86
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
report was made to the College of Physicians, who determined
to remove the remains to the chapel above the vault and so, as
already mentioned, on St. Luke's Day, 1883, carried by eight
fellows of the College, the leaden case was deposited in the
prepared sarcophagus in the presence of the President, the
Office Bearers and many Fellows of the College of Physicians.
Also in the sarcophagus were placed a leaden casket containing
the quarto edition of Harvey's works in Latin and a hermetically
sealed bottle containing a memorial scroll which reads:—
"The body of William Harvey lapt in lead, simply soldered,
"was laid without shell or enclosure of any kind in the Harvey
"vault of this church of Hempstead, Essex, in June, 1657.
"In the course of time the lead enclosing the remains
"was from exposure and natural decay so seriously damaged
"as to endanger its preservation, rendering some repair of
"it the duty of those interested in the memory of the illustrious
"discoverer of the circulation of the blood.
"The Royal College of Physicians, of which corporate
"body Harvey was a munificent benefactor, and which by his
"favour is the possessor in perpetuity of his patrimonial
"estate at Burmarsh, Kent, did, in the year 1882-1883 by
"permission of the representatives of the Harvey family
"undertake that duty.
"In accordance with this determination the leaden
"mortuary chest containing the remains of Harvey was
"repaired and was, as far as possible, restored to its original
"state and on this 18th day of October in the presence of
"four representatives of the Harvey family and of the Presi-
"dent, all the office bearers and many of the Fellows of the
"College of Physicians (whose names are hereto appended),
"was reverently translated from the Harvey vault to the
"Sarcophagus raised by the College for its reception and
"preservation."
So for over 275 years the remains of the great discoverer have
rested in the little Essex village whose only other claim to fame
is that it was the birthplace of that infamous murderer and
general blackguard, Dick Turpin.
John Fothergill.
The next exhibit in my portrait gallery is again not an
Essex man by birth; indeed his claim to inclusion rests solely