Hugh Chamberlen the younger, Doctor of Physik (Born 1664)

7^th Great Grandfather – FFFMFFMMF¹

Charlotte Chamberlen, Richard Luther’s wife and my 6^th great grandmother was the daughter of Hugh Chamberlen.

Hugh Chamberlen the younger was born on 16^th March 1663 and baptised 30^th March 1664 at St Christopher le Stock in the City of London². The church which no longer exists was on Threadneedle Street. It was damaged in the Great Fire of London which happened 2 years after Hugh’s baptism. The church was rebuilt but was later demolished in 1781 for an extension to the Bank of England (see “St Christopher Le Stocks” 2024).

His parents were Hugh Chamberlen the elder and Doroty (nee Brett) Chamberlen. I am using the terms “the younger” and “the elder” as there is some confusion between them as they were both Physician’s who practised Midwifery, and the terms are commonly used to distinguish between them.

Hugh, the younger, was educated at Cambridge University, being admitted as a Fellow at Trinity Colleg on 21^st April 1682. He obtained an M.A. in 1684 and an M.D. in 1690³. On 2^nd April 1694 he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. He also studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

Hugh married three times and to cause extra confusion all of his wives were called Mary. In fact in references like the various Biographical Encyclopaedia and Dictionaries, there is some confusion over which wife was the mother of his children. Thankfully it is fairly clear from the parish baptism and marriage registers, who is the mother of the 4 children

His first wife was Mary Hazard. They were married on 13^th October 1688 at St Mary Magdalene on Fish Street in London⁴. St Mary Magdalene was a church in Castle Baynard ward located on the corner of Old Fish Street and Old Change (see “St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street” 2024). The church no longer exists as it was demolished in 1893.

Hugh and his first wife had a daughter, Mary, who was baptised 16^th January 1690 at St Clement Danes, Westminster⁵.

Mary, Hugh’s first wife died in 1694 and was buried at St Sepulchre in Holborn on 31^st May 1694⁶. The entry clearly states that it was Mary the wife of Hugh Chamberlin of St Clement Danes parish who was buried.

St Clement Danes is a parish in Westminster(see “St Clement Danes” 2024). It is situated on the Strand outside the Royal Courts of Justice. The current building was completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1682. all of Hugh’s children were baptised in the parish so it can be assumed that it was the family’s parish church.

About 18 months later, Hugh married his second wife, Mary Bacon, who was the mother of the rest of his children. Hugh and Mary were married on 11^th May 1696 at Bridewell Chapel in London⁷. Mary Bacon, who was my 7^th great grandmother was the daughter of Nathaniel Bacon of Friston Hall, who was famous for being a Virginia colonist who led “Bacon’s Rebellion” (see “Bacon’s Rebellion” 2024).

Hugh and his second wife had three children, all girls, who were all baptised at St Clement Danes. Elizabeth was baptised on 30^th May 1697⁸, Anna-Maria on the 1^st June 16997⁹ and Charlotte, the youngest and my 6^th great grandmother on 24^th December 1702¹⁰.

Of his 4 daughters. it appears that Elizabeth died quite young as she is the only one not mentioned in his will¹¹.

In 1713, Hugh’s second wife Mary died and was buried at St Anne, Soho on 26^th May 1713¹². Hugh wasted no time and married for the third time later that same year to Mary, known as the Lady Crew. Born Mary Aston she was the widow of John Crew.

Whether Hugh and Mary Crew had a loving relationship to start with is not clear but by the end of his life it is clear that they were not close. Many of the biographical articles make clear that he was “close” to Catherine, the Duchess of Buckinghamshire¹³, and he spent a lot of time at her home Buckingham House. Buckingham House was the predecessor of what became the Royal Palace. It was built in 1703 for John Sheffield, the first Duke of Buckingham and Normanby and was later sold by one of his sons to George III in 1761.

In his will, and codicils to his will he makes many references to Catherine, Duchess of Buckinghamshire and Normanby, and in the last codicil to his will on 5^th March 1725/6 he makes certain provisions for his wife, the Lady Crew, conditional on whether she allowed his daughters, the Doctors and the Duchess to visit him when he was infirm.

Hugh died at Buckingham House on 17^th June 1728. His death was recorded in the London Journal a few days later on 22^nd..

“Deaths - Monday night last died Dr Chamberlain, a famous Physician and Man-Midwife of the gout in his stomach”

A monument to Hugh Chamberlen is in the north choir aisle of Westminster Abbey. It was put there by the 2^nd Duke of Buckingham and Normanby, Duchess Catherine’s son, and no doubt at her suggestion. The sculptors were Peter Schumakers and Lau Delvaux and the epitaph was by Francis Atterbury the Bishop of Rochester¹⁴.

In his will he leaves the majority of his Estate to his three daughters, Mary, Anna Maria and Charlotte. He takes great care in ensuring that they all get approximately the same amount. In the first codicil of 28^th July 1725 he makes clear that since his Will had been written, the middle daughter Anna Maria had married Edward Hopkins. As she had recieved her share of his Real and Personal Estate, by way of a Marriage Settlement, then she waot entitled to a share of his Estate. He also lays out that because both Anna Maria and Charlotte had a half-share of their mother’s Bacon Estates that Mary, who was his daughter by the first marriage would get more from his Estate, in such a way that all three daughters received approximately 10,000 pounds each.

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