Page:Dictionary of National Biography. Sup. Vol II (1901).djvu/430

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Hexham
418
Hexham

of the board of examiners in midwifery 1875, vice-president in 1874 and 1875, president in 1876.

In 1863 lie was elected president of the Pathological Society of London ; in 1873 he was elected president of the Clinical Society ; and on 4 June 1874 he was chosen a fellow of the Royal Society.

He was appointed surgeon-extraordinary to the queen in 1867, serjeaut-surgeon-extraordinary in 1877, and serjeant-surgeon in 1884. He also held the appointment from 1875 of surgeon to the prince of Wales. He was made a baronet on 6 Aug. 1883. He then retired to Horsham, where he gave much of his time to water-colour painting and to country pursuits, though he still paid periodical visits to London for professional purposes. His collection of water-colour drawings was presented to the nation, and was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum at the beginning of 1891.

Hewett died on 19 June 1891. He married, on 13 Sept. 1849, Sarah, eldest daughter of the Rev. Joseph Cowell of Todmorden, Lancashire, by whom he had one son, who survived him only a few weeks, and two daughters. There is a half-length subscription portrait, painted by W. W. Ouless, R.A., in the board-room of St. George's Hospital. As a teacher Hewett was admirable ; for he could make his pencil explain his words. Gradually he became known, first to professional circles as one of the most profound anatomists and best lecturers in London, then as an organiser of rare energy and power, and lastly to the general public as a most accomplished surgeon and admirable operator. He was equally skilful in diagnosis, and his stores of experience could furnish cases in point in all medical discussions.

Hewett published numerous papers upon hernia, aneurysm, injuries of the head, and pyaemia in the 'Transactions' of the various societies to which he belonged. The results of his most valuable work upon the injuries and surgical diseases of the head are embodied in his article upon the subject in Holmes's 'System of Surgery' (4 vols. 1860-4).

[Transactions of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society, 1892, vol. lxxv. ; St. George's Hospital Gazette, 1895, vol. iii. ; additional information kindly given by Dr. Humphry D. Rolleston and T. Pickering Pick, esq., consulting surgeon to St. George's Hospital.]

D’A. P.

HEXHAM, HENRY (1585?–1650?), military writer, born in Holland, Lincolnshire, about 1585, was possibly son of the Edward Hexham who served ten years in the Netherlands and accompanied the Cadiz expedition of 1596 (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1627–8, p. 118). His mother appears to have been a sister of Jerome Heydon, merchant, of London, who was probably related to Sir Christopher Heydon [q. v.] The cousin, John Heydon, to whom Hexham dedicates his ‘Appendix of Lawes,’ seems to be Sir John Heydon (d. 1653) [q. v.], Sir Christopher's son, and Sir Christopher's daughter Frances married Philip Vincent [q. v.], who has commendatory verses prefixed to Hexham's translation of Mercator's ‘Atlas.’

Hexham was in early youth attached as a page to the service of Sir Francis Vere [q. v.]; he was with Vere throughout the siege of Ostend in 1601, and his narrative of that event, which is printed at the end of Sir Francis Vere's ‘Commentaries’ (1657), supplies some details about the siege not otherwise accessible. Hexham seems to have served with Sir Francis until his return to England in 1606 and to have remained in Holland, possibly in one of the towns garrisoned by the English; he was personally acquainted with Prince Maurice of Nassau and his brother, Frederick Henry. In 1611 he published a Dutch translation of ‘The Highway to Heaven,’ by Thomas Tuke [q. v.], under the title ‘De Konincklicke wech tot den Hemel …’ (Dordrecht, 4to); and in 1623 appeared ‘A Tongue Combat lately happening between two English Souldiers … the one going to serve the King of Spain, the other to serve the States Generall’ (London, 1623, 4to). When Sir Horace (afterwards baron) Vere [q. v.] in 1625 went to the relief of Breda, Hexham was quartermaster to Vere's regiment, and he occupied a similar position under Vere during the siege of Bois-le-Duc in 1629, at the capture of Venloo, Roermond, and Strale, and the siege of Maastricht in 1631–2. After Vere's death he became quartermaster to the regiment of George (afterwards baron) Goring (1608–1657) [q. v.], with whom he served at the siege of Breda in 1637. In 1640 he was in England, and on 27 July he received a pass on going to Holland on private business. On 23 July 1641 Edward Viscount Conway wrote to Secretary Nicholas that he had known Hexham as long as he could remember, and was sure that Hexham was a good protestant and would take the oath of allegiance and supremacy, which he did four days later, being then described as ‘of St. Clement Danes’ (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1641–3, pp. 59, 60). Hexham, however, took no part in the civil wars in England; he returned to Holland before 1642, and remained there in