Transcript

of

Wolcott, Dr. John. = “Peter Pindar”

In Miscellaneous Devonshire Gleanings, Trans. Devon Assoc., 1881, Vol XIII., pp. 147-149.

by

W. Pengelly, FRS etc.

Prepared by Michael Steer

Wolcot was baptised at Dodbrooke.  In the parish register, his surname was spelled "Woolcot". He was educated by an uncle, and received his M.D. from Aberdeen University. In 1767 he went as physician to Sir William Trelawny, Governor of Jamaica. Wolcot eventually came home and, abandoning the Church, resumed his medical career. He settled in practice at Truro, where he discovered the talents of John Opie. In 1780 Wolcot went to London and began writing satires. The first objects of his attentions were members of the Royal Academy. These attempts being well received, he soon aimed higher, the King and Queen being the most frequent targets for his satirical shafts. In 1786 he published The Lousiad, a Heroi-Comic Poem. He died at his home in Latham Place (now part of Churchway), Somers Town, London on 14 January 1819, and was buried in a vault in the churchyard of St Paul's, Covent Garden. The article, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

(Copied from the Note Book of Mr. O. Blewitt, where it is said to have been "Written by Walter Prideaux, of Kingsbridge" )

"Doctor John Wolcot, commonly called Peter Pindar, was born in Dodbrooke, in the county of Devon, it is believed in the year 1739, but the Register of the Parish of Dodbrooke having been in the custody of Mr. Gillard, the Churchwarden, when his house at Well was burnt, the register was unfortunately destroyed, by which means the exact period of his birth cannot be found. His father was a surgeon and apothecary of considerable eminence in his day, and gave his son a good classical education under a Mr. John Morris, an exceedingly clever man, who kept a large boarding and grammar school in the town of Kingsbridge, which adjoins the village of Dodbrooke, where the Doctor was born. The house in which that event took place, on the death of his father, became his property, and was sold by him 30 years since to the Rev. Nath’l Wells, who resided in it till his death ….

"When he had finished his education, the Doctor was placed as an apprentice with his uncle, who was a surgeon of great respectability and large practice at Fowey, in Cornwall, with whom he served out his time, and" [then] "attended the hospitals to complete himself in his profession. Amongst his uncle's patients was the Trelawny family " (residing, no doubt, at Trelawny, in the parish of Pelynt, about 6 miles E.N.E. from Fowey)," with whom the Doctor was very intimate, and of whose abilities they had a high opinion.

"Not long after the completion of his studies, and when he was not fixed as to the place in which he should settle in business, Sir Wm Trelawny was appointed Gov’r of Jamaica. Wolcot, on hearing it, applied to him to be taken out as his Surgeon, when Sir William expressed great regret at having before engaged to take out another young man in that capacity, but told him if he could get a diploma, of which Sir William had little doubt, he would most willingly take him out as his Physician.

"Upon this Wolcot immediately applied to Doctors Huxham of Plymouth and another Physician there, from whom he obtained the necessary certificate of his capability, and immediately procured a diploma as an M.D. On being asked by an intimate friend and old schoolfellow of his (in the presence of the writer of this), who was acquainted with Huxham, how he had contrived to prevail on old Dr. Huxham to sign the certificate, 'Oh’ says Wolcot, 'I found Huxham fond of flummery, I gave it to him liberally, he swallowed it greedily, and signed the certificate readily.

"On obtaining his diploma he accompanied the Gov’r to Jamaica, but being a very young man, and several old men, who had settled there, running away with all the practice, he found his success did not answer his expectation, and expressed thoughts of returning to England, when the Gov. said to him one day, ‘Doctor, I wish you was a Parson, as I should then most likely soon have it in my power to provide for you handsomely. Wolcot asked him if he was serious, and upon his saying he really was, replied, ‘Then I will go to England, get ordained directly, and return to Jamaica;' and he did accordingly come to England, applied to the Bishop of Loudon, and after being examined, the Bishop ordained him to preach the gospel in foreign parts; upon which he returned to Jamaica in full hopes and expectation of the promised living, but here again he was disappointed, as almost immed’y after his return the Governor died, before he had an opportunity of presenting him with the promised preferment

"On the death of the Governor the Doctor returned to England, and settled at Truro, where he would have had a large practice, but unfortunately for his prospects, Truro was a Borough Town, and the members were returned through the influence of Lord Falmouth, whose interest being opposed by Sir Fra^s Basset, Wolcot took the part of Lord Falmouth, and giving way to his poetic vein, he held up the opposite party, who were the most numerous and proved successful in overthrowing his lordship's interest in the Borough, in a most caustic satire, which the writer of this has seen in manuscript, and been almost convulsed with laughter at reading it.

"The consequence of this talent for rhyming at Falmouth " (sic? Truro) "was the loss of his practice, two of the most prominent characters attacked by him, being medical men in large practice as Surgeons and Apothecaries, did everything in their power to destroy it Finding his business gone, he then removed to London, and soon after published his Ode to the Reviewers, as a prelude to his Lyric Odes addressed to the painters, which were his first publications, and finding after a little time that his satires took with the public, he afterwards gave himself up entirely to writing and publishing his poetic pieces, which speak for themselves ; and although some of them are coarse, and perhaps not to be defended as to their propriety, still the genuineness and originality of their wit are undeniable.

"The Doctor never afterwards left London, except now and then to visit his uncle at Dartmouth, and his sisters at Fowey ; but those visits were of short duration, London being the only place in which he could find and enjoy the society he delighted in, and have his relish for music, to which he was much devoted, sufficiently gratified.

"He lived to a very advanced age, and died at Somerstown: and at his own earnest desire was buried at St. Paul's, Covent Garden, close to the remains of Butler, the author of Hudibras."

P.S. - Since this Paper was in type, I have obtained a copy of the work of which the u pamphlet," mentioned and quoted on pp. 139-140 above, is a Section. It is entitled "England Wales Scotland and Ireland Described and Abridged With ye Historic Relation of things worthy memory from a farr Larger Voulume Done by John Speed Anno Cum privilegio 1627."