William Rant (ca. 1604, Norwich – 15 September 1653, Norfolk) was an English physician, noteworthy as the Gulstonian Lecturer in 1639.[1]
Family edit
William Rant, junior, was the son of William Rant, senior (ca. 1564–1627), a Cambridge graduate and physician with a medical practice in Norwich. William Rant, senior, was closely related to several men who matriculated at the University of Cambridge: he was the brother of Robert Rant (matriculated in 1582) and Thomas Rant (matriculated in 1592; he was the father of William Rant, junior (matriculated in 1619), Humphrey Rant (matriculated in 1612), Thomas Rant (matriculated in 1619), John Rant (matriculated in 1626),[2] and Edward Rant (matriculated in 1830).[1]The Thomas Rant who matriculated in 1619 at the University of Cambridge was knighted in 1660.[3] William Rant, junior, married Jane Dingley, whose father was Sir John Dingley of Wolverton.[1] During the reign of Elizabeth I, John Dingley owned Wolverton Manor.[4]
William (junior) and Jane Rant's daughter married Sir Edward Ward, 2nd Baronet, of Bixley.[5] William (junior) and Jane Rant's son William was knighted in 1671.[6] There were two Englishmen named "William Rant" who lived contemporaneously and were nephews of Sir Thomas Rant.[7] Sir William Rant's daughter Jane was the first wife of Harbord Harbord.[8]
Education and career edit
At the age of 16, William Rant Jr. enrolled at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge on 1 May 1619. He earned his M.B. in 1625 and M.D. degree in 1630. In 1634 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.[1] He was the Gulstonian Lecturer in October 1639 with a lecture entitled De morbis partium quibus optime doctissimeque se gessit.[9]
For many years, Rant Jr. practised medicine in London[10] and eventually retired to Norfolk, allegedly because of his immoral conduct.[11]
William Rant, junior, is buried at Thorpe St Andrew. He bequeathed six Arabic books to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.[12]
Both William Rant, senior, and William Rant, junior, were considered outstanding physicians.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Rant, William (RNT619W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Rant, William (RNT581W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ "Rant, Thomas (RNT619T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Ditchfield, P.H.; Jones, S.R. (1910). The Manor Houses of England. B.T. Batsford. p. 62. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ Cathew, G.A. (1879). The Hundred of Launditch and Deanery of Brisley, in the County of Norfolk. Evidences and Topographical Notes from Public Records, Heralds' Visitations, Wills, Court Colls, Old Charters, Parish Registers, Town Books, and Other Private Sources: Corrections and continuations of and additions to Blomefield's history to the present time. The Hundred of Launditch and Deanery of Brisley, in the County of Norfolk. Evidences and Topographical Notes from Public Records, Heralds' Visitations, Wills, Court Colls, Old Charters, Parish Registers, Town Books, and Other Private Sources. Miller and Leavins. p. 457. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ "Rant, William (RNT659W)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Royal Illustrated History of Eastern England: Civil, Military, Political, and Ecclesiastical, from the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Including a Survey of the Eastern Counties, Physical Features, Geology, and Natural History of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk ; Descriptions of Antiquities, Castles, Camps, Forts, Churches, Abbeys, Monasteries, Market Towns, Public Buildings, and the Seats of the Nobility and Gentry ; an Account of Agriculture, Manufactures, Trades, &c. ; Memoirs of County Families and Eminent Men of Every Period. J. Macdonald & Company. 1873. p. 218.
- ^ "Harbord, Harbord (?1675-1742), of Gunton and Stanninghall, Norf. - History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org.
- ^ MacKinnon, Murdoch (1953). "An unpublished consultation letter of Sir Thomas Browne". Bulletin of the History of Medicine. 27 (6): 503–511. (See p. 505.)
- ^ "Rant, William". British History Online.
- ^ Venn, J. (1897). Biographical History of Gonville and Caius College, 1349-1897: Containing a List of All Known Members of the College from the Foundation to the Present Time, with Biographical Notes. Cambridge University Press. p. 245. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
- ^ "William Rant b. 1604 d. 15 September 1653". Royal College of Physicians. As of April 2023, this R.C.P. article erroneously identifies the father of William Rant (1604–1653) as "Humphrey Rant".
- ^ Fuller, Thomas (1840). The History of the University of Cambridge: And of Waltham Abbey. With the Appeal of Injured Innocence. T. Tegg. p. 191.