On 24 February 1462 King Edward IV granted a charter to the Barber’s of London. The Barber’s had been recognised previously, with written evidence dating to 1308. However this grant of a charter marked a change. The Barber’s Company was given power to regulate. This was an important change. Barber’s were not simply hair cutters, their ranks comprised Surgeons.
The Charter of Incorporation of the Barber’s of London
Carta Barbitons’.
Charter of incorporation of the Barbers of London using the faculty of Surgery granted by Edward IV., 24 Feb., in the first year of his reign [A.D. 1461-2]. (fn. 8)
The charter is subscribed as being granted under Privy Seal, with the authority of Parliament, and for £10 paid into the hanaper.
‘Folios 11-20: Sept 1462 – ‘, in Calendar of Letter-Books of the City of London: L, Edward IV-Henry VII, ed. Reginald R Sharpe (London, 1912), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/london-letter-books/voll/pp20-39
Barber Surgeons
Prior to the Charter of Incorporation of the Barber’s Company the practice of surgery within London had been largely unregulated. That had altered slightly in 1435, when Ordinances were approved for a Fellowship of Surgeons. This had not progressed practises as far as the authorities had desired. It was still the case that ‘barber-surgeons’ could simply appoint themselves and act without any training, expertise, or expectation of being held to professional standards. The Royal Charter changed this. From 1462, Edward IV’s Charter of Incorporation provided the London Guild of Barber’s with regulatory powers to set and maintain standards within the practice of surgery, in London. In doing so, it made it possible and more practical to identify and deal with untrained imposters. In theory, surgery became safer as a result.
Origins of Barber-Surgeons
Pope Honorarius III banned all within Holy Orders from practising medicine. His 1219 Super Speculam Bull extended prohibition of medical practice to deacons, priors, and those who enjoyed ecclesiastical benefits. Designed to ensure that the clergy was focussed on spiritual matters, a consequence was that monastic medical practices and monastic infirmaries needed to adapt. The adaptation was that surgical work once undertaken by monks in informaries was soon taken up by the Barbers who worked within these facilities. They had sharp blades and were regulars at monastic sites.
This practice then spread into towns and barber-surgeons became a common feature of medieval medical practices across Europe.
Links
History of the Barber’s Company
History of Medicine: The Middle Ages
Washing, drawing, lancing – the requisite skills for a barber-surgeon in early modern times.
Featured Image
Barber Surgeon. German illustration c1455. Kunsthistorisches Museum