William Hey (1736-1819), FRS, surgeon, mayor of Leeds

William Hey was born in Pudsey, near Leeds in 1736. He was educated at the Heath Academy near Wakefield from 1743 and after this became an apprentice to William Dawson, a Leeds Surgeon Apothecary. Hey continued his surgical training in London at St George’s Hospital from 1757-1759, after which he returned to Leeds to set up his own practice.

Hey became an influential figure in the city. The Leeds General Infirmary (opened in 1767) became a major part of Hey’s life and work: he was at the forefront of the campaign for its creation and then became its senior surgeon from 1773 until his retirement in1812. During his time at the Infirmary, he gave a number of public demonstrations and lectures on anatomy using the bodies of executed criminals - most notably that of Mary Bateman who was executed at York for murder in 1809.

In addition to his work as a respected surgeon, Hey was also a prominent figure in Leeds civic life, becoming Mayor of Leeds in 1787-1788 and 1802-1803. He founded the Leeds Medical Society in 1768 and was president of the Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society in 1783. He became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1775.

Hey published a number of works, his most significant being Practical Observations in Surgery (1803). A number of surgical tools, techniques and medical conditions were named after him, including Hey’s Saw, which was used for trephining the skull.

Hey married Alice Banks (c.1737-1820) in 1761; they had 13 children, though sadly a number of them died in infancy. Two of their sons, Richard Hey (d.1789) and William Hey (1772-1844) became surgeons and worked alongside their father. Their youngest child was Reverend Samuel Hey, (1781-1852), vicar of Ockbrook. William Hey died on 23 March 1819 and was buried in the St Paul’s Church crypt, Leeds.