Charles Angibaud
Encyclopedia
Charles Angibaud was a French
apothecary
. He became the royal apothecary to Louis XIV of France
, but moved to London
to avoid persecution as a Protestant Huguenot
. In London, he became Master of the Society of Apothecaries.
Charles was born into a family of apothecaries in Saintes
, near Bordeaux
. He followed his grandfather, Jean, and his father, Daniel, into the family business.
Angibaud became the royal apothecary to Louis XIV of France
in Paris
. Louis presented him with an ornate mortar
in 1678 (now in the collection of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
in London). Louis had the mortar cast from bell metal
(a copper
and tin
alloy
) in the French royal foundry. It has a diameter of 48 cm (19 inches), is 36 cm (14 inches) high, and weighs 129 kilograms (284 pounds). It is decorated with three coats of arms on the front, has ram's heads as handles on either side, and bears an inscription "CHARLES ANGIBAVD ME APPRE ET ORDINAIRE DV ROI A PARIS 1678".
Angibaud left France in 1681, with his wife and three children, moving to London to avoid religious persecution, only a few years before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
in 1685. He became a naturalised British subject. He became a freeman
of the Society of Apothecaries on 6 October 1685, enabling him to practice his profession in London. He established his business on St. Martin's Lane
, selling in particular his Pastilles de Blois made from licorice. His daughter, Martha (Marthe) married another Huguenot apothecary in London, John (Jean) Misaubin
, in 1709, who also had premises on St. Martin's Lane and was famously depicted by William Hogarth
in a painting in the series, A Harlot's Progress
.
Angibaud rose high in the Society of Apothecaries. He became a liveryman
in 1699, was Renter Warden in 1721, Upper Warden in 1726 and became Master on 22 August 1728. He also enjoyed royal patronage in England. He was appointed an apothecary to Charles II
in 1684, and was made Apothecary-General to the Army and Military Hospitals in Ireland under William and Mary
in 1689.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
apothecary
Apothecary
Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers....
. He became the royal apothecary to Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, but moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to avoid persecution as a Protestant Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
. In London, he became Master of the Society of Apothecaries.
Charles was born into a family of apothecaries in Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
, near Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. He followed his grandfather, Jean, and his father, Daniel, into the family business.
Angibaud became the royal apothecary to Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Louis presented him with an ornate mortar
Mortar and pestle
A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances . The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone...
in 1678 (now in the collection of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is the body responsible for the leadership and support of the pharmacy profession within England, Scotland and Wales...
in London). Louis had the mortar cast from bell metal
Bell metal
Bell metal is a hard alloy used for making bells. It is a form of bronze, usually approximately 4:1 ratio of copper to tin...
(a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
) in the French royal foundry. It has a diameter of 48 cm (19 inches), is 36 cm (14 inches) high, and weighs 129 kilograms (284 pounds). It is decorated with three coats of arms on the front, has ram's heads as handles on either side, and bears an inscription "CHARLES ANGIBAVD ME APPRE ET ORDINAIRE DV ROI A PARIS 1678".
Angibaud left France in 1681, with his wife and three children, moving to London to avoid religious persecution, only a few years before the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1685. He became a naturalised British subject. He became a freeman
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of the Society of Apothecaries on 6 October 1685, enabling him to practice his profession in London. He established his business on St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane
St. Martin's Lane is a street on the edge of Covent Garden in Central London, which runs from the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, after which it is named, near Trafalgar Square northwards to Long Acre.A narrow street with relatively little traffic, St...
, selling in particular his Pastilles de Blois made from licorice. His daughter, Martha (Marthe) married another Huguenot apothecary in London, John (Jean) Misaubin
John Misaubin
John Misaubin was an 18th century Huguenot French and British physician and "quack."He was born in Mussidan, in the Dordogne in France. His father was a Protestant clergyman who later preached in the French Church in Spitalfields. He qualified as a medical doctor in Cahors. As a Huguenot, he...
, in 1709, who also had premises on St. Martin's Lane and was famously depicted by William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
in a painting in the series, A Harlot's Progress
A Harlot's Progress
A Harlot's Progress is a series of six paintings and engravings by William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, Mary Hackabout, who arrives in London from the country and becomes a prostitute...
.
Angibaud rose high in the Society of Apothecaries. He became a liveryman
Liveryman
For Livery Companies in the City of London, a Liveryman is a full member of their respective Company.Livery Company members fall into two basic categories: Freemen and Liverymen. One may join as a Freeman, and thereby acquire the "Freedom of the Company", upon fulfilling the Company's criteria...
in 1699, was Renter Warden in 1721, Upper Warden in 1726 and became Master on 22 August 1728. He also enjoyed royal patronage in England. He was appointed an apothecary to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
in 1684, and was made Apothecary-General to the Army and Military Hospitals in Ireland under William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
in 1689.
External links
- The Mystery of the Sun King's mortar, The Pharmaceutical Journal, vol.275, p. 393 (PDF, 4 pages)
- London's immigrant apothecaries, 1600-1800, L G Matthews, Med Hist, July 1974, vol.18(3), p. 262–274