Chamberlaine, William

Submitted by edpope on

3.1.1808 Chamberlaine calls / Godwin calls on (not in) / 21.1.1808 calls / 14.2.1808 again / 1.3.1808 again / 25.5.1808 again / 30.6.1808 again / 14.7.1808 again / 19.7.1808 again / 17.8.1808 calls on (not in) / 20.8.1808 calls / 27.8.1808 again / 30.9.1808 again / 10.1.1809 again / 28.1.1808 again / 25.4.1809 again / 5.5.1809 again / 6.7.1809 again / 10.7.1809 again / 9.1.1810 again / 16.1.1810 again / 26.1.1810 again / 26.4.1810 again / 22.12.1810 calls on / 12.8.1811 calls / 30.3.1813 again / 21.6.1813 again / 28.12.1813 again / 24.5.1814 again / 5.8.1814 again / 23.8.1814 meet / 24.4.1815 C[harles] C[lairmont] from Aldis, Place, Chamberlaine & Lambert / 28.7.1815 calls / 21.3.1816 calls on

GD website has a person record for Chamberlaine and mentions the author William Chamberlaine but doesn't identify him as Godwin's caller. The following details of his life may make the identity a bit more likely. He died 3.8.1822 age about 74 after 5 years illness. He was Irish and first cousin to Richard Brinsley Sheridan DNB 1751-1816 whose mother was Frances Sheridan (née Chamberlaine) DNB 1724-1766, novelist and playwright, so he was probably the son of one of her brothers. From unchecked sources they were Richard d.1755 a surgeon, Walter d.1754 a clergyman, and William d.1768 a judge in Jamaica. William Chamberlaine attended Harrow School under Dr Robert Sumner who was headmaster from 1760-1771, trained as a surgeon under Mr Boat in Dublin, went to Jamaica where he was assistant to Dr David Morton d.1812 age 80 in London, Returned to England but was captured by the French in 1780, made his way to London where he became MRCS, Fellow of London Medical Society, and along with Dr John Squire he set up the Benevolent Medical Society (for widows and orphans of medical men). He lived at 29 Aylesbury Street, Clerkenwell and had several children with his wife Elizabeth there. She died in 1799 and in 1801 he married Frances Watts, widow. He wrote several books and carried on a trade in cowhage (mucuna or velvet beans) used against worms. In his will he mentioned the manuscript of a novel by his mother The Vicisitutes of Human Life, out of print over 40 years.