Page 25 - Thrapston Life February 2025

GLANCE AT
THE PAST
Eric Franklin looks back
Dr John Griffith Leete was born in Thrapston on 2nd August 1808, the son of Henry and Nancy Leete nee Griffith, Henry practising as a surgeon. He left town to train as a doctor at Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospitals in London, becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons on 12th February 1830.
On qualification he returned to Thrapston, probably to join his father in practise. In 1841 he lived in Bridge Street and, in 1846, married Elizabeth Hodson. By 1861 he was in practise with William Masters with premises on Market Place. He was Medical Officer of the Thrapston Union House (the Workhouse) and a District Surgeon to the Northamptonshire Police Force, to the Huntingdon and the London and North-Western Railway Companies, and to the Titchmarsh Alms houses. He was also Medical Referee to ten Assurance Societies. He died on December 2nd, 1868, aged 60, his estate being valued at under £7,000. His wife survived him by 16 years, dying in 1884 aged 67 leaving an estate of just under £2,500.
Fortunately, I have a few photographs of Dr Leete from these early days of photography. The first is a half-plate daguerreotype of him with his horse Silver Tail (top left). Daguerreotype
printing was the first publicly available printing process whereby a highly detailed image was formed on a sheet of copper plated with a thin coat of silver. By 1856 it had been superseded thus making this a very rare early photographic representation.
The second is a carte de visite which was produced at Myddleton Hall, Islington, London by the London School of Photography (above right). They were prolific producers of such cards for wealthy patrons with six studios in London and one in Liverpool. Myddleton Hall was used between 1857 and 1875, thus the photo of Dr Leete is of him shortly before his death in 1868.
St James’ Church has one memorial to Dr Leete inside the church. It reads: “Sacred to the memory of John Griffith, second son of Henry Leete Esq and of Nancy his wife born 2nd August 1808, died December 2nd, 1868. Also of Elizabeth wife of the above who died March 9th 1884 aged 67 years.”
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