FREEMASONS AND THE ROYAL SOCIETY Alphabetical List of ...

Fellows of the Royal Society who are or were Freemasons, listed alphabetically
Carpue, Joseph Constantine, FRS [13 Feb 1802] (bapt. 4 May 1764–30 Jan 1846), surgeon and anatomist, son of
Henry Carpue (†1794), a Roman Catholic gentleman of Brook Green and his wife, Catherine Lewis (†1797), and
grandson of Charles Carpue (†1773), of Hammersmith, who had made his fortune as a shoemaker. He had
‘impeccable Roman Catholic’ connexions, descended from a Spanish Netherlands family, under the patronage of the
Roman Catholic Barons Dormer of Buckinghamshire, the 6 th Baron Dormer (†1761), being a Roman Catholic priest
never used the title when he succeeded in 1728.
Initially intended for the priesthood, 86 educ Jesuits’ Coll, Douai, embarked on continental tour 1782, seeing much
of Paris before and after the French Revolution, and after thinking of working for his uncle, toying with the Bar and
the stage, eventually decided on surgery, studying at St George’s Hospital, London. Served for 12 years as a staff
surgeon at the Duke of York’s Hospital, Chelsea, resigning as he objected to serving abroad. From 1800–32 became a
freelance anatomy teacher, charging a regular 20 guineas, giving 3 courses of daily lectures at 50 Dean Street on
anatomy, twice weekly evening lectures on surgery. He had plenty of pupils for many years, but his school appears to
have come to an end because of a lack of them. Became a proponent of vaccination, interested in medical electricity,
publishing several technical medical papers from 1801–19, visiting many military depots to promote the new idea and
joined George Pearson, with whom he had been associated at St George’s, as a surgeon at the Natl Vaccine
Institution, where he remained until he died.
Reformer, supporting many causes but strongly opposed the backward-looking Royal Coll of Surgeons who
refused him a place on either its council or as an examiner. As a politician, characterized by his independent advocacy
for reform and enjoyed the friendship of Fox, Sheridan, Nelson, Horne Tooke, Romilly, and others of the good and
the great. Became a consulting surgeon at the St Pancras Infirmary and met and was much admired by George IV and
attended his sister, Princess Amelia (1783–1810), 6 th dau of George III. He later lived at 45 Upper Charlotte Street,
Fitzroy Square, but had another house at 21 Portland Place. Described as ‘clever but very eccentric’, ‘a tall ungainly,
good-tempered, grey-haired man, in an unfitted black dress . . .’ and ‘a warm and faithful friend, abstemious and
regular in his habits, and a great admirer of simplicity in manner and appearance’, ‘distinguished for affability,
kindness and love to mankind’, ‘distinguished for high-mindedness, honour, integrity; in these great qualities he was
unsurpassed’, and a man who ‘attained the highest character in his profession. . . leaving behind him a reputation of
one of its most skilful members.’
Married at Chiswick, 8 Jan 1799, when living in St Martin-in-the-Fields, Elizabeth Holland, dau of Thomas
Holland of Chiswick, sister of the actor Charles Holland (1768–1849), and niece of Charles Holland (1733–1769),
also an actor, and they had 5 daus. Suffered severe injuries in a train crash on the new London-Brighton line on the
South-Western Railway, in which 2 of his servants were killed. He developed dropsy, from which he died, aged 81, at
his Upper Charlotte Street home, ordering that his funeral should be of the simplest kind possible.
Initiated 1788 in Paris, but nothing appears to be known as to which L. and the precise date thereof. An
appreciative obituary of him appeared in the Freemasons’ Quarterly Review, Mar 1846.
Cartwright, Samuel, FRS [11 Feb 1841 (1789–10 Jun 1864), of 32 Burlington Street, London, dentist.
Born at Northampton in 1789, he was originally an ivory turner, but came to London at an early age and
commenced life as a mechanical asst to Mr Charles Dumergue of Piccadilly.
During this service he found time to give a regular attendance on anatomical and surgical lectures. In 1811 he
started in practice on his own account at 32 Old Burlington Street. During a great part of his career he was in the habit
of seeing from 40 to 50 patients a day.
Did much to improve and elevate his profession, and is said for some years to have been in the receipt of an
income of upwards of £10,000. Became FLS, 19 Nov 1833, and was also a Fellow, Geological Socy, but never found
time to make any contributions to the Proceedings of these institutions. His pleasing manners, liberal hospitality, and
professional fame acquired for him the friendship of nearly all the most distinguished in science, literature, and art of
his day.
Continued in practice at Old Burlington Street until 1857, when he retired, and in the following year had an
apoplectic seizure which resulted in palsy, under which he laboured for the rest of his life. Died at Nizell’s House,
near Tonbridge.
Initiated, 10 Dec 1825, Royal Somerset House and Inverness L. No. 6, now No. 4, London. Joined, 20 May
1831, 87 Prince of Wales’s L. No. 493, now No. 259, London. GStwd, 1836–37, 88 Pres, BdGStwds.
Carvalho e Mello, Sebastian Joseph de, FRS [15 May 1740], later [1758] Count de Pombal, then [1770] Marquez
[Marquess] de Pombal (13 May 1699–8 May 1782), Portuguese statesman and chancery minister.
Born near Coimbra, Portugal, he was Portuguese Ambassador, first to United Kingdom, 1739, in London; then
to Austria, 1745, in Vienna. On the recommendation of Maria Anne (Josephine) (1683–1754), 89 mother of Joseph
[José] I, King of Portugal 1750–77 (1714–1777), Pombal became Prime Minister of Portugal, 1750, and undertook
86 ODNB.
87 The same day on which Philip Hardwick, RA, FRS [qv, below] was initiated.
88 Dyer, 178, records that he represented Prince of Wales’s L., 1836–37, but he did not join GStwds’ L.
89 Dau (by his 3rd wife, Eleanor Magdalena (1655–1720), dau of John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneberg), Leopold I (1640–1705), Holy
Roman Emperor 1658–1705.
19