John Griffiths (surgeon)

John Griffiths of Erryd (28 October 1754 – 17 September 1822) was a London medical practitioner and surgeon. His parents were the Reverend John Griffiths, B.A. from Oxford University, and Mary Denham.[1]

Career

Dr Griffiths was appointed surgeon to Queen Charlotte's Household on 28 March 1789,[2] and held this position until her death in 1818 (following which he attended her funeral in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle[3]).[4] He was also surgeon at St George's Hospital in London from 1796 until 1822.[5]

Griffiths was among those who gave evidence to the 1802 Committee of the House of Commons on Dr JENNER'S Petition respecting his Discovery of Vaccine Inoculation against small pox, recently discovered by Edward Jenner. It was reported he testified that he had "inoculated upward to fifteen hundred persons, none of whom has had untoward symptoms, among them three of his own children, at various periods within three years."[6][7][8]

Marriage, family and death

Griffiths married Elizabeth, the daughter of Sir William Neville Hart M.P. and Elizabeth Aspinwall, on 4 June 1787 and had issue. He died on 17 September 1822 in Charmouth, Dorset, where he had "retired for the sake of his health".[9][10] His wife died on 16 April 1824,[11] and is buried with her husband in the graveyard of St Andrew's Parish Church.[12][13] He was the elder brother of Lieutenant-General Charles Griffiths. His younger brother's wife, Caroline, was the sister of his own wife.[14] Griffiths and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of George Richard Griffiths and the grandparents of George Neville Griffiths M.L.A (New South Wales). The latter was the grandfather of Wiliam Charles Wentworth IV M.P (Australia).

References

  1. ^ Pine, L. G., ed. (1952). Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry (17th ed.). London: Burke's Peerage Ltd. p. 1082.
  2. ^ "Queen's Palace; March 28" (PDF). The London Gazette. No. 13080. 24 March 1789. p. 161.
  3. ^ Craig, W. M. (1818). Memoirs of Her Majesty Sophia Charlotte, of Mecklenburg Strelitz, Queen of Great Britain. Liverpool: Henry Fisher. p. 527 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ Sainty, J. C. & Bucholz, R. O. "Household of Queen Charlotte 1761-1818" (PDF). Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  5. ^ Copland-Griffiths, Frederick (October 1908). "Sir William Neville Hart and his Descendants". Notes and Queries. 10th Series. No. 249. London. pp. 263–264 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ Bankes, Henry (1803). "Report from the Committee on Dr. Jenner's Petition, respecting his Discovery of Vaccine Inoculation". Reports from the Committees of the House of Commons. Vol. XIV. pp. 172–188 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ THE MEDICAL AND PHYSICAL JOURNAL: VOLUME VIII: JULY TO DECEMBER 1802 INCLUSIVE: Retrieved 3 January 2017
  8. ^ The Monthly Magazine; or, British Register: Vol. XIV: Part II for 1803: from July to December inclusive Retrieved 2 November 2017 p.19
  9. ^ "Died". The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. No. 637. Truro. 27 September 1822. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Died". Jackson's Oxford Journal. No. 3623. 5 October 1822. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Died". The West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser. No. 719. Truro. 23 April 1824. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ A History of St. Andrew`s Church, Charmouth: Griffiths: Retrieved 3 January 2017
  13. ^ Mattingly, Neil (Summer 2019). "The Well Head" (PDF). Shoreline. No. 40. Charmouth. pp. 44–46. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  14. ^ Burke’s Landed Gentry; 17th Edition 1952; under Copland-Griffiths of Potterne; NOTE at bottom of 2nd column p.1082, and page 1083, right hand column - 4. Charles, Lt.-Gen.
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