William Clowes Pritchard. Image credit: British Homoeopathic Congress 1905 Proceedings.
William Clowes Pritchard M.R.C.S. L.R.C.P. B.A. (9 June 1867 – 6 July 1928) was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy. He was Surgeon to the Buchanann Hospital, St. Leonard’s on Sea, and Ophthalmic Surgeon to the Hastings and St. Leonard’s Homoeopathic Dispensary. In 1898 he was elected a Member of the British Homeopathic Society and in February 1907 was made a Fellow of the Society.
William Clowes Pritchard was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, the third of fourteen children to Primitive Methodist Minister Edward Cook Pritchard (1833 – 1918) and his Australian wife, Mary Ann Sophia Goodsell (1848 – 1896).
Clowes Pritchard received his B.A. in 1888 from the University of Sydney. He then emigrated to England to study medicine in London.
By 1899 Clowes Pritchard was an Assistant Resident Medical Officer at the London Homoeopathic Hospital.
In 1904 Clowes Pritchard married Cheshire-born Ethel Barker (1876 – 1965). They had seven children, including: Geoffrey W. Pritchard (1905 – 1995), Douglas Clowes Pritchard (1906 – 1986), Ethel Wynsome Pritchard (1908 – 1993), Barbara Pritchard (1909 – 2006).
In 1900-1901 Clowes Pritchard was living and practicing at Wellington Square, Hastings.
William Clowes Pritchard was one of the local secretaries, along with Percy Capper, for the September 1905 British Homoeopathic Congress, held at St. Leonards and Hastings.
Clowes Pritchard attended the Eighth Quinquennial Homeopathic International Conference in 1911. He presented a paper to the General Surgery Section on Dermoid Cysts.
In addition to his medical work, Clowes Pritchard also exhibited his prize carnations, one named after his wife, at the Royal Horticultural Society, Olympia, in July 1911.
In 1922-23 Clowes Pritchard was President of the British Homoeopathic Society.
In December 1923 the foundation stone was laid for a new women’s wing at the Buchanan Hospital. This was named the Cowes Pritchard Wing in his honour.
During his career William Clowes Pritchard submitted a number of cases and articles to various homeopathic publications.
At the time of his death William Clowes Pritchard and his wife were living at Beechwood, Baldslow Road, Hastings. He died at his other property, Beales Barn Farm, Cousley Wood, Wadhurst, Sussex, after a long and painful illness on 6 July 1928, aged 61. William Clowes Pritchard was buried in Hastings Cemetery.
Grandson of William Clowes-Pritchard
Its a pity I never met my grandfather, because my mother adored her ‘daddy’, and always said that he would have loved to have met me, but I was not born until 1941.
My mother was the third of his seven children, all of whom lived long lives. They were a great family. His wife, my granny, and I were great friends, and she lived to a very good age. I owe her so much and we had many happy times together. She loved playing the piano and was very good.
Like her, I believe homeopathy offers so much, especially for those who are
intolerant of drugs, which so often do things to the body they are not designed to do, which means having to take yet another drug to deal with the often awful side effects……..!
I don’t think that these Prichard’s had a ‘t’ in their name.
Never knew my grandad as like Martin my brother, he died before I was born. However very proud of his achievements, the more I read about him. He sounds an intelligent and popular person