Thomas D'Oylie facts for kids
Thomas D'Oylie (born around 1548, died 1603) was a very smart English doctor and a great expert in the Spanish language during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his medical skills and for helping create an important Spanish dictionary.
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Thomas D'Oylie's Family History
Thomas was the third son of John D'Oylie and Frances Edmondes. His family lived in places like Greenlands House in Buckinghamshire and Chislehampton, Oxfordshire. His mother, Frances, was once a Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth I. This meant she was a lady who served the Queen at court. She was often at the Queen's palace in her later years.
The D'Oylie family was very old and came from Oxfordshire. They believed they were related to a Norman knight named Robert D'Oyly. He came to England with William the Conqueror a long, long time ago.
Thomas's oldest brother was Sir Robert D'Oylie. He was a high-ranking official in Oxfordshire. Sadly, he died in a mysterious event called the Black Assize of Oxford 1577. This happened in 1577 in the city of Oxford. Many people, at least 300, died from unknown causes. It might have been a serious illness like bubonic plague or gaol fever.
Robert's wife was Elizabeth Bacon. She was the half-sister of two famous brothers, Francis Bacon and Anthony Bacon. After Robert died, Elizabeth lived at Greenlands. She was known for living a very generous and grand life there.
Thomas and Robert were uncles to Sir Cope D'Oylie. Cope's son, John, had an impressive tomb (a special grave monument). You can still see it today in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Hambleden. It has memorials for him, his wife, and their children.
Thomas D'Oylie's Education
Thomas started studying at Magdalen College, Oxford by 1563. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (BA), in 1564. Then he got his Master of Arts (MA) degree in 1569.
He tried to get a medical degree from Oxford in 1571 but didn't succeed. So, he decided to become a doctor by studying at a university in another country. Soon after, he joined the group of people around Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. Thomas became good friends with the Bacon brothers, who were related to his brother's wife.
In 1580, Thomas spent some time in Paris. He finally earned his medical degree from the University of Basel in 1581 or 1582. After that, he worked as an army doctor in Antwerp. He was even present at a battle called the Siege of Oudenarde in 1582.
His Exciting Career
Thomas D'Oylie worked as a spy for Leicester. Leicester was put in charge of the Netherlands during a big fight called the Dutch Revolt.
In 1585, Thomas wrote a funny letter to Leicester from Calais. He described how he had sailed from Gravelines. But then, he was stopped and searched by "the hell-hounds of Dunkirk". These were people sent by the Governor of Dunkirk to catch him. The "Dunkirkers" were known pirates who supported Spain. They held a dagger to him! Luckily, Thomas had already thrown the secret letters they were looking for out of the ship's window.
It's quite ironic that in 1597, his old enemy, the Governor of Dunkirk, ended up being a prisoner in Thomas's own house! In the same year, Thomas went with Sir Robert Cecil on an important diplomatic mission to Paris.
Becoming a Physician
When Thomas returned to England from the Netherlands, he settled in London. He became a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1588. He had already been a "licentiate" (meaning he had permission to practice medicine) since 1585.
He received another doctorate degree from the University of Oxford in 1592. He also served as a "Censor" for the College of Physicians three times. This job had nothing to do with stopping people from saying things. Instead, he was in charge of making sure doctors kept high academic standards. He did this partly by giving very tough oral exams.
Thomas became a doctor at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He was considered a truly excellent doctor.
His Passing
Thomas D'Oylie died around March 16, 1603. He was buried in the church of the Hospital, St Bartholomew-the-Less, in Smithfield.
Working on a Dictionary
Thomas was a very skilled linguist, meaning he was good with languages. He was especially fluent in Spanish. He played a big part in creating a book called "Bibliotheca Hispanica." This was a dictionary and grammar book for Spanish-English-Latin.
It was first published in 1591 under the name of his co-author, Sir Richard Percivale. It was printed again in 1599 with more information added.
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Thomas D'Oylie's Family Life
In 1570, Thomas married Anne Perrott. Anne was the daughter of Simon Perott of North Leigh, Oxfordshire. Simon was also a fellow at Magdalen College and a high-ranking official at the University of Oxford.
Anne seems to have died sometime between 1598 and 1602. Thomas and Anne had three sons: Norris, Michael, and Francis. Francis was born late in their marriage, in 1597, after they had been married for almost 30 years. They also had three daughters: Frances, Katherine, and Margery.
Margery married a lawyer named Hugh de Cressy. He later became a judge in Ireland. Margery was also the mother of a well-known scholar named Serenus de Cressy.
