Having published mini-biographies of some of my ancestors, I’ve now got the family history bug. My next project is a full-length biography of John Birt Davies, Professor of Forensic Medicine at Queen’s College and Birmingham’s first coroner. A fascinating character, I could only scratch the surface of his remarkable achievements in A Stream of Lives. He definitely deserves more, so now I’m seeking to fill the following gaps in my knowledge.
Born in Hampshire, John spent most of his adult life in Birmingham, but his family roots lay in Cardiganshire, mid-Wales. Descended from Cardiganshire families on both his father’s and mother’s side, the family moved back there after his father’s death in 1812.
John was only 13 when his father, Thomas Davies, died. He was the eldest of seven children. They lived in the rural parish of Nately Scures and Newnham where Thomas was the rector. Finding herself a widow with seven small children, Martha, his mother, decided to move the family back to Wales to be close to her father, Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne, at Aberaeron.
Gap number one: I know Thomas died in December 1812, but when exactly did Martha and her children move to Wales? I believe they lived in a house called Tyglyn Aeron, very close to Alban’s house at Tyglyn Mansion. Did Alban own both these houses, or did he rent/buy Tyglyn Aeron specially for Martha and her family?
I know nothing about John Birt Davies’s early education. His family were English-speakers and Anglicans. Not a problem in Hampshire, but once they moved to Cardiganshire many of their neighbours would have spoken Welsh and attended non-conformist chapels.
Gap number two: Where did John Birt Davies go to school? Where were most English-speaking children educated in that part of Cardiganshire? Is it likely that John and his siblings learnt Welsh?
At some point John decided to train to become a doctor. He began his formal training at Edinburgh University in 1819, eventually graduating with an MD in 1822. In those days it was usual to take up an apprenticeship before undertaking formal medical training. Conveniently, Martha’s sister, Jane, was married to Christopher Arden, a surgeon/GP in Dorchester, Dorset. So John moved to Dorchester to become Christopher’s apprentice, but I do not know when he took up this position or how long he worked there.
Gap number three: When and for how long did John work for Christopher Arden in Dorchester? What was the usual length of time medical apprentices were expected to serve? Did they have to pay for their apprenticeship or did they earn a wage?
In addition to running the town’s medical practice, Christopher was a magistrate, a bailiff and six times Mayor of Dorchester. He also held an appointment as surgeon to Dorchester gaol. Clearly this busy man needed all the help he could get, so a bright apprentice must have been a boon. It seems possible that John helped look after the prisoners in Dorchester gaol and that his interest in forensic medicine stemmed from this period.
Gap number four? What duties were medical apprentices expected to take on? Is it likely that John was responsible for the medical care of prisoners in Dorchester gaol?
If you know the answers to any of these questions, or indeed have any snippets of information about John Birt Davies, please do get in touch. I’ll be hugely grateful for any suggestions that can help me move forward.
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