John Rattray (surgeon)
| John Rattray | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 22, 1707. Craighall Castle, Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died |
July 5, 1771 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Known for | Signing the first rules of golf. Surgeon to Prince Charles Edward Stuart |
John Rattray (22 September 1707 – 5 July 1771) was an Edinburgh surgeon who served as surgeon to Prince Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite rising of 1745. He was a proficient archer, winning the Edinburgh Arrow on two occasions, but it is for his golfing achievements that he is principally remembered. A skilful golfer, Rattray won the first competition organised by the Company of Gentleman Golfers (later the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers) to become the 'Captain of Goff' for a year. In this capacity he signed the first ever Rules of Golf.
John Rattray was born on 22 September 1707 in Craighall Castle, the family seat of Clan Rattray, near the village of Blairgowrie and Rattray in Perthshire, Scotland. His father the Rt Rev Thomas Rattray (1684–1743) was an Episcopalian priest who became the Bishop of Dunkeld, then of Brechin and was elected Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church. On his death in 1743 his elder son James became clan chief and inherited the estate. As the second son John Rattray had no such inheritance and he trained as a surgeon in Edinburgh by apprenticeship to the surgeon John Semple between 1728 and 1735, when he began surgical practice in Edinburgh. To enhance his professional status he applied to become a freeman (or fellow) of the Incorporation of Surgeons of Edinburgh (later the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh). This involved sitting a series of four examinations which were held in the later months of 1740, and, having passed these, he was admitted a freeman of the Incorporation in November 1740.
Rattray joined the Royal Company of Archers in 1731 and won the archery competition for the silver punch bowl on 4 occasions (1732, 1735, 1740, and 1742). The Company's most prestigious prize, the Edinburgh Arrow or Silver Arrow was presented to the Company by Edinburgh Town Council in 1709 as a prize for an annual archery competition. Rattray won this twice, in 1735 and 1744. He was also a skilled golfer and his prowess at golf is recorded in this extract from the mock heroic poem 'The Goff' by Rev. Thomas Mathison (1720–1760) published in 1743, the first poem devoted to the sport of golf.
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