Table Of ContentWilliam Cadogan (1711-97).
{Reproduced by kind permission from the painting by R. E. Pine (1769)
in the Royal College of Physicians of London.)
' *, v/ /mi
fhe Foundling Hospital. {Reproduced from a print published in 1751.)
The Father of Child Care
Life of William Cadogan
(1711-1797)
Morwenna and John Rendle-Short
BRISTOL: JOHN WRIGHT & SONS LTD.
1966
© JOHN WRIGHT & SONS LTD., 1966
Distribution by Sole Agents:
United States of America: The Williams Of Wilkins Company Baltimore
y
Canada: The Macmillan Company of Canada Ltd., Toronto
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY JOHN WRIGHT & SONS LTD.,
AT THE STONEBRIDGE PRESS, BRISTOL
PREFACE
THE life of William Cadogan spans the eighteenth century. Although his
writings on child care are so brief, he stands like a Colossus, head and
shoulders above his contemporaries. His main interest was in the practical
management of infants and in this sphere his influence was immense. He
did more than any other man of his time to advance common-sense
methods in bringing up children. His An Essay upon Nursing and the
Management of Children was two hundred years too early and it is only in the
mid-twentieth century that we can fully appreciate it. It is so modern that
it can almost be used as a present-day textbook, particularly if the
theoretical reasoning is excluded.
The purpose of this book is to portray Cadogan against the background
of his times and particularly to indicate the ways in which his influence
made itself felt. Unfortunately biographical information about Cadogan
is meagre and often contradictory, but he emerges as a colourful, likeable,
honest character who combined bravery with common sense.
Lack of space has prevented the inclusion of a bibliography, but almost
all the references can be found in two articles: Rendle-Short, J. (i960),
* William Cadogan, 18th Century Physician', Med. Hist., 4, 288; Rendle-
Short, J. (i960), * Infant Management in the 18th Century with special
reference to the Work of William Cadogan', Bull. Hist. Med., 34, 97. The
rest of the references are recorded in a M.D. Thesis entitled * William
Cadogan, 1711-1797' by J. Rendle-Short (1957), which can be obtained
from the Library of the University of Cambridge.
It is a pleasure to acknowledge the help given by many people in the
production of this work and especially the Medical Library of the
University of Bristol for the loan of the copy of Cadogan's Essay which has
been reproduced at the end of this book. The slight imperfections in the
printing in the Essay are due to blurring in the type of the original, as
also are the words 'Dr. Cadogan of Bristol' on the title-page and those
above the word 'finis' on the last page. Both of these have been added by
an unknown hand. Messrs. John Wright & Sons Ltd. have, as usual, been
most helpful and meticulous in the production of this monograph.
M. R-S., Bristol, England
December y iç66 J. R-S., Brisbane, Australia
5
THE FATHER OF CHILD CARE
CHAPTER I
WILLIAM CADOGAN was born in 1711 ; whether in London or in Cowbridge,
Glamorganshire, is not quite certain.
The name Cadogan (or Cadwgan) was famous in early Welsh history,
particularly in connexion with the counties of Monmouth and Glamorgan.
The first Earl of Cadogan, who died in 1726, came from a family whose
country seat was at Trostre Fach in the parish of Glascoed, Monmouth
shire. It was into a different branch of the same family that William
Cadogan was born.
William's grandfather, Roger Cadogan of Trostre, had 3 sons. The
youngest was always referred to as * Roger of Usk'. He married Jane
Thomas of Trer-groes in Glamorganshire, and they had 5 children. The
eldest, Henry, died in infancy. The next son, George, became a Captain
in the Army and was not heard of again. The next, and most famous
child, was William. He was followed by John and Anne, the only daughter.
These two moved to Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, where they lived
until John became surgeon and apothecary in Carmarthen. He died on
28 March, 1781; Anne, aged 71 years, died on 23 Feb. of the same year.
William and John probably remained good friends, for in his will John
wrote : * By Roger Cadogan of Usk, my late father, I am of a moiety certain
land in Llambadnech in . . . Usk. I give the use to Wm. Cadogan of
London, Dr. of Physic. ' It may be that the relationship between William
and his father was not so happy, or perhaps Roger of Usk considered that
his famous son was no longer in need of financial support. At all events,
he is not mentioned in Roger's will, which was proved at Cowbridge in
1735. Everything was left to John and Anne. Exactly when Roger died
is not certain; his burial is not mentioned in the parish records of Cow
bridge. The family seat was left to William's uncle, Roger, but he had
sold it some years before William's birth.
Richard Smith, in an undated manuscript, probably 1828, in the
possession of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, stated that William Cadogan
was a native of Cowbridge and was born in or in the vicinity of that town.
Unfortunately, the baptismal register of the parish church only goes back
to 1730. The parish register of Usk, the other most likely birth-place,
only goes back to 1742. The unsupported assertion, made by several bio
graphers, that he was born in London is doubtful. Therefore, for want of
better information, Cowbridge must be considered the most likely place
of his birth.
Nothing is known of William's early life, nor what he thought of
Cowbridge, where in all probability he was brought up. Cowbridge is a
7
pleasant little town set under the eastern escarpment of the beautiful Vale
of Glamorgan. Today its chief claim to fame lies in the fact that it is on the
main road from Cardiff to Swansea, but once it was of more importance
than either of these towns. Built upon old Roman remains, it was
surrounded by a Norman wall 25 feet high. The North gate fell in 1630,
but the West and East gates were standing until 1750. The South gate is
still in position today and beside it is the fine building of the Grammar
School, which has an old foundation and still flourishes. It has been said
that William received the rudiments of education there, but this seems
unlikely as his name does not appear in the * Golden Book', which is a
record of the school's most distinguished pupils. Also, the headmaster at
that time, a renowned disciplinarian named Daniel Durrel, arranged for
nearly all his scholars to go to his own college, Jesus, Oxford, but William,
at the age of 16 years, went up to Oriel College in December, 1727, as a
Servitor.
Life at Oxford University in the eighteenth century was at a low ebb,
but it would appear on evidence that Oriel was one of the better colleges
at that time. As in most of the colleges, three grades of undergraduates
were accepted. First, the Fellow Commoners—Commensales—who were
sons of noblemen and the leading families; they were admitted to the
Fellows' table and paid the highest fees. Then came the main body of
Commoners, and lastly the Servitors, who were assisted by college funds
and performed domestic tasks. It was only by accepting this status that
those without much money could hope to win a degree. George Whitfield,
who was a Servitor at Pembroke College, wrote that ' I did not cost my
relations more than £24 in three years, being a handy and popular servitor*.
During the years 1726-50 there were 46 Commensales and 45 Servitors at
Oriel. The system died out in the nineteenth century.
When Cadogan left Oxford in 1731, having obtained a B.A. degree, he
ambitiously decided to study ' physic ' at Leyden, the Mecca of eighteenth-
century medicine. In 1574 the city of Leyden had withstood a fierce
siege, and, as a reward, William the Silent offered the burgesses either
freedom from taxes for 2 years or a university. They wisely chose the
latter. It brought great fame to the town, especially during the 'Boer-
haavien summer* of the early eighteenth century. Hermann Boerhaave
was Leyden's most famous son, being successively student, Professor of
Medicine, and later Rector of the university. His renown drew students
from many lands, including England, which honoured him with a Fellow
ship of the Royal Society. Boerhaave resigned in 1729, 3 years before
Cadogan went to Leyden, but like many other good teachers he seems to
have been unable to leave the scene of his triumphs, for Cadogan in later
life was happy to refer to him as ' Magister mei Boerhaavii'.
Cadogan's entry into the university was recorded as: * Cadogan
Gulielmus, Anglus, Mains 18, 1737 aet. 25. Med.' The title of his M.D.
thesis was 'De Nutritione, Incremento, et Decremento Corporis*. It is a
slight work of only 13 pages, written in Latin. The title-page, with its
conventional figures, was evidently selected from those available at the
local publishers, for the theses of several other graduates in this and
following years have the same design, although with different wording.
8
There was another publisher in Ley den who, in the same year, provided
a plain title-page without any ornamentation, which was presumably
cheaper. Perhaps Cadogan's finances had improved. The thesis, according
to the Dictionary of National Biography in 1886, is 'a statement of current
physiological opinions and contains no original observations'.
When Cadogan left Leyden, able at last to write the coveted letters
M.D. after his name, he no doubt gave much anxious thought to the prob
lem of where to commence practice. Being young and ambitious it is not
surprising that he did not wish to bury himself in the small hamlets of
Usk or Cowbridge. An obvious choice was Bristol, a city which in 1726
Defoe had called * the greatest, richest, and best port of trade in Great
Britain, London only excepted\ Defoe was probably correct in this
eulogy, for although his description of places is at times second-hand and
inaccurate, as a business man he can be relied upon when he writes about
commerce.
Riches poured into the city. According to Defoe, Bristol owned ' about
3000 sail of ships', frail vessels which, after being towed down the winding
Avon, left the protecting battlements of the Clifton rocks and made their
way out into the fierce currents of the Bristol Channel, thence into the
Atlantic rollers. The chief merchandise consisted of slaves being taken
from Africa to the West Indies, where sugar was bought for the return
journey. This trade was so flourishing that there were no fewer than
twenty sugar refineries in Bristol. The ships visited all the coastal ports,
including those of South Wales. Travelling by road from Wales to London
involved a tedious journey to cross the Severn at Gloucester, but if goods
went across the Channel to Bristol, they could be taken by the well-kept
highway through Bath to London. Probably Cadogan used this route in
his travels from Cowbridge to Leyden.
There was no difficulty in setting up in practice in any town outside
London. The 1511 Act 'for the appointing of Physicians and Surgeons'
was still in force. This stated ' that no man should take upon himself to
exercise or occupy a position as Physician or Surgeon except he be first
examined, approved, and admitted by the Bishop of the diocese, with such
expert persons in the said faculties as their discretion shall think con
venient'. Unfortunately, no records exist of the licences granted in
Bristol and it is not known exactly when Cadogan went to live there.
He did not vote in the election of 1739, for his name is not recorded in the
poll book of that date. On the other hand, in 1747 he was described in
Farley's Bristol Journal as an 'eminent professor of physic in this city'.
For the latter part of his residence in Bristol, Cadogan probably lived
in the beautiful, newly completed Queen Square. A letter was addressed
to him there by a Mr. John Williams of Gloucester in 1750; but he may
only have been the sub-tenant of a house, for there is no reference to him
in the city rentals as having leased any property at that date. Queen
Square is built on flat ground, bounded on one side by the River Frome
and on two others by the River Avon. Half of it lies in the parish of
St. Stephen and half in the parish of St. Nicholas. In contemporary prints
of the square, the lines of naked masts show how near it was to the busy
quays, thronged with ships from every port. Here bales of merchandise
9
were unloaded, and negro slaves, sailors, and passengers landed gratefully
after the tossing journey from the West Indies.
One day a ship arrived from Antigua. A passenger alighted who was
destined to alter the course of Cadogan's life. Her name was Frances
Cochran. Her father, Archibald Cochran, a wealthy plantation owner,
lived in Antigua, which was the seat of the Governor of the Leeward
Islands. Antigua had been discovered by Columbus, but remained
uninhabited until it was settled by Lord Willoughby in 1663. Sugar
plantations worked by negro slaves were the main source of wealth and
ships plied regularly between Antigua and Bristol. In the Bristol Journal
of 30 May, 1747, there is a list of those which had lately arrived. Archibald
Cochran was a man of some importance and served on the colonial
council—the parliament of Antigua—in 1721, 1723, and 1728. He often
visited Bristol where he had friends and business associates with whom he
kept in touch. It was in the house of one of these that his daughter
Frances, who had accompanied him, met the rising young physician.
Archibald, who was a good judge of character, encouraged the friendship
and soon gave his blessing to their betrothal. He was convinced that
Cadogan was a man of resource and ability, and made the handsome
settlement of £3600 in New South Sea Annuities on Frances. Her brother,
also named Archibald, was equally pleased with his new brother-in-law
and remained a close friend, for Cadogan made him one of the trustees of
his will many years later.
When the marriage took place is not known. Indeed, some say that
Frances was William's second wife, but no reason is given for the state
ment. It was claimed that the first wife, whose name was unknown, died
in 1772, and the Gentleman's Magazine of 1772 is quoted as evidence. But
as William and Frances's daughter was born in 1747, the evidence appears
to be false. The Gentleman's Magazine reveals that Cadogan married
twice after Frances died. He was most unfortunate in his family life.
There is a record in All Saints' Church at Fulham that * Wm. Cadogan of
this parish, Doctor of Physic, widower, and Anne Spencer of the same,
widow, were married in this church by licence this 6th day of August,
1759'. The record of this marriage in the Gentleman's Magazine gives his
town residence as Red Lion Square, a neighbourhood much connected
with paediatrics in the past. Here, on 1 Aug., 1732, we are told, 'dy'd
Dr. Harris, a physician'—author of the famous Treatise of the Acute
Diseases of Infants—Jonas Hanway the friend of destitute children also
lived there and it was the site of George Armstrong's Dispensary for Sick
Children.
On 13 July, 1772, there is recorded the further marriage of * Dr. Cadogan
to Miss Groen, a Dutch lady', but on 19 Oct. of the same year, we read:
* Mrs. Cadogan, wife to the celebrated Dr. Cadogan, died'.
10
CHAPTER II
IN 1747 there occurred two important events in Cadogan's life. On
21 May his only child, called Frances after his wife, was born and on
15 Dec. he was elected Physician to the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
The Infirmary was founded in 1736 and claims to be the first provincial
hospital in the country established by voluntary subscriptions for the use
of the sick poor. There are two other hospitals that would dispute this :
The Royal Hampshire County Hospital at Winchester and the Royal
Infirmary at Edinburgh. In both Winchester and Edinburgh houses for
the reception of patients were opened before the Bristol Infirmary, but
the latter has the distinction of being the first building that was specially
designed as a hospital.
None of the Bristol physicians or surgeons before Cadogan seem to
have achieved more than local fame, nor do they appear to have been
overworked. The stafF consisted of four physicians besides surgeons, but
when Dr. Etwell resigned in 1743 no one was appointed to take his place
until Dr. Hardwick died in September, 1747, 4 years later. It was then
decided to appoint two physicians, but there was some dispute about it
in the public press because certain correspondents were anxious to avoid
a ballot. Eventually, on 15 Dec, 1747, an election was held at the Taylor's
Hall with 'Mr. Alderman Coombe in the chair*. The election was
blatantly rigged in Cadogan's favour. There were three candidates for
two places—Francis Randolph, Archibald Drummond, and William
Cadogan. Mr. Drummond was the favourite, and no doubt there would
have been a struggle for the second place. Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs, one
of the trustees, therefore proposed that 'as two physicians were to be
chosen out of three candidates, they should proceed to the choice of one
physician first, and out of the remaining candidates choose one more'.
At the first ballot the result was :—
Mr. Drummond 98 votes
Dr. Randolph 75 votes
Dr. Cadogan 7 votes.
At the second ballot Cadogan narrowly secured the majority, the votes
being :—
Dr. Cadogan 87 votes
Dr. Randolph 84 votes
Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs's astuteness was rewarded.
However, it was the birth of his daughter in May, 1747, even more
than his election to the staff of the Infirmary, which proved to be the
turning point in Cadogan's career. Like many medical fathers since, his
interest in the upbringing of young children was first stirred by the
11
