Walks Around Rudgwick 1



Rudgwick’s past, present and future, No 7

Rudgwick Doctors

Long before there was a modern-style GP in sight there were apothecaries and surgeons. For example a Canadian family historian first brought to our attention an epitaph, that once adorned the wall of Rudgwick church belfry, to Dr Edward Haynes, an apothecary in Cranleigh, born in Rudgwick in 1674. There are several other references to it. Each has a slightly different version, from which the version below is adapted.

It explained in doggerel verse how the doctor would “ride and run and to give relief / to those which were in pain and grief”. Sadly the epitaph relates his death, at only 33, from smallpox in 1708, his wife pregnant with their third child, and his burial in our churchyard. Daughter Mary was duly born, and later married Henry Napper, a Cranleigh surgeon, whose family produced many doctors, including one descendent, Albert, who would later be involved in setting up Cranleigh Cottage Hospital. Another of Edward’s sons, John, a mercer or draper, has his grave in Rudgwick. Edward Haynes death in 1708 is confirmed in records of his property ‘Smiths’ near the church (probably the house next to the Upper Smithy, both now demolished) and a cottage ‘Newend’, both in the manor of Shere Vachery and Cranleigh held at Surrey Record Centre. These confirm John as his heir, so presumably the eldest son Edward did not survive, and describe the deceased as an apothecary.

Notes:

Earliest reference is in Reliquiae Hearniae, Vol 2, London, pub JR Smith, 1869,being a copy of the diaries of Thomas Hearne,1678-1735. The dated entry is for 3 December 1716.It is this version transcribed, left (Univ Calif Digitized by Microsoft).

Also published in The London magazine. Or, Gentleman's monthly intelligencer,

Poetical Essays in June, 1755: ‘An epitaph in Rudgwick church-yard’

It was re-printed in the Manchester Times in 1866.

In Sussex Notes and Queries, July 24, 1897, it is stated to have been painted formerly on the inside of the wall of the belfry of Rudgwick Church, Sussex, and transcribed from Hearne, on p. 207 of Burrell MS. 5699

In 1783 the Medical Register listed Mr Harborough, a surgeon, in Rudgwick (few villages had one). This must be “James Harbroe, Surgeon” who died 1830 aged 88 and was buried in Rudgwick alongside his wife and next to his 60 year old son.

In 1841 the census tells us of William Howard, also a surgeon, living in the village with his wife Elizabeth and their 3 children. He was however not long for this world as in 1847 he was “accidentally killed by falling backwards” which damaged his spine. He was 59. He has no known grave in Rudgwick but his widow went on to live in the village until the 1860s. Curiously a family member who contacted me has failed to find Howard in any medical register. On his death certificate, the registrar was informed of his death by JL Ellis, the Petworth coroner.

The writer has two family death certificates, both for deaths in Surrey. In the first, in 1881, Dr Albert Napper of Cranleigh attended Hoopwick Farm (off Furzen Lane, in the parish of Abinger, but bordering Rudgwick) from his practice at Broadoak in Cranleigh - yes, the very same Dr Napper mentioned above. He diagnosed apoplexy, not a very useful diagnosis, but my great great grandfather, John Nash, was over 80! His wife, Sarah died in Cox Green (also adjoining Rudgwick, in the parish of Euhurst) in 1885, more honestly perhaps of “old age”, as recorded by Dr A Wall (who may be Dr Abiathar Brown Wall, who practised in London at this time, who was an LRCPh, from Edinburgh, as written on the certificate – it being conceivable he was visiting the area).

Getting a doctor quickly was not the prerogative of ordinary folk here in Victorian Rudgwick, but that was to change very soon. One year after the death of Sarah Nash, in 1886, Dr Frank Boxall qualified in London, and after a few years in the capital, moved to Rudgwick as its first ever GP about 1890, setting up home in one half of Cousens on the corner of Lynwick St. He was 26 and just married to Mary Gertrude Watkins. Born in Wisborough Green, he was the son of Henry Boxall (also a doctor). His mother, Frances Napper, was a descendent of the aforementioned Dr Haynes! Frank was educated at the Royal Medical Benevolent College, now Epsom College. Clearly his life was destined to be in the medical profession. Mary was daughter of a Bank of England clerk originally from Birmingham. Frank intended to stay in Rudgwick, as in 1896 (recorded in stained glass in the porch of the house) he had Church Hill House built, close to the church, as his purpose-built surgery and family home. This would remain one of Rudgwick’s doctor’s home and surgery through to about 1960.

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The drawing above is dated 1900, and appeared in The Building News. The ground floor plan, enlarged, is just clear enough to see the purpose-built entrance, waiting room and surgery for patients. The house is little changed in its exterior elevations today, though land and the stables have been sold off for development. The property was built in what was called in the 1840 tithe map, ‘hylle field’. The rising ground of Church ‘Hylle’ gave good views over the countryside from the heart of the village. The photographs below are from the Rudgwick Preservation Society collection.

Frank and Mary Boxall, children: Gladys, Norman, Eileen (rear); Muriel, Jan, Ken (front)

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Dr Boxall may be seen in the top right photo with his wife Mary (on the motor bike!). The car, right, which was one of the first in the village is driven by his chauffeur, George Crummett. The four Boxall daughters (Gladys, Eileen, Muriel and Joan) were among the notable beauties of early 20th century Rudgwick. They also had two brothers, Kenneth and Norman.

Our GPs generally gave the main part of their careers to a country practice (Dr Finlay-style, for those who remember the TV series). Some dates below are from the online GMC Medical Register.

In 1900, Dr Frank Boxall was well established in his new house with attached surgery at Church Hill near the church. Frank Boxall had a good medical pedigree. An inheritance from an uncle enabled him to build a substantial house, little altered today, except for the stables, now a separate house, and the bungalow, Ramparts, built in the garden as retirement home for Dr Kelsey, of whom more later. The architect of Church Hill was Charles King, one time assistant to Sir George Gilbert Scott.

Frank and Mary Boxall had five children, including sisters Joan (a midwife) and Gladys who later ran a maternity home at their little bungalow, ‘Ridge’, in Church Street, now demolished. He was a familiar sight in the quiet village of those days, at first in a dog cart or governess cart, and by 1912 in his open-topped car, which George Crummett chauffeured (George later began the business which became Station Garage, and his son was the last Rudgwick station master). Also from 1912, the year when national health insurance began, he had a telephone, Rudgwick 3. To visit the surgery cost 2/6, a home visit was a guinea, but presents were bought for the village poor at Christmas. Frank Boxall frequently appears in the school log book attending events and attending to pupils. After 35 years single-handed he finally retired in 1926, sadly to die of a stroke a year later, and Mary soon after that.

He was succeeded by Dr Robert Miller DSO who continued the practice at Church Hill. Dr Miller was a painter and noted breeder of fox terriers in his spare time and throughout the 1930s and 40s his dog adverts appeared in the small ads of The Times – 3 or 4 guineas would secure you a house trained dog, safe with children. His wife Annie was from Cuckfield where they married in 1918. I believe he also attended the birth of this writer at The Ridge! Dr Miller moved to Boreham, Church St in 1938, but continued to serve the village throughout the war years, retiring soon after. Robert and Annie’s younger daughter Beatrix, born 1923, was a ‘legendary’ and ‘terrifying’ editor of Vogue. See below.

Dr Guy Philipson Nixon joined the practice in 1930, leaving for Rhodesia in 1938, replaced by Dr Heneage Marchant Kelsey. Kelsey served in RAMC, where his adventures included enormous privations escaping from Tobruk under siege in 1941. At about this time his wife gave birth to a daughter, on 21st May. He was at The Redhouse, Loxwood Road in 1943. Several doctors ‘filled in’ during the war, including Drs Stein and Black. On Dr Miller’s retirement, Stanley Lennox (Peter) Henderson joined Dr Kelsey, both doctors giving The Red House for their practice in the registers, 1947 and 51, Dr Kelsey still there in 1955. Older residents will no doubt remember visiting the surgery there. Dr Henderson practised at Oakdene, Guildford Road from 1955 until retirement 1976 (imagine visiting a surgery today on the busy A281!). whilst Dr Kelsey lived and had his surgery at Church Hill, Rudgwick’s first purpose-built surgery.

The following account of Dr Kelsey’s wartime exploits is put together from material in possession of RPS.

For Rudgwick GP Dr Heneage Marchant Kelsey, the North African campaign is remembered for his brave escape to Tobruk in 1941.

His story is in RPS files on yellowing foolscap, and opens, “After making his way on foot over the Libyan desert for 140 miles … an RAMC officer who in civilian life was … general practitioner in Rudgwick, Sussex, is now safely inside beleaguered Tobruk. For 36 hours he stayed to tend a dying British soldier within 200 yards of a German airfield. Then, carrying heavy equipment, with boots torn, and often desperate for water, he began an agonising journey across the desert, hiding beneath bushes when Germans were near. For eleven days Dr Kelsey kept a diary.”

On 7th April 1941, his story begins with a tank advance, fighting on an escarpment, six wounded and the column dispersed. Wikipedia states “The tank brigade, short of fuel, headed to Derna where it was subsequently cut off and captured”, part of Rommel’s advance towards Cairo. Kelsey said he was prepared for such an eventuality with emergency supplies and water. He stayed with a wounded man, “D”, a hopeless case. The next day with “D” still bravely alive, he had the longest day of his life – no help came; no enemy approached. “D” died early the next morning.

Kelsey set of at 10.30 am, with a leaky can, and 2 bottles, of water, condensed milk, biscuits, a tin of cheese, iron rations and vitamin C, sleeping bag, blanket (for cold desert nights), glasses and compass, all horribly heavy. On the 4th day a steep wadi was to be crossed. On the 5th he awoke perishing cold, his hands injured, a boot worn through and mosquitoes troublesome. On day 6 he had managed to cover 16 miles. He met up with two Indian soldiers of the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, on the run from Mechili. Close to a busy main road now, on day 7 they walked on, but one of the Indians decided to give himself up. On day 8 the two of them walked right into a naval bombardment. By the 9th day movement by day was impossible, so they started at 4 o’clock, but almost walked out of the dunes into an enemy camp. The next morning they followed the shoreline for 12 miles before it got too hot, now just 20 miles west of Tobruk.

On day 11 before dawn they found a “newly dead” fish, boiling it in some sea water. The diary ends here, but Dr Kelsey made it to Tobruk, and so was eventually safe. Perhaps what kept him going was knowing his wife Maureen was due to give birth back home to a daughter, which duly arrived on 21st May 1941, announced in The Times with the message, “Egyptian papers please copy”. She, at least, had some idea where he was. The siege of Tobruk did not finally end until November, when relieved by the 8th Army. It is likely, however, that Kelsey was able to get out well before, as the siege was far from total, despite constant attacks. His survival is all the more extraordinary in that on 11th April (day 5 of his journey) Germans and Italians were massing for a big assault on Tobruk. Fortunately the Australian and British defenders saw them off. The enemy persisted over the next days, one Briton gaining a Victoria Cross; very aggressive fighting by the Aussies seeing off the Italians on the very front through which Kelsey and his friend were approaching. The abrupt ending of the diary somehow suggests the enormous difficulty the two faced, in their weakened state, to get through enemy lines and avoid friendly fire. Captain Kelsey was awarded the Military Cross.

Dr Kelsey, who had qualified in 1936, and first practised in Rudgwick in 1938, returned to general practice, then based at The Red House, and in the 1950s at Church Hill, Rudgwick. The Kelseys later built Ramparts for retirement. He passed away in 1993.

Dr Miller’s daughter Beatrix:

“The magazine Vogue, owned by Jocelyn Stevens, was in its heyday; its editor was the legendary Beatrix Miller”. “Beatrix Miller became editor in 1965, she developed the "Young Idea" pages and formed lasting relationships with a host of talented designers, among them Sally Tuffin and Marion Foale, Zandra Rhodes, Barbara Hulanicki and Bill Gibb. She also used the up-and-coming photographers Ron Traeger, David Bailey, Lord Snowdon, Helmut Newton and Sarah Moon, and worked closely with Vogue's art director, Barney Wan.” (from The Independent obituary for Fashion Editor, Marit Allen).

Lucinda Chambers, one of the two fashion directors, had been at Vogue since the Seventies when the terrifying Beatrix Miller still ruled. She remembers once asking Miss Miller (she was always Miss Miller) why there were all these girls weeping in the loos and Miss Miller barked 'Healthy competition!' She ruled by fear. (Guardian 10 Feb 2008).

Beatrix was also associate editor of Men in Vogue, which appeared in the late 1960s.

: Queen magazine focused on British "high society" and the lives of socialites and the British aristocracy from 1862 onwards. In the late 1950s under the editorship of Beatrix Miller it was restyled to serve a younger hip readership that was defined by Miller in a style-sheet. According to Clement Freud who wrote for the magazine, Beatrix Miller's targeted reader had long hair, was named Caroline, had left school at age 16, was not an intellectual, but she was the sort of person that one ended up in bed with.

When Radio Caroline first went on the air (from a ship that was also renamed Caroline), it operated from the editorial offices of Queen magazine. The Beatrix Miller style sheet for Caroline was given to contributing writers to the magazine because it gave authors an idea of who they were writing for. Miller left the magazine shortly after Radio Caroline went on the air.

A final quotation: “working with Beatrix Miller, long-serving editor at British Vogue through the 1960s and 1970s, who patiently brought out the best in all her "girls" — mostly upper-class women whose parents treated the magazine like a finishing school”. 27 Apr 1999, International Herald Tribune.

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Dec. 3. In Rudgwick church in Sussex.

This epitaph (communicated to Mr. Porter, S. T. B. and fellow of Corpus) is in the belfry of the church, tho’ the person be buried without side in the church yard.

Without this wall

Lyeth the body of Crandly Dr., Edward Haines,

For to maintaine his family spared not for paines,

To ride, and to run, to give releife

To those which were in pain and griefe,

Who the 30th of April enter’d death’s straite gate,

From the birth of our Saviour 1708;

And about the age of 33:

And had his father’s virtues in ev’ry degree.

And left behind him, when he left this life,

Two likely sons, and a loveing wife.

And about 36 weeks after

His wife and releck was brought a bed with a daughter;

Which 3 we desire may live,

Not to beg but to give.

His eldest son Edward was then 6 years and 10 months old,

And John about 3, both dapper and bold.

Amongst all the doctors, tho' there are many,

He is as much mised as any.

Like to most mortals, to his practise he was a slave,

He catched the small-pox and died, and is here in his grave.

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