Stuart Threipland

Sir Stuart Threipland (1716-1805) was a physician and one of the founding members of the Royal Medical Society. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The Threipland family were staunch supporters of the Jacobites.

Life

Sir Stuart Threipland (1716-1805)

The Threipland family came from Peebleshire and in about 1600 moved to Perthshire where they established an estate. As staunch supporters of the Stuarts, Sir David Threipland quickly joined the Jacobite cause during the '15 uprising. He was captured and became a prisoner of war and was forced into exile. In May 1716 his wife gave birth to a son, who they named after the cause they loyally supported, Stuart. The government forfeited the family estate and sold it to a private company who then leased it to Lady Threipland, allowing the family to continue living in reduced circumstances.

Stuart entered the Edinburgh Medical School where he became one of the founding members of what was to become the Royal Medical Society. He qualified as a physician and practised medicine in Edinburgh, later becoming a Fellow of the RCPE in 1744.

During the Jacobite Rising of 1745, Stuart Thriepland offered his support to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Thriepland was the senior doctor advising the Prince throughout the campaign. Thriepland survived Culloden and lived as a fugitive in the subsequent weeks. Using a disguise, Threipland returned to Edinburgh where he then escaped to France to join Prince Charles. While in France, his father died and Stuart inherited the baronetcy.

Thriepland returned to Scotland in 1747. He married and set up a house in Fountain Close and established a successful medical practice, achieving prominence and wealth in his lifetime. In 1783, Thriepland was able to purchase his childhood estate and spent the last years of his life restoring the estate to its former prosperity.

He died at the age of 89. ^[1]

References

1. ↑ Passmore, Reginald (2001). Fellows of Edinburgh's College of Physicians during the Scottish Enlightenment. Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.