HistoricaLEIGH - The Surgical Salmon

December 18, 2014 by Carole Mulroney

The Surgical Salmon

In the 17th century many famous mariners who were Brethren of Trinity House.

In St. Clement’s church there is a memorial to Robert Salmon of Leigh (1566-1641) whose ancestors had long been Leigh men. Robert was a master of Trinity House in 1617. But the Salmons weren’t just sea men.

In 1602 was born in Leigh, Peter Salmon, son of Robert who became a great medical man and Physician to King Charles I.

Peter started his medical practice in 1632 and studied at Oxford and Padua.

In his will of 1675 Peter left several bequests to Leigh. To ‘fower of the poore and antient men in Leigh in Essex thirty shillings apiece and unto fower of the poore and antient women in Leigh aforesaid twenty shillings apiece’. [no equal opportunities there then]. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know who they were?

Another bequest of £3 a quarter went to his sister, Mary Goodlad (another old Leigh family) and he left to his grandson Salmon Willett (poor lad) his house in Leigh with areas adjoining to the north in the occupation of [the names are unreadable].