brother Alfred, Thackeray, Carlyle, William
Donne, descendant of John Donne, James Spedding, the editor of Bacon,
Maria Edgeworth the novelist, Charles Keene, Samuel Laurence, artist,
commissioned by Fitzgerald to paint portraits of many of his friends, and
John and Fanny Kemble. He had other Suffolk friends belonging to a
smaller, more homely circle, Bernard Barton, the Quaker poet of Wood-
bridge, a collector of snuff boxes, and a good friend of Charles Lamb,
Thomas Churchyard, Alfred Smith, George Crabbe, eldest son of the
poet and vicar of Bredfield, and Osborne Shribb Reynolds, vicar of
Debach and De Boulge. 'My parsons Fitzgerald called them . . . 'My
garden is covered with yellow and brown leaves, and a man is digging up
the beds before my window and my parsons come and smoke with me.'
The friends met in their own homes and more often at Boulge
Cottage, by day to walk and talk in Fitzgerald's garden, to learn about
his latest picture for he was an ardent collector, and to share his simple
luncheon though sometimes it was a grander affair. 'Bring up with thee'
he wrote to Barton, 'a pound of Derby cheese for a toast and some oysters.
I have a fowl hanging up and if my father's cook arrive as I think she
will she shall handsell her skill on my fowl.' Of all dishes Fitzgerald liked
toasted cheese best.
When the friends met in the evening they
had no trouble persuading
Fitzgerald to play the pianoforte for he was a good musician . . . 'I plunge
away at my old Handel of nights and delight in the Allegro and Penseroso
full of pomp and fancy . . . With my parsons' son and daughter and not
a voice among us we go through Handel's Coronation Anthem!' he wrote
to Frederic Tennyson. In more lighthearted mood they sang glees.
Fitzgerald was a compulsive and enchanting correspondent and the
pictures he gives of Suffolk gardens and village life explain why Samuel
Reynolds was to know such nostalgia in Australia for his home. Here
he is writing to a friend about a sunny day in the garden.2
Fitzgerald to play the pianoforte for he was a good musician . . . 'I plunge
away at my old Handel of nights and delight in the Allegro and Penseroso
full of pomp and fancy . . . With my parsons' son and daughter and not
a voice among us we go through Handel's Coronation Anthem!' he wrote
to Frederic Tennyson. In more lighthearted mood they sang glees.
Fitzgerald was a compulsive and enchanting correspondent and the
pictures he gives of Suffolk gardens and village life explain why Samuel
Reynolds was to know such nostalgia in Australia for his home. Here
he is writing to a friend about a sunny day in the garden.2
Glorious, sunshiny
day; all morning I read about Nero in Tacitus lying
at full length on a bench in the garden, a nightingale singing and some
red anemones eyeing the sun manfully not far off . . . Then at half
past one lunch on Cambridge cream cheese, then a ride over hill and
dale, then spudding up some weeds from the grass and then coming
in I sit down to write to you, my sister winding red worsted wool from
the back of a chair and the most delightful little girl in the world
chattering incessantly. So runs the world away.
at full length on a bench in the garden, a nightingale singing and some
red anemones eyeing the sun manfully not far off . . . Then at half
past one lunch on Cambridge cream cheese, then a ride over hill and
dale, then spudding up some weeds from the grass and then coming
in I sit down to write to you, my sister winding red worsted wool from
the back of a chair and the most delightful little girl in the world
chattering incessantly. So runs the world away.
5
And again to Frederick Tennyson:
We have had such a
spring, bating the last ten days, as would have
satisfied even you with warmth. And such verdure, white clouds
moving over the new fledged tops of oak trees and acres of grass
striving with buttercups. How old to tell of, how new to see!
satisfied even you with warmth. And such verdure, white clouds
moving over the new fledged tops of oak trees and acres of grass
striving with buttercups. How old to tell of, how new to see!
Fitzgerald visited London frequently, staying at 19 Charlotte Street.
Not that he liked London. He agreed with Thomas Carlyle who had
written to him, 'The town is getting terribly throng.' From London he
wrote to Bernard Barton 1l April, 1844:3
A cloud comes over Charlotte Street and seems as if it were sailing
softly on the April wind to fall in a blessed shower upon the lilac buds
and thirsty anemones somewhere in Essex or perhaps at Boulge, Out
will run Mrs Faiers [his housekeeper] and with red arms and face of
woe haul in the struggling windows of the cottage and make all tight.
Beauty Bob [the parrot] will cast a bird's eye at the shower and bless
the useful wet. Mr. Loder will observe to the farmer for whom he is
doing up a dozen of Queen's Heads that it will be of great use, and the
farmer will agree that his young barleys wanted it much. The German
Ocean will dimple with innumerable pin points and porpoises rolling
near the surface sneeze with unusual pellets of fresh water . . . Oh
the wonderful, wonderful world and we who stand in the middle of it
are all in a maze.
From his window he looked down on Charlotte Street and decided that
the people in London Streets, clever, composed, satirical, selfish, well-
dressed were not a patch in looks on Mr. Reynolds, the vicar of Boulge.4
When Fitzgerald was away in London or at
any of the three houses his
parents owned he liked to hear news of his Suffolk friends and so counted
it good fortune that one day in June 1841 he chanced to meet Reynolds
in Lowestoft and learnt that his good friend Barton was no longer angry
with him. They must have had an argument, He wrote to Barton:5
parents owned he liked to hear news of his Suffolk friends and so counted
it good fortune that one day in June 1841 he chanced to meet Reynolds
in Lowestoft and learnt that his good friend Barton was no longer angry
with him. They must have had an argument, He wrote to Barton:5
I met Reynolds in the street here today. We shook hands and spoke of
you. I said that you have given up writing and were I supposed in a
rage, if Quakers can rage except in verse . . . Reynolds says you are not
angry. He was off to some school or missionary meeting. He tells me
Miss Barton is well. Present her my congratulations.
Fitzgerald married Miss Barton in later
years but after a brief, unhappy
period they parted.
period they parted.
Reynolds shared with his family much of
the good talk he enjoyed
with Fitzgerald and his friends so that the vicarage children had a
pleasant familiarity with fine writers and poets. In this atmosphere Samuel
developed his four life long pleasures; books, music, chess and gardening.
In choosing a career he showed no interest in the church or in teaching.
His eldest brother Osborne, a Fellow of Queen's from 1838-45 had been
6
ordained, had taught school at Belfast and was about to become head
master of the Grammar School in Dedham, Essex. His brother, Henry,
studying for his Master of Arts degree at Queen's was destined for the
ministry. Samuel wanted none of this. He wished to study medicine and
as he had an excellent school record his father set about having him
apprenticed. On 26 August 1842 at the age of seventeen years he was
apprenticed for five years to Samuel Gissing and John Stearn Gissing,
surgeons and apothecaries of Woodbridge, Suffolk. They had 'first satis-
fied themselves of his ability to study and his moral character'. The
conditions of indenture were strict:6
with Fitzgerald and his friends so that the vicarage children had a
pleasant familiarity with fine writers and poets. In this atmosphere Samuel
developed his four life long pleasures; books, music, chess and gardening.
In choosing a career he showed no interest in the church or in teaching.
His eldest brother Osborne, a Fellow of Queen's from 1838-45 had been
6
ordained, had taught school at Belfast and was about to become head
master of the Grammar School in Dedham, Essex. His brother, Henry,
studying for his Master of Arts degree at Queen's was destined for the
ministry. Samuel wanted none of this. He wished to study medicine and
as he had an excellent school record his father set about having him
apprenticed. On 26 August 1842 at the age of seventeen years he was
apprenticed for five years to Samuel Gissing and John Stearn Gissing,
surgeons and apothecaries of Woodbridge, Suffolk. They had 'first satis-
fied themselves of his ability to study and his moral character'. The
conditions of indenture were strict:6
The said apprentice, Samuel Reynolds, his Masters faithfully shall serve,
their secrets keep, in lawful commands everywhere gladly do. He shall
do no damage to his said Masters nor see to be done of others but to
his Power shall tell, forthwith give warning to his said Masters of the
same. He shall not wasre the goods of his said Masters nor lend them
unlawfully to any. He shall not commit fornication nor contract
matrimony within the said Term. He shall not play at Cards or Dice
Tables or any other unlawful games where his Masters may have any
loss with their own goods or others during the said Term without
license of his said Masters. He shall neither buy nor sell. He shall not
haunt Taverns or Playhouses nor absent himself from his said Masters
service day or night unlawfully. But in all things as a faithful appren-
tice he shall behave towards his said Masters and all this during the
said Term.
To this indenture the two doctors, the apprentice and his father put
their hands and seals. The wording of these indentures first established
in the early eighteenth century remained unchanged until the late
nineteenth century. At the end of five years Samuel received a certificate
that he had carried out his apprenticeship with satisfaction to his Masters
and a testimony to his moral character. He made plans to go up to London
to continue his medical studies but before he left Boulge there was a
happy family gathering, the last occasion on which they were all
together. His brother Osborne officiated at a double wedding in All
Saints' Church of his two sisters, Mary and Ann, who married their
cousins John Cooper Stearn and Samuel Geater Stearn. By now all the
daughters had married and the sons had careers of their own or were
still students. Robert, the youngest son, had decided to follow Samuel's
lead and was apprenticed to the doctors in Woodbridge. At the end of
this year, 1848, Osborne Shribb Reynolds died and in memory of his
thirty years as rector his family presented a memorial stone font to the
church. The living was inherited by his eldest son Osborne who had been
ordained in 1839. He stayed only eighteen months in the rectory and then
returned to Dedham Grammar School where he had been appointed
headmaster in 1846. In 1880 he became rector of Rockland St. Mary in
Norfolk.
7
Samuel was admitted to the London Hospital as a student practitioner
and continued his studies for the examination of the L.S.A. (Licentiate
of the Society of Apothecaries) which would qualify him in medicine, and
his M.R.C.S. (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) which would
qualify him in surgery and midwifery. To enter for the membership
examination a candidate had to prove that he was over twenty-one, give
proof of a suitable preliminary education, of having completed three
years' study in a recognized school of surgery (his five years' apprentice-
ship would have counted as equivalent), of having completed twenty-one
months' work in a hospital, having spent two winter sessions on dis-
section and completed two courses of six months' lectures in anatomy
and physiology, two courses of six months' lectures in surgery, and one
course of six months in chemistry, practical physics, midwifery, materia
medica and twenty-five lectures on forensic medicine.
He came before the Court of Examiners of
the Society of Apothecaries
on 22 October 1849. He was deferred and again faced the examiners one
month later. On this occasion he obtained his L.S.A. and later in the same
year he obtained his M.R.C.S.
on 22 October 1849. He was deferred and again faced the examiners one
month later. On this occasion he obtained his L.S.A. and later in the same
year he obtained his M.R.C.S.
He intended now to continue his studies
for his M.D. (Doctor of
Medicine) but like many other young doctors he volunteered to help in
the appalling epidemic of cholera which had broken out in London. In
crowded slum areas scarcely one family escaped. The disease moved with
fatal rapidity; children in particular died within six to twelve hours of
its first onslaught. In Eastcheap, Shoreditch, Pudding Lane and Swan
Lane, Love Lane, Mulberry Court, Bell Alley, Crooked Billet Court,
Holywell Place and Jane Short Court, so pleasantly named, so filled with
misery and poverty, the people sickened and died. A report from
Holywell-lane recorded:7
Medicine) but like many other young doctors he volunteered to help in
the appalling epidemic of cholera which had broken out in London. In
crowded slum areas scarcely one family escaped. The disease moved with
fatal rapidity; children in particular died within six to twelve hours of
its first onslaught. In Eastcheap, Shoreditch, Pudding Lane and Swan
Lane, Love Lane, Mulberry Court, Bell Alley, Crooked Billet Court,
Holywell Place and Jane Short Court, so pleasantly named, so filled with
misery and poverty, the people sickened and died. A report from
Holywell-lane recorded:7
On May 2nd at 12 Holywell-lane, a book binder's son aged 6 years,
Asiatic cholera, 9½ hours, 26 persons lived in this house, 8 slept in the
garret in which the child died. Extreme poverty, bad ventilation,
noxious effluvia arising from the gorged state of the cesspools. Another
child died in the same room... At Pear Tree Court, charwoman,
cholera, 19 in house, very dirty and poor being inhabited by the lowest
class of costermongers and sellers of water cresses.
The occupations of the victims and their families were varied and
brought in little money – hawker, painter, dustman, cabinet maker,
labourer, costermonger, printer, brush maker, book binder, tailor, dairy-
man, grocer, tea dealer. When the bread winners died, too often the
wives and children followed. Poverty-stricken, near starvation, they had
no hope of fighting illness.
There was a dreadful shortage of doctors
and appeals were made for
doctors to volunteer as 'house inspectors'. Samuel Reynolds became a
house inspector. He began the day with a visit to a dispensary to get such
8
stock of medicine as might be of some help. He then visited that section
of the slums allotted to him entering 'hovels of unimaginable poverty'
to find the sick. The volunteer doctors tried to give some help with their
medicines but mainly they were concerned to get the victims away from
the house. St Bartholomew's Hospital was chronically overcrowded with
cholera cases and 'houses of refuge' had been set up. Those well enough in
the home to carry the patient tried to get the cholera victim to one of
these houses in the hope of even a foot of space being vacant. That life
could be saved was unlikely but there was a chance that the sufferer might
meet with some kindness and care. It then became the task of the doctor
to try to get the home cleaned up, the walls whitewashed, the appalling
cesspools cleared. The doctors worked officially from nine in the morning
till six in the evening but often till midnight or later. They were required
to take a break for a midday meal. Many went without. It was not surpris-
ing that The Lancet of the day said 'they perilled their health and lives in
the service of their suffering fellow creatures'. The pay was small. One
Dr Johnes engaged by the Board of Guardians at Lambeth worked for
three months in the epidemic, attended fifteen hundred victims, ruined
his health and was paid £68.5.0.
doctors to volunteer as 'house inspectors'. Samuel Reynolds became a
house inspector. He began the day with a visit to a dispensary to get such
8
stock of medicine as might be of some help. He then visited that section
of the slums allotted to him entering 'hovels of unimaginable poverty'
to find the sick. The volunteer doctors tried to give some help with their
medicines but mainly they were concerned to get the victims away from
the house. St Bartholomew's Hospital was chronically overcrowded with
cholera cases and 'houses of refuge' had been set up. Those well enough in
the home to carry the patient tried to get the cholera victim to one of
these houses in the hope of even a foot of space being vacant. That life
could be saved was unlikely but there was a chance that the sufferer might
meet with some kindness and care. It then became the task of the doctor
to try to get the home cleaned up, the walls whitewashed, the appalling
cesspools cleared. The doctors worked officially from nine in the morning
till six in the evening but often till midnight or later. They were required
to take a break for a midday meal. Many went without. It was not surpris-
ing that The Lancet of the day said 'they perilled their health and lives in
the service of their suffering fellow creatures'. The pay was small. One
Dr Johnes engaged by the Board of Guardians at Lambeth worked for
three months in the epidemic, attended fifteen hundred victims, ruined
his health and was paid £68.5.0.
Samuel Reynolds, blessed with a strong
constitution all his life,
suffered no physical harm but the experience left him with several deep
convictions. His medical training had taken him among poor homes but
never had he seen such appalling conditions as in these slums. The
contrast of the way these people lived and the life of the rich and privi-
leged which could be seen every day and night in the affluent streets of
London horrified him. He became, like many other doctors, a crusader
for the poor. He told his family years later that this experience proved to
him the wickedness of poverty. He could not and never would accept
the belief, current among the more fortunate, that in some way poverty
was ordained. In working among these cholera victims he had seen, too,
not only the ravages of that disease but many other illnesses and com-
plaints which should have had treatment. No one, he decided, however
poor, should be denied medical treatment. How this could be achieved on
so wide a scale he had no idea but he took one small step himself by
resolving to work among the poor and needy in London. Living in
College House, Stepney Green he became a medical officer for the Stepney
Union, a Poor Law Union. He was Physician Accoucheur for the Trinity
Lying-in Charity, and Medical Officer for the Refuge for the Destitute. He
supplemented a small income as an Assistant Apothecary for the London
Hospital, and he continued his studies for his M.D.
suffered no physical harm but the experience left him with several deep
convictions. His medical training had taken him among poor homes but
never had he seen such appalling conditions as in these slums. The
contrast of the way these people lived and the life of the rich and privi-
leged which could be seen every day and night in the affluent streets of
London horrified him. He became, like many other doctors, a crusader
for the poor. He told his family years later that this experience proved to
him the wickedness of poverty. He could not and never would accept
the belief, current among the more fortunate, that in some way poverty
was ordained. In working among these cholera victims he had seen, too,
not only the ravages of that disease but many other illnesses and com-
plaints which should have had treatment. No one, he decided, however
poor, should be denied medical treatment. How this could be achieved on
so wide a scale he had no idea but he took one small step himself by
resolving to work among the poor and needy in London. Living in
College House, Stepney Green he became a medical officer for the Stepney
Union, a Poor Law Union. He was Physician Accoucheur for the Trinity
Lying-in Charity, and Medical Officer for the Refuge for the Destitute. He
supplemented a small income as an Assistant Apothecary for the London
Hospital, and he continued his studies for his M.D.
Early in 1851 he met Eliza Ann Strangman,
nineteen years of age, shy,
gentle, a delightful speaking voice commented on by all who met her, a
gentle true singing voice, and hidden beneath the shyness, great strength
of character. Not beautiful in the accepted sense but blessed with fine
grey eyes, a high colour, and curling brown hair she had a lively intelli-
9
gence. Eliza Ann was the daughter of Thomas Strangman, provision
merchant and shipper of wine, a 'comfortable' man but in the snobbery of
those days 'in trade'. Samuel was a professional man though the gentry
did not consider a doctor of much social standing either. Little this
worried Samuel. Whether his 'dear Liz' was in trade or not made no
difference to him; he fell deeply in love with her and she with him. On
2 May 1851 they were married in the Parish Church of South Hackney by
the Reverend Malcolm Macdonald and they left for a brief holiday in
Scotland. It was typical of Samuel that this also included a further step
in his medical career. He wanted to take his examination for his M.D. at
St Andrews and two days after his wedding he presented himself to the
University at College Gate for examination. The type of examination is
described in University records.8
gentle, a delightful speaking voice commented on by all who met her, a
gentle true singing voice, and hidden beneath the shyness, great strength
of character. Not beautiful in the accepted sense but blessed with fine
grey eyes, a high colour, and curling brown hair she had a lively intelli-
9
gence. Eliza Ann was the daughter of Thomas Strangman, provision
merchant and shipper of wine, a 'comfortable' man but in the snobbery of
those days 'in trade'. Samuel was a professional man though the gentry
did not consider a doctor of much social standing either. Little this
worried Samuel. Whether his 'dear Liz' was in trade or not made no
difference to him; he fell deeply in love with her and she with him. On
2 May 1851 they were married in the Parish Church of South Hackney by
the Reverend Malcolm Macdonald and they left for a brief holiday in
Scotland. It was typical of Samuel that this also included a further step
in his medical career. He wanted to take his examination for his M.D. at
St Andrews and two days after his wedding he presented himself to the
University at College Gate for examination. The type of examination is
described in University records.8
Samuel Reynolds having submitted certificates that he had had a liberal
and classical education, that he had had four years attendance in some
University or celebrated school of medicine and of two years hospital
practice was admitted to examination on all branches of medicine by
Professors Day and Spalding, Dr. John Adamson and Dr. Anderson of
Glasgow on 7th May 1851. Having satisfied the Senatus he had
delivered to him on 8th May a medical case with questions subjoined to
be answered in writing, the answers to be defended before the mem-
bers of the University, the whole proceedings being then submitted to
the consideration of the Senatus and their being satisfied the degree of
M.D. was conferred on 9th May, 1851 on Samuel Reynolds by the
Rector in the Hall of the Public Library of the University.
There was no long delay waiting for results. Samuel and his Liz
returned to London and he resumed his work as Medical Officer for the
Refuge for the Destitute at Cuper's Bridge, Lambeth and Accoucheur for
the Trinity Lying-in Charity. There were many of these charitable institu-
tions in London, the provinces and the villages. A great many people
were concerned by the sufferings of the poor and there was a long
tradition of charity, and while this charity, spartan but practical, reached
only the fringe of the thousands in need, it did give decent shelter and
nourishing food to many.
The Lambeth refuge where Samuel Reynolds
served as medical officer
had been founded in 1806 by voluntary contributions:9
had been founded in 1806 by voluntary contributions:9
It provided a place of refuge for persons discharged from prisons, or the
hulks, unfortunate and deserted females and others who from loss of
character or extreme indigence cannot, though willing to work, procure
an honest maintenance and in cases of very urgent necessity to afford
temporary relief until parochial or other assistance can be obtained.
. . . The penitent criminal, the deserted female, the helpless labourer
and the famished stranger may here find employment, support and
instruction.
10
This Refuge was severely practical and was kept in well scrubbed
cleanliness. The dining hall was floored with stone and lights came from
windows in the high ceiling. The only furniture was made up of long
tables and benches but there was a fireplace at each end of the room and
fires were lit in winter. Men and women had separate residences; the
men were employed splitting wood, working in the garden and in
carpentry; the women in 'slop work, washing, baking, knitting, spinning
and making the household linen'. If their conduct was exemplary and
their morals had improved they were awarded a portion of their earn-
ings. It was a firm rule that 'lenient, persuasive and encouraging measures
are to be adopted to lead the residents to a proper course of life although
the strictest conformity to regulations for the maintenance of order is
enforced'. For those who acquired 'a due sense of religion and such
habits of industry as may render them useful members of society, efforts
were made to find suitable employment or to reunite them with their
families. In those harsh years and in the slums of Lambeth this refuge
was not ill-named.
In these years Samuel had the pleasure of
his young brother Robert’s
company. Having finished his apprenticeship Robert had come to Charing
Cross Hospital, London. From here he obtained his L.S.A. and his
M.R.C.S. in 1852. He returned to Essex where the family had many links
and for over forty years was a general practitioner at Steeple Bumstead, a
beautiful village in pleasant country.
company. Having finished his apprenticeship Robert had come to Charing
Cross Hospital, London. From here he obtained his L.S.A. and his
M.R.C.S. in 1852. He returned to Essex where the family had many links
and for over forty years was a general practitioner at Steeple Bumstead, a
beautiful village in pleasant country.
Samuel
chose a different life. After nearly four years of working in the
slums of London he discussed with Liz the idea of going to Australia.
Young cousins of the Reynolds who had gone to South Australia wrote
enthusiastically of their new life. The papers were filled with stories of
gold discoveries and there was decidedly something of the adventurer and
the gambler in Samuel. He was tempted to try his luck. He suggested to
Liz that they go to Australia for a few years and then return home;
best to do this while they were young and, as a well-qualified doctor, he
would always find work. Liz agreed: Whatever Sam wished she would
do.
slums of London he discussed with Liz the idea of going to Australia.
Young cousins of the Reynolds who had gone to South Australia wrote
enthusiastically of their new life. The papers were filled with stories of
gold discoveries and there was decidedly something of the adventurer and
the gambler in Samuel. He was tempted to try his luck. He suggested to
Liz that they go to Australia for a few years and then return home;
best to do this while they were young and, as a well-qualified doctor, he
would always find work. Liz agreed: Whatever Sam wished she would
do.
1.
Commander
Simpson in a letter to the author.
2. A. C. Benson, Edward Fitzgerald, London, 1905, p.21.3. Letters and Literary Remains of Edward Fitzgerald, vol. 1, London, 1889, p. 128.4. Peter de Polnay, Into an Old Room, London, 1950, p. 106.5. F. M. Barton, Some New Letters of Edward Fitzgerald, London, 1923, p.38.6. Details of Indentures, L.S.A. and M.R.C.S. from the Keeper of Manuscripts, Guildhall Library. London.7. Report of the Mortality of Cholera in England, 1848-1849, H.M. Stationery Office, 1852, pp. 190-191 from the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine, Euston Road, London.8. The Archives, University Library, St Andrews, College Gate, Scotland.9. Pietas Londinenses, History of Design and Present State of Various Public Charities in and near London, 1814, pp. 264-269, the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine.
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