Thomas Searancke 1

Thomas Searancke 1 is numbered like this because he was the first of three medical Thomas Searanckes practising in Newmarket during the 18th century. He was the son of another Thomas Searancke, a local rector and his wife Dorothy, and baptised at Kirtling on 4th July 1679 (see The Searanckes for more details).

His father’s role in Kirtling is not yet clear (presumably he was a minister of some form), but from 1682 he was Rector of Ashley and from 1703 Rector of Ashley and Cheveley until his death in 1730, both villages alongside each other and slightly nearer to Newmarket than Kirtling. Thomas Searancke 1 had a sister Elizabeth who sadly died and was buried at Ashley in 1686. He also had a younger brother Rookwood, born about 1681 according to Rookwood’s later Cambridge University details. Rookwood Searancke went on to become Rector of Roydon in Norfolk and is mentioned in Thomas Searancke 1’s will of 1748 in relation to a 1725 bond, which also involved one of the carpenter William Sandivers (Thomas’ in-laws; see The Sandivers).

Thomas Searancke 1 mentioned as an apothecary in the 1739 Newmarket manorial records (see below or click image for source and acknowledgements etc., ref. Image 1).

Thomas Searancke 1 mentioned as an apothecary in the 1739 Newmarket manorial records (see below or click image for source and acknowledgements etc., ref. Image 1).

Thomas Searancke 1’s mother Dorothy died in 1698, when he was about 20 years of age. He was possibly still an apprentice apothecary at that stage, and it’s not yet known where. If Newmarket then training with Gilman the apothecary might have been a possibility. There are only two later documents that refer to Thomas Searancke 1’s occupation: the Newmarket manorial records from 1739/40 (see image above) and his will of 1748. There is a mention of Thomas Searancke apothecary and surgeon in the will of John Scotman in 1750, but that was probably Thomas Searancke 2 (the son of Thomas Searancke 1), since Thomas Searancke 1 was 72 years of age at that point and by the time he wrote the codicil to his own will in 1751 he was living in Bury St Edmunds and describing himself as a ‘Gent’, probably retired – see further below. Almost certainly Thomas Searancke 2 would have been apprenticed to his father, so the question arises from where did Thomas Searancke 2 acquire his surgical skills, which he very definitely had. He might well have acquired them from Thomas Searancke 1, who simply preferred the term apothecary despite being a generalist medic, which is certainly possible (see The history of medical treatments, training, qualifications and regulation for more details on this topic in general, and the page on Thomas Searancke 2 for more discussion on his training).

By 1750 the Searancke practice (at that stage likely run by just Thomas Searancke 2) was operating from a property owned by John Scotman, who was the brother in law of Simon Clements the apothecary. Simon Clements had died quite young in 1746, but was about the right age to have been an apprentice to Thomas Searancke 1. Perhaps he’d stayed on working with Thomas Searancke 1 and that’s how the Searancke practice came to be in that building? Simon Clements died when Thomas Searancke 2 was in his early 20s, so perhaps Thomas Searancke 2 essentially replaced Simon Clements working alongside his father during the 1740s then continuing the practice. Simon Clements was associated with Edward Harwell the surgeon (who died in 1735), so perhaps there was even a triple partnership in the 1720s / early 1730s: Searancke, Clements and Harwell? (Note: Edward Harwell died too young to have been the source of Thomas Searancke 2’s surgical training). It’s of note that this building was called ‘the workhouse’. Was part of their role medical officers to the workhouse / poor law medical officers? Interestingly Thomas Searancke 1 also actually owned land and property in Burwell, mentioned in his will of 1748.

Regarding other contemporaries of Thomas Searancke 1, William Raby would have overlapped with his early career, followed by Wotton Braham, then William Sandiver 1 (the apprentice of Wotton Braham), interestingly all of whom preferred the term surgeon. The Sandivers appear to have been the rival practice to the Searanckes throughout most of the 18th century. It’s interesting that the Sandivers appear to start off surgical and evolve into surgeon-apothecaries and the Searanckes start off as apothecaries and evolve into apothecary-surgeons. Is it possible that they co-operated in mutual training? Or were both practices always all-rounders, just preferring different terminology, perhaps reflecting a slightly different emphasis?

Regarding his family, Thomas Searancke 1 married Mary Sandiver in 1719 (who was not a close relative of the medical Sandivers – see The Sandivers). She was significantly younger, being about half his age at the time of their marriage. They had at least seven children. Three died in infancy (Mary, another Rookwood and John), and four survived into adulthood, all being alive at the time of Thomas Searancke 1’s will made in 1748: Dorothy (who married William Holmes of Thetford in 1764 and who’s mentioned on the Searancke memorial in St Mary’s church Newmarket, transcribed in the ‘other sources consulted’ section below), Thomas Searancke 2 (the later Newmarket surgeon and apothecary – as mentioned above), William (who appears to have become a grocer in Drinkstone, Suffolk – see the 1763 Newmarket manor reference below) and another Mary (who married a Newmarket stonecutter named Edmund Tompson according to the 1748 will).

His wife Mary died when she was only about 35 years of age in 1735, by which time Thomas Searancke 1 was in his mid 50s and their children still young – Thomas Searancke 2 would have been about 13 years old. Thomas Searancke 1 himself died in 1754 in his mid 70s, and is buried at St Mary’s church in Newmarket, although he appears to have retired to Bury St Edmunds a few years earlier.

As mentioned above, on making his will in 1748 Thomas Searancke 1 described himself as ‘of Newmarkett in the County of Suffolk apothecary’, so presumably at that point he was still working in Newmarket as an apothecary, at about 70 years of age. However, the will has a codicil dated 1751 in which he mentions a property that he had recently purchased in Bury St Edmunds, and he describes himself as ‘Thomas Searancke the elder late of Newmarkett and now of Bury Saint Edmunds in the County of Suffolk Gent’. This suggests that he’d retired to Bury, the earliest example of a Newmarket medic retiring, and unusual. Most seem to have worked until they died, even if they were relatively old (e.g. William Sandiver 2 in 1813 at 74 years of age – see the page on the Greenes – Fraser chain for further comments also). Also, the Searancke family dispel the myth that in days gone by everyone lived until about 50 years of age then died. That might have been the average life ‘expectancy’ but it should not really be called expectancy, since from the perspective of an individual it could be anything from very young to what we would regard as normal ‘expectancy’, although they certainly did not necessarily expect it. They certainly did not expect everyone to live until about 50 years of age then die though. They expected a wide variation, with some living into their 70s and 80s just like today. Thomas Searancke 1 died in 1754 in his mid 70s, his son Thomas Searancke 2 in 1794 aged 72 and his daughter Dorothy Holmes in 1802 aged 82. That contrasts with three children dying in infancy and his wife in her mid 30s. His daughter Mary died sometime between the will of 1748 and codicil of 1751, therefore in her 20s. It’s not yet known when William the Drinkstone grocer died.

 

Image sources and acknowledgements:-

Image 1: The 1739 Newmarket manorial records, reference 359/12, pg 42 (cropped – red annotations mine); image ©, reproduced with kind permission of the Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds and … [Note: it’s not been possible to make contact with the successor organisation to the depositor of this record. Nevertheless, it’s felt appropriate to use an image here of this small extract, given that it’s of such relevance to the page, and the nature of the website more generally. See the note below and please make contact if appropriate.] 

Note: see comments regarding images and copyright © etc. on the Usage &c. page as well. 

Relevant references in chronological order

1678, 9th June: Thomas son of Thomas and Dorothy Searancke baptised. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Kirtling. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1678, 13th July: Thomas son of Thomas and Dorothy Searancke buried. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Kirtling. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1679, 4th July: Thomas son of Thomas and Dorothy Searancke baptised. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Kirtling. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1686, 15th January: Elizabeth daughter of Thos Searancke (clerk) buried. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Ashley cum Silverley. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1698, 5th January: Dorothy wife of Thomas Searancke (clerk) buried. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Ashley cum Silverley. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely).

1700, 26th September: Mary daughter of William Sandiver baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1719, 19th May: Thomas Searancke married Mary Sandiver, both of this parish, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1720, 6th July: Mary daughter of Thomas and Mary Searancke baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1720, 12th August: Mary daughter of Thomas and Mary Searancke buried, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1721, 13th December: Dorothy daughter of Tho and Mary Searancke baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1723, 2nd January: Thomas son of Thomas and Mary Searanck baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1724, 29th April: William son of Thomas and Mary Searancke baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1725, 29th December: Mary daughter of Thomas and Mary Searancke baptised, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1727, 25th August: Rookwood son of Tho and Mary Searancke buried, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: I have been unable to find Rookwood’s baptism; although much of the All Saints’ register is poorly visible for this period, it does not appear to be on the J562/69 transcript though either, which appears to have been made when the register was in better condition.]

1730, 4th January: Mr Thomas Searancke (rector of this parish, died 1st January) buried. Reference: An indexed transcription of the parish registers of Cheveley. Cambridgeshire Family History Society; 2007, (Cambridgeshire County Record Office [called Cambridgeshire Archives], Cambridge – subsequently relocated to Ely). [Note: there was another Thomas Searancke buried at St Mary’s church in Newmarket on 4th April 1730. It seems unlikely he was moved, it wasn’t likely another son called Thomas, but could have been a grandson or another close relative as yet unidentified: Reference: J522, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).]

1730, 10th November: The will of Mary Sandiver widow of William Sandiver (probate 15th June 1734). Reference: microfilm J545/54, Claggett IV, pg 113-114, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this will mentions her daughter Mary, wife of Thomas Searancke, and also her granddaughter Dority/Dorothy. Strangely it doesn’t mention the other Searancke grandchildren – perhaps Dorothy was special to her in some way as the eldest?]

1731, 1st October: John son of Thomas and Mary Searancke (St Mary’s) baptised, All Saints church, Newmarket. Reference: Microfiche of Newmarket All Saints’ parish register (fiche 2), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this is poorly visible on the microfiche, but is confirmed on the transcript J562/69 made in the 1940s well before the microfiche was taken. I could not find a bishop’s transcript.]

1731 6th October: John son of Thomas and Mary Searank [sic] buried, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1734, 29th July: Elizabeth daughter of Thomas and Mary Searancke buried. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: I have been unable to find Elizabeth’s baptism.]

1735, 5th June: Mary the wife of Thomas Searanck [sic] buried, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1739, 13th June: Thomas Searancke of Newmarket apothecary mentioned regarding a transaction between himself and a George Clark and also a separate entry regarding a transaction with Benjamin Bridge. Newmarket manorial records. Reference: 359/12, pg 41 & 42, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: see image above.], [Note also, there is a follow up comment to the first transaction on 28th May 1740 (pg 52) in which he’s also described as ‘Thomas Searancke of Newmarket apothecary’.]

1748, 2nd August: The will of Thomas Searancke of Newmarkett… apothecary (probate 4th December 1754). Reference: IC500/1/208(67), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1750, 13th September: The will of John Scotman of Newmarket… Clerk (probate 27th September 1750). Reference: IC500/1/204(46), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). [Note: this mentions a house he owned in Newmarket known as ‘the workhouse’ occupied by Thomas Searancke, apothecary and surgeon. This could have been Thomas Searancke 1 or Thomas Searancke 2, but was probably the latter who was likely the Thomas Searancke junior witnessing the will (possibly both lived and worked there – were they perhaps medical officers to the workhouse?). In his will this property was left to Simon Clements the nephew of John Scotman, son of Simon Clements the apothecary, possibly an apprentice of Thomas Searancke 1?]

1751, 26th July: Codicil to the 1748 will above (probate 4th December 1754). ‘Thomas Searancke the Elder late of Newmarkett and now of Bury Saint Edmunds… Gent’. Reference: IC500/1/208(67), (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1754, 27th November: Thomas Searancke buried, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1763, 25th May: William Searancke of Drinkstone in the County of Suffolk, Grocer, customary tenant of Newmarket manor surrendered land and property to Dorothy Searancke of Newmarket, singlewoman. Newmarket manorial records. Reference: 359/12, pg  157-158, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

1764, 15th June: Dorothy Searancke of St Mary’s Newmarket married William Holmes of St Mary’s Thetford, St Mary’s church, Newmarket. Reference: J552/9, microfilm of Newmarket St Mary’s parish register, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

Some other sources consulted include:-

May P. The changing face of Newmarket 1600 – 1760. Peter May Publications; 1984.

Microfilm transcripts of St Mary’s and All Saints’ parish records, Newmarket: Reference: J562/69, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

Nichols JG. The topographer and genealogist. London: John Bowyer Nichols and sons; 1853; Vol II, pg 392. Under Catalogue of Sepulchral Monuments, &c. Lackford Hundred, Suffolk. Newmarket, St. Mary. Monuments: ‘3. Mural, large, of stone, for Mary Searancke, late wife of Thos. Searancke, and daughter of Wm. Sandiver, both of this parish. She died June 2, 1735, aged 35. Also the said Thos. Searancke, who died Nov. 23, 1754, aged 76. Also Susanna Searancke, who died Nov. 2, 1765, aged 36. Also Thos. Searancke, surgeon, who died Feb. 5, 1794, aged 72. Also Dorothy Holmes, relict of the late Wm. Holmes, Esq. of Thetford, Norf, who died 6th June 1802, aged 82.’ [Note: there is also a transcript on J562/69 (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds). It shows that the above transcript is not word for word, since it reads, ‘Large mural monument in stone “In the middle of the Chancel resteth ye body of Mary Searancke late wife of Thos Searancke and daughter of Wm Sandiver both of this Parish she departed this life June ye 2d 1735 aged 35 Also ye Body of ye said Tho Searancke who departed this life novr ye 23d 1754 aged 76 Also ye Body of Susanna Searancke who departed this life novr 2d 1765 aged 36 years” On a piece of stone below “Also the body of Tho Searancke Surgeon eminent in his Profession and much Respected by all who knew him He departed this life Feby 5th 1794 Aged 72 years Also the Body of Dorothy Holmes relict of the late Willm Holmes Esqr of Thetford Norfolk who departed this life June 6th 1802 aged 82 years”’.], [Note also, this memorial is no longer visible (in 2013/14), presumably having been removed or covered over in later renovation works?], [Note also, both transcripts give Susanna Searancke’s year of death as 1765, but clearly this is incorrect since she is recorded in the 1763 burial register (see Thomas Searancke 2 references). Whether it’s the transcripts or the original stone that have the error on is not known, since the original stone is no longer visible, but the fact that two apparently independent transcripts have the same error suggests that the error is on the stone, or that the stone was damaged and poorly visible at this point.]

Suffolk Medical Biographies. Profile for Searancke, Thomas. http://www.suffolkmedicalbiographies.co.uk/Profile.asp?Key=2549 (originally accessed pre October 2013). [Note: see comments regarding this website on the Francis Greene page.], [Note also, at the time of writing (June 2015) this website had only one page covering the Thomas Searanckes, having merged them, following Wallis and Wallis below, with only two references, one to Wallis and Wallis the other to the will and codicil of Thomas Searancke 1 – oddly, since clearly the probate of that implies there must be more than one in the date range.]

The research notes of Peter May. Reference: HD1584, (Suffolk County Record Office, Bury St Edmunds).

Venn J, Venn JA. Alumni Cantabrigienses. Cambridge: At the University Press; 1927; pt 1 (vol IV), pg 38: ‘SERANCKE, ROOKWOOD. Adm. sizar (age 17) at TRINITY, May 28, 1698. S. of Thomas (below), R. of Ashley, Cambs. School, Bury St Edmunds (Mr Leeds). Matric. 1699; B.A. 1701-2. Ord. deacon (Lincoln) May 23, 1703. R. of Roydon, Norfolk, 1709.’

Venn J, Venn JA. Alumni Cantabrigienses. Cambridge: At the University Press; 1927; pt 1 (vol IV), pg 38: ‘SERANCKE, THOMAS. Adm. pens. at TRINITY, June 15, 1671. School, Westminster. Scholar, 1672; Matric. 1674-75; B.A. 1674-5; M.A. 1678. Ord. priest (London) Dec. 23, 1677. R. of Ashley, Cambs., 1682-1730. R. of Cheveley, 1703-30. Died 1730. Father of Rookwood (above).’

Wallis PJ, Wallis RV. Eighteeth century medics. [2nd ed.]. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Project for Historical Biobibliography; 1988. [Note: this references two Thomas Searan(c)kes, one as apothecary and subscriber London and Newmarket before 1735 and after 1783 appearing to have merged the different Thomas Searanckes, but Thomas Searancke 2’s bishop’s licence is listed separately as Thomas Searanke surgeon.]

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