Draft:Timothy Sheldrake

Timothy Sheldrake (also often seen as Sheldrake T. and Sheldrake, Timothy) was a medical doctor and botanist who lived from 1691 to 1759. Sheldrake's most preferred name form is "Sheldrake, Timothy". Sheldrake is most known for his grand work Botanicum Medicinale; An Herbal of Medicinal Plants on the College of Physicians List.

White bryony (Bryonia dioica Jacq.); fruiting stem and separ Wellcome V0042972

Background

"SHELDRAKE, TIMOTHY (fl. 1756), M.D., a native of Norwich, was descended from an old Norfolk family, a member of which, John Sheldrake, was mayor of Thetford in 1632, while William Sheldrake was rector of Barton in Charles II's reign. Timothy was author of:

1. 'The Causes of Heat and Cold in all Climates, as read to the Royal Society,' 1756, 8vo, 'printed for and sold by the Author at the Black Boy in the Strand,' pp. 42.
2. 'The Gardener's Best Companion in a Greenhouse, or Tables showing the greatest Heat and Cold of all Countries ... measured upon the Thermometer,' London, 1756, folio, a quadruple folding folio-sheet, dedicated to Sir Hans Sloane, and stated to have the approval of Philip Miller [q. v.]
3. 'Botanicum Medicinale; an Herbal of Medicinal Plants on the College of Physicians' List, with names in nine languages [and] 120 copper-plates, "from the exquisite drawings of the late ingenious T. Sheldrake,"' London, 1759, folio. This work was issued at 3l. plain, and at 6l. coloured. Most of the plates are engraved by C. H. Hemerich. The 'Gardener's Best Companion' is added to it. A pamphlet on 'Norwich Gothic Cross' (with 'a very good plate'), by the same author, is advertised in 'The Causes of Heat and Cold' (cf. Blomfield, Norfolk, iv. 235).

"Sheldrake was doubtless related to the Timothy Sheldrake [Jr.] 'of the Strand, truss-maker to the East India Company and the Westminster Hospital,' who between 1783 and 1806 published several medical pamphlets on distortion of the spine, club-foot, and rupture.

The shopfront of the truss-maker Timothy Sheldrake Wellcome V0049830

"[Biographical Dict. of Living Authors, 1816, and the works above mentioned.]"

Botanicum Medicinale

The Botanicum Medicinale lists 118 uniquely identified plants, "describing their places of growth, roots, bark, leaves, buds, time of flowering, blossoms, flowers, stiles, chives, embrio's, fruits, farina, colours, seeds, kernels, seed-vessels, parts used in medicine, preparations in the shops, medicinal virtues, names in nine languages" and in this, also includes the "most beautifully engraved on 118 large folio copper-plates from the exquisite drawings of the late ingenious T. Sheldrake".

Books from the Biodiversity Heritage Library (IA botanicummedici00shel)

The first reference to the Botanicum Medicinale can be found in Sheldrake's other work, The Causes of Heat and Cold in the Several Climates and Situations of this Globe, in the back of the book under "Advertisement: [...] Now Publishing in Numbers by Subscription, BOTANICUM MEDICINALE; II. Or an Herbal of Medicinal Plants on the List of the College of Physicians, Descibing their places or Growth, Roots, Leaves, Flowers, Time of Flowering, Fruits, Seed-Vessels, Seeds, and Time of Ripening their Fruit. Colors and Parts used in Medicine, and what preparations are kept in the shops. Together with their Medicinal Virtues and Names in Nine Languages. Note, such Plants as grow in England are Drawn from the Life, with the greatest Exactness, all such Flowers or Parts of Flowers, as are too small to be distinguished by the Eye will be Magnified and marked on the Plates." The advertisement continues on the next page, where Sheldrake also outlines the purpose of this work, "To promote Botanic Knowledge, to prevent Mistakes in the Use of Simples in preparing Medicines, and to illustrate [...] in proper Figure and Colours."