Catalogue description Baldwin Hamey, Junior 1600-1676 F. 1634

By Edward Pierce

Circular hat, long hair to shoulders; plain bands tied with tassels, a gown draped loosely round the shoulders; incised eyes; at present coated with white paint and lacking its socle.

Formerly attributed to John Bushnell, it may be identified with some confidence with the head described by Hooke in his Diary; on 19 February 1674/5 he records that he was ordered by Ent, Scarborough and others "to bespeak Dr. Hamey's head of Pierce"; on 4 September 1675, he notes "saw Dr. Hamey's head embossed at Mr. Pierces", and five years later it was still there; "saw Dr. Hameys head at Pierces. ..." (19 July 1680).*

In the ms. Cash Book, 1684, is the entry: "payd April: 12 for Dr. Hamey's head of marble 50£; Palmer himself, in his life of his uncle, states that the bust stood more than seven years on the (unnamed) sculptor's hands. In the nineteenth century the bust was mistaken by Munk and others (including the D.N.B.) for an image of the Marquis of Dorchester (q.v.). Exhibited, Royal Academy (The Age of Charles II) 1960-1, no. 84.

* But according to a statement in the Annals, 8 October 1680 (cited by Keevil), Hamey's bust had been set up in June 1680. Conceivably the "head embossed" referred to by Hooke, was Pierce's clay or terracotta model preliminary to the marble.

Baldwin Hamey was educated at Leyden and Oxford, and married Anna Patin, the daughter of a wealthy merchant of Rotterdam.

As a faithful member of the Church of England and a devoted royalist he was dismayed by the political events which marked the early years of his practice. At one time, though he was then entering full professional employment, he had serious thoughts of leaving London. A severe illness intervened and, when he recovered, the arrival of an influential patient, who rewarded him well for his advice and who was followed by others, encouraged him to stay.

Hamey's sympathies, though he was practising among the leading men of the Commonwealth and basking in their favour, were wholly with the exiled Royal Family. He inherited plenty of money and for many years had a large and lucrative practice; as he had no family, few personal wants, and was careful in his domestic expenditure, he could give full rein to his benevolent and charitable disposition. He sent Charles II several sums of money during the hardships of his exile, he was a liberal benefactor to many poor scholars, and he assisted greatly in the repair of many churches.

In 1651, when the spoliation of church property began, the College was situated in Amen Corner on ground belonging to St. Paul's. It was thus liable to be confiscated at any moment. Dr. Hamey, with a generosity for which he will always be held in honour, redeemed the property out of his own pocket and made it over in perpetuity to his colleagues.

Dr. Hamey contributed liberally to the fund for rebuilding the College after the fire of 1666, and in addition he paid for the Coenaculum to be wainscoted with fine Spanish oak, at a cost of some hundreds of pounds. Part of this wainscoting was moved from Warwick Lane to Pall Mall East, and again is being moved, as one of the glories of the Censors' room, to Regent's Park. The last of his great gifts to the College was to purchase the estate and manor of Ashlins, in Essex, which he settled on the College of Physicians in trust and by his will confirmed it to the College for ever.