Nicholas Culpeper, Herbalist Of Spitalfields

May Day 1835 by George Cruikshank. Meet me this Bank Holiday Monday on the steps of St Paul’s for a jovial ramble through the alleys of the Square Mile in search of the wonders and the wickedness of the City of London. Click here to book It is my pleasure to publish this profile of the famous herbalist of Spitalfields by Patricia Cleveland-Peck, gardener and writer. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654) Of all Spitalfields’ past residents, one name stands out above others – Nicholas Culpeper, born on October 18th 1616, a herbalist and medical practitioner operating from Red Lion St (now Commercial St) who devoted his life to healing, and especially to healing the poor. While apprenticed to the apothecary Francis Drake of Bishopsgate, Nicholas accompanied Thomas Johnson (later editor of the 1633 edition of Gerard’s Herball) on plant hunting excursions. He loved herbs since boyhood and became expert at their identification, essential in those days when almost all ailments were treated with…