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The year 1582 was the year when a French Huguenot physician and cleric, William Delaune, fled with his family to England. In 1625 one of his two sons, Gideon, who had accumulated great wealth as apothecary to Queen Anne, bought Sharsted Court for his son Abraham.
Sharsted Court dates from the early 14th Century and remained in the De Laune family for more than 300 years. It started as a medieval manor house and was transformed into a Queen Anne mansion by Colonel William Delaune in 1711. The house was once described as "ancient, romantic, rambling.... set among furlongs of topiary and acres of beech wood on the Down land plateau some seven miles southwards of Faversham and Sittingbourne." It was also pointed out that it was an inconvenient place to live; having many rooms, twisting passages and no less than seventeen staircases. One bedroom is said to be haunted and there are stories of terrifying shrieks, guttering candles and a hideous figure. One footman who went to investigate the commotion returned in coherent and died shortly after.
The main feature of Sharsted Court was not it fact the ghost, but the topiary garden - an extraordinary display of geometrically shaped yew trees. The garden was developed, during the second half of the nineteenth century, by the man who was to weave together the strands of history which brought the De Laune Cycling Club into being: Mr. Chapman Delaune Faunce-De Laune. He inherited Sharsted from his father, Captain Edmund Faunce whose family ancestors came over with William the Conqueror. The Faunces and the Delaunes were linked through marriage - and Mr. Chapman Delaune Faunce strengthened that link by adding "De Laune" (spelt as two words) to his surname.
Mr. De Laune was a man of some substance - a High Sheriff of Kent, a magistrate and a considerable landowner. Much of his property was in South London (De Laune Street and Faunce Street are still there) so it was only natural that the parish priest of St. Mary's, Newington, should turn to him for help when he wanted to set up a social club for young men. Mr. De Laune did more than just help - he gave No.22 New Street, Kennington, for the young men's exclusive use. He also paid for the building of a gymnasium, dressing room and other improvements. Thus the De Laune Institute was started.
He himself became the President of the Institute and actively encouraged the wide-ranging sporting interests of Victorian England. These included cricket, billiards, boxing, football, gymnastics, dramatics, athletics, debating, singing and dancing. In the summer of 1888 a few of the members organised a number of cycle rides. Such was their enjoyment that they used the winter to canvas further support and in the spring of 1889 the De Laune Institute Cycling Club was founded. The forerunner of the De Laune Cycling Club; which these days are based in Peck ham, south London. Our connections with the family lasted for many years. Mr. Alured Faunce De Laune was President from 1909 to 1949; his wife Margaret then held the Presidency from 1949 until 1956.
During the Great War of 1914-18 Mrs Margaret Faunce De Laune sent many personal gifts to our members serving in the Forces. After the war, at a reunion dinner and concert, the Club presented her with a gold badge of honour as a "thank you". At the same time the question of how best to remember those who were killed in action was resolved when a member suggested a memorial plaque. Another member carved the five names into a stone tablet; this is positioned on the outside wall of the church. Captain De Laune duly unveiled the plaque on Easter Day 1920. The nine members who were killed in the Second World War were later added.
Although there are no club records of services having been held between 1921 and 1928, we feel certain there must have been since the horrors of the war would have been very prominent in people's minds. We are, however, certain that from 1929 to the present time our club has made an annual pilgrimage to Newnham to honour the memory of those fourteen young men.
In the Nineteen-Fifties Sharsted Court passed from the hands of the De Laune family. The Institute where the club started, No.22 New Street, Newington has long since been demolished. But, that little spark that was ignited there one hundred and twelve years ago continues to burn bright.
As early as 1525 the Apothecaries had been mentioned as a separate society.
The Surgeons, little more than butchers, were not incorporated until 1540.
By that time Society of Apothecaries had obtained powers of search, jointly
exercised with the College of Physicians.
Gideon DELAUNE (1562-1649), son of a Huguenot refugee after the massacre of
St. Bartholomew's day, led the struggle in 1614 to obtain a separate
charter. Gideon was a master of the Apothecaries in 1637, and personal
apothecary to James I's queen, Ann of Denmark. During his 97 years Gideon
fathered 37 children, many stillborn. He left a substantial portion of his
estate of L93,000, mostly earned from the sale of pills, to the Society.
Apothecaries' Hall is on the east side of Water Lane, in the Blackfriars
precinct. The Society purchased Cobham House on that site, and adjoining
property including Blackfriars Theater in Playhouse Yard, from lady Howard
of Effingham in 1632. Cobham House burned in 1666, but a new Hall was built
in 1671, but was mostly rented out due to the financial difficulties of the
Society. The long library and long garret, the Banner-festooned great hall
date from 1670. The well stair was rebuilt in 1929. The hall contains many
portraits of kings and past masters. Other Society treasures include a bust
of Gideon deLaune, presented in 1641, a contemporary painting of the Spanish
Armada, a pre-fire oak table, a chest presented in 1668, a wooden mace with
a silver head in the form of a unicorn supporting a shield depicting a man
with bow and arrow stepping over a dragon, presumably alluding to the
alchemical prowess of their profession. All these survived the Blitz in
1943.
Charities sponsored by the Society include funds for impecunious members and
their families, scholarships for students, including a L90 scholarship
founded by the will of Edward GILLSON, and research grants.
Famous Apothecaries include Thomas SYDENHAM, Tobias George SMOLLETT, Oliver
GOLDSMITH, John HUNTER, John KEATS, who practiced about a year, Edward
JENNER, Sir Humphry DAVY & George CRABBE. Rev. Beaven found three
Apothecaries who had served as Aldermen:
1652-1653............W. BELL
1626-1626............Gideon DELAUNE
1652-1652.............J. LORYMER
------------------------------------------
Sources:
Rev. Alfred Beaven in "The Aldermen of the City of London," Published by the
Corporation of the City of London (printed by Eden Fisher, London, 1908 &
1912), v.1, p 354.
Robert Blackham, "The Soul of the City: London's Livery Companies," pub.
1931 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co..
Valerie Hope, Clive Birch & Gilbert Torry, "The Freedom: Past and Present of
the Livery, Guilds and city of London" 1982, printed by Barracuda Books,
Buckingham, pp 153-4.
William Kent, "An Encyclopaedia of London," pub. 1937 by Dutton in New York.
He had seventeen children, most of whom were stillborn, fewer than thirty grandchildren. These facts are proved by his will, dated 19 June 1654, and proved 20 June 1659, and by his funeral certificate in the College of Arms, both of which documents give his age as ninety-four at the time of his death.
Taken from his biography written in" The Dictionary of National Biography Vol, 5 page763".
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