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Queen Mary and Westfield College London University PhD Thesis ...

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Privilege <strong>and</strong> patronage: reiommending patients to Bethiem<br />

There was indubitably a strong aspect of privilege attached to the reception of patients to<br />

Bethiem <strong>and</strong> other <strong>London</strong> hospitals. Indeed, the admission <strong>and</strong> support of patients should be<br />

understood as a dimension of hospital patronage. At seventeenth century Bethiem patients were<br />

frequently admitted at concessionary rates, or had their fees abated, on the recommendation<br />

of governors, officers, benefactors, notables, or of other institutions <strong>and</strong> authorities. In 1679,<br />

Sarah Turner, for example, was allowed to 'be continued in. ..Bethlem for her cure', <strong>and</strong> had her<br />

arrears remitted <strong>and</strong> her weekly fee halved, 'att the request of Captaine Perry', 'Perry haveing<br />

beene instrumentall in haveing the hospitall...excused from paying any hearth money' 51 . Sarah<br />

Derrington, of Essex, was admitted to Bethiem in 1652 'att the request of Mr Yardley', the<br />

Bethlem Apothecary, he 'promising to give her all her phisicke freely w[i]thout any charge to<br />

the said hospitall' 52 . Other patients were occasionally granted admission without the st<strong>and</strong>ard<br />

security after sympathetic recommendations on their behalfs. <strong>Mary</strong> Burrows was admitted to<br />

Bethlem gratis in 1693, on her case being 'Recom[m]ended' to the President 'by John Johns',<br />

a goldsmith, governor <strong>and</strong> 'Benefactor to Bethiem', 'she being in a miserable Low Condic[i]on<br />

<strong>and</strong> one who has noe friends able to doe anything for her' 53 . Indeed, Benefactors might ef-<br />

fectively purchase the right of admitting patients to the hospital 54 . Table 6f shows 50 cases<br />

where nominations are recorded in the Governors' Minutes, during 1640-80, as playing a part<br />

in decisions concerning patients' admissions or maintenance 55 . Governors regularly testified to<br />

the accuracy (or, rather more exceptionally, to the inaccuracy) of information offered before the<br />

Court on the behalf of patients <strong>and</strong> their obligors, often being residents or l<strong>and</strong>lords in the same<br />

parish of(or even being acquainted with), petitioners <strong>and</strong> patients 56 . A letter of John Iloughton<br />

Ilid, 5 Dec. 1679, fol. 118. Perry was concurrently elected a governor of the hop,tals.<br />

52 Ibid, 10 Nov. 1652, lol. 574.<br />

Thid, 2 June 1693, loIs 247-8.<br />

See e.g. case of John, Lord Craven, whose 'bountifull' benefaction to Bethiens entitled his executors to get<br />

Thomas Peters admitted to Bethiem in 1650. 16 ii, 12 March 1650, lol. 422.<br />

For other typical examples of such nominations, see ibid. 17 Oct. 1649, 24 Feb. 1669, 7 Feb. 1672, 14 Nov.<br />

1679, loIs 399, 129, 371, 116, cases of George LIod, Clerk of the Prince's Poultry, admitted 'üppon a lietteire<br />

from S[i]r Henry Meidmay'; John Hsncock, 'a pore Labouring man', 'recom[mjended to' the Bethlem Governors<br />

'by Mr Treasur(erJ Mills'; Anne Bird, of Eltham, Kent, twice granted an abatement at the request of Mr. Thomas<br />

Pilkington, a governor & subsequently (1688), Lord Mayor.<br />

56 Jbid, e.g. 21 June 1678,24 July 1691,8 Nov. 1700, fola 34, 133 & 408; cases of Margaret Cunning, William<br />

426

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