Today’s image: A Tall Ship in the Mediterranean. Shades of John Masefield.
William Henry Broadbent – 1835-1907.
William was the oldest son of John and Esther. A pioneer in medicine, and physician to both Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, he was appointed 1st Baronet of Brook St., London and Longwood, co. Yorks in recognition of his services.
There is probably more information publicly available about William than about any other of John’s children.
A factual summary of his life and achievements, such as the one below, cannot do justice to the fulness of the character I believe he displayed. I may return to him later for a more detailed biography.
Lindley to Longwood
William was the eldest son, and at the time of his birth his parents were resident at Lindley near Huddersfield.
Family records speak of this house as “the old house where his great-grandfather had lived”. This says to me that it was a family-owned home from way back when. It also makes it ever more certain that this is the house later occupied by Benjamin, and known to my mother as Gatesgarth.
When William was five years old his grandfather died, and John and Esther’s family moved to Longwood Edge, where William grew up.
Longwood to London
As the oldest, it would have been expected that he follow his father in the management of the mills, a business that was growing. But William wanted to study medicine, and with grace and generosity his father acceded. At just 15 he became apprenticed to a family member who was a doctor, and from then on he dedicated himself to his chosen work.
He studied in London, and spent some time in Paris. Eventually he settled in London, and enjoyed travelling to Europe, especially Switzerland. He returned to see the family at Longwood as frequently as he could.
William and the Family
William was close to his siblings, and showed a deep concern in their wellbeing throughout their lives.
In 1863 he married Eliza Harpin, whose sister Julia had married his brother Butterworth a year previously.
WILLIAM
born: 23 January 1835
married: 5 August 1863, Eliza Harpin Daughter of John Harpin
died: 10 July 1907ELIZA
born:
died: on 9 February 1919.CHILDREN of Sir William Henry Broadbent, 1st Bt. and Eliza neé Harpin
Mary Ethel
Gertrude
Eliza Madeleine
John Francis Harpin 1865, later the 2nd Bt.
William Herbert 1867
Walter 1868
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