Early Maryland County Courts.       xlix


       1671, as well as the founder of the distinguished family of his name on the
       Eastern Shore of Maryland (Md. Hist. Mag., i, 280 et seq). Dr. Tilghman is
       mentioned several times in these court records, but only occasionally as a phy
       sician, as when he sued at the December, 1675, session of the Kent County
       Court for his fee for the treatment of a crushed hand (Arch. Md. liv, 324-
       325). On the Eastern Shore before Richard Tilghman, who did not arrive
       until 1661, was “Thomas March, Chirurgeon” (died 1679) of Kent Island, who
       thus appears in the records of this county in 1651 (Arch. Md. liv, 3), and who
       was the founder of the Eastern Shore family of Marsh. Dr. Thomas Ward of
       Kent Island in 1652 sued Major Joseph Wickes for 300 pounds of tobacco
       for professional services, and the case was referred to arbitration, with Thomas
       Marsh as one of the arbitrators (Arch. Md. liv, 10) ; and again in the Kent
       Court, October 1665, he sued for a fee of 400 pounds of tobacco for the cure
       “by way of chirurgy” of Henry Carline, who had been shot through the leg
       (Arch. Md. liv, 32). One does not get a very pleasant impression of Ward
       and his wife, who as previously noted (p. xxii), were brought before the Kent
       Court in 1652 on suspicion of having caused the death of a servant maid, Mrs.
       Ward having whipped the girl with a “peachtree rod” and then rubbed salt
       into the wounds. The “jury “, probably a grand jury, found that the beating
       was not the immediate cause of death, but was “unreasonable considering her
       weak estate of body” (Arch. Md. liv, 9). There is an incidental mention of
       a cure by "Doctor Hooper “ of Kent County iii December, 1656 (Arch. Md.

       liv, 98). In 1659 “ Doc. William Hemsley” of Kent is mentioned (Arch. Md.
       liv, 172). He was the founder of the well known family of that name of
       “Peach Blossom “, in what is now Queen Anne's County. Mr. Michael
       DeContie, who was paid 1000 pounds of tobacco by the Kent Court in Septem
       ber 1669 for the cure of one Joseph Inglesby, probably a pauper, from his title
       “Mr.”, may have been a chirurgeon, or possibly only a lay practitioner (Arch.
       Md. liz', 272). At the March 1669/70 session of the Talbot County Court
       John Dolby, chirurgeon, sued Robert Alexander for a medical fee of 2100
       pounds of tobacco “ for physick,” but the court reduced this to 1200 pounds
       (Arch. Md. liv, 461). A few months later at the September 1670 session Dolby
       sued John Richardson for a fee of 400 pounds of tobacco “ for making insec
       tion in his wife's wound “, and this time won his suit (Arch. Md. liv, 473).
       There is one reference in the Charles County records to “John Stone medi
       cus “, when in November 1665 he sued the estate of Mrs. Bridget Heard
       (p. 605). He was probably the son of the late Governor, William Stone.
       From a Somerset County bond, dated February 23, 1665/6, we learn of “Geo.
       Horsfoord, chirurgeon” of Annemessex in that county, who on September
       29, 1668, was appointed deputy sheriff of Somerset (Arch. Md. liv, 6i8, 724).
       There is also mention, in a power of attorney, dated December 12, 1667, of
       Thomas Walley, Chirurgeon of Somerset (Arch. Md. liv, 699). In Charles
       County the curious spectacle of a doctor sued by a lay practitioner is presented.
       At the September 166o Charles County Court Dr. Matthew Gaidge was sued
       for 300 pounds of tobacco by John Cherman for the cure of his finger and won
       his suit, but Cherman waxing profane was fined 10 pounds of tobacco by the







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