Charles Lewes Parker (1810–1848)
Charles Lewes Parker was the second surviving son of the bookshop owner Joseph Parker and his wife Sarah. He was born in St Michael's parish on 31 January 1810, probably in the house in the Turl adjoining his father's shop at 26–27 Broad Street.
Two of Charles Parker's brothers died in infancy and one of his sisters at the age of fourteen, and it may have been this that led to his father being a supporter of the Radcliffe Infirmary. He and his siblings were born in the following order:
- Joseph Parker, born 24 November 1802, baptised at St Michael's Church on 1 January 1803, buried there 26 March 1803
- Sarah Parker, born 23 November 1803, baptised at St Michael's Church on 28 January 1804
- Harriet Parker, born 16 May 1806, , baptised at St Michael's Church on 8 October 1806
- George Parker, baptised at St Michael's Church on 21 September 1807, buried there on 11 January 1808
- Edward Parker, born on 28 December 1808, baptised at St Michael's Church on 16 February 1809
- Charles Lewes Parker, born on 31 January 1810, baptised at St Michael's Church on 10 February 1810
- Frances Parker, born on 12 April 1811, baptised at St Michael's Church on 11 June 1811, buried there on 26 April 1825
- George Richards Parker, baptised at St Michael's Church on 16 May 1813
- Elizabeth Maria Parker, baptised at St Michael's Church on 3 February 1816
Parker was matriculated at the University of Oxford from Wadham College in 1827, and registered for Daubeny's lectures that year.
Parker's father retired in 1832 to live in Black Hall in St Giles' and left the family bookshop to his nephew John Henry Parker. His son Charles was committed to medicine and had already been studying in London for a year, taking the MRCS in 1834. He then returned to Oxford to set up a practice in St Aldate's and was elected Surgeon to the Radcliffe Infirmary on 27 January 1836, beating his competitor William Fisher by 152 votes to 51. He was the first Surgeon who was a member of the University, and remained in the post until his death.
Soon after his election, Parker married Jane Lowry. Jackson's Oxford Journal of 21 May 1836 records:
On Thursday last was married, at St. George's, Bloomsbury, by the Rev. Edward Parker, Vicar of Bicester, Charles Lewes Parker, Esq. of St. Aldate's, in this city, surgeon, to Jane Lowry, youngest daughter of C.F. Barnwell, Esq. Woburn-place, London.
Parker's family home and surgery were at 17 St Aldate's Street, and he is listed as a surgeon there in Robson's Directory of 1839.
Charles Parker and Jane Lowry Parker had the following seven children:
- Charles Perrott Parker, privately baptised at St Aldate's Church on 3 March 1838, and received into the church three days later; died in infancy
- Lewes Barnwell Parker, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 27 September 1839; died 1849
- Harriet Jane Parker, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 27 March 1841
- Frederick Perrott Parker, born 19 January 1843, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 28 February 1843
- Richard Lowry Parker, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 27 September 1844
- George Sackville Parker, baptised at St Aldate's Church on 9 October 1846
- Eleanor Susanna Parker, privately baptised at St Aldate's Church on 6 April 1848
The 1841 census shows Charles and Jane with Lewes (1) and Harriet (3 months) living in St Aldate's with Caroline Stanton (a lady of independent means) and five servants.
Brodrick in William Tuckwell, Our Memories, wrote:
Another evening I (Bishop Hobhouse) invited Mr. Lewes Parker, a leading Oxford surgeon who had lately shown his skill in his treatment of the venerable president of Magdalen College, Dr. Routh, who had been bitten by his gardener in a fit of madness.
On 4 March 1847 Parker carried out an operation using ether as an anaesthetic just over two months after ether was used for the first time in London.
Parker died at the age of 38 in his house in St Aldate's on 19 December 1848 and was buried at St Aldate's Church on Boxing Day.
Charles Lewes Parker's father Joseph (who had been living alone at Black Hall at the time of the 1841 census, aged 67 and looked after by three servants), died at the age of 76 on 9 November 1850.
It looks as though Charles's widow Jane Lowry Parker brought her children to live in Black Hall before her father-in-law's death, as although her son Lewes was buried at St Aldate's Church, he is recorded as having died on 12 November 1849 at St Giles. The family certainly lived in the house after his death: the 1851 census shows her (aged 35 and described as a “Fundholder”) living at Black Hall with five of her children, aged from 2 to 10, and six servants (a nurse, under-nurse, cook, housemaid, under-housemaid, and butler).
Frederick Perrott Parker, Charles Parker's eldest surviving son, attended Rugby School and was matriculated at the University of Oxford from Oriel College on 2 December 1861. He became Rector of Colton in Staffordshire.