Dr. Pierce Manaton (1704-1743)
The carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" was written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) and published in 1739.
The year before, Charles Wesley was near death due to illness and he made an account of the events in his journal:
Tues., February 28th. My dear James Hutton came post from London, and brought me Dr. Cockburu's letter and directions. As soon as I was able, I sent my brother at Tiverton the following account :--
"Dear Brother,--I borrow another's hand, as I cannot use my own. You remember Dr. South's saying [I have been within the jaws of death, but he was not suffered to shut his mouth upon me]. I ought never to forget it. Dr. Manaton told me, he expected to have found me dead at his second visit. This several remarkable accidents concurred to hinder. I had kept in a week before the pleurisy came, and taken physic twice. At midnight it seized me so violently, that I never expected to see the morning. In the preceding afternoon I had taken Dr. Cockburn's electuary, and an hour after was visited by so outrageous a tooth-ache, that it forced me to the abominable remedy of a pipe. This quickly made me discharge my astringent, and, in all probability, saved my life; binding medicines being poison in a pleuritic fever. I took my illness for the flux, and so never thought of sending for a physician. T. Bentham fetched him against my will, and was probably the instrument of saving my life a second time. Dr. M. called in Dr. Fruin. They bled me three times, and poured down draughts, oils, and apozems without end. For four days the balance was even. Then, as Spenser says,
'I over-wrestled my strong enemy.'
Ever since I have been slowly gathering strength; and yesterday took my first journey to my sister's room, who has been with me from the beginning, and no small comfort to me.
This Dr. Manaton was Pierce Manaton (1704-1743), born in London, the son of Pierce Manaton . Manaton was an older contemporary of Charles Wesley at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated in 1723 and went on to take a medical degree in 1729 and a higher degree in medicine in 1733. He died at Oxford in 1743.
Pearce Manaton (1704-1743) was the grandson of Pierce Manaton born at Stoke Climsland (1626/7-1678), and the son of Pearce Manaton, Apothecary of London (1672-1729). These Manatons were a junior line of the Manatons of Manaton in South Hill, Cornwall.
In his lifetime Charles Wesley would write the words for over 6,500 hymns. His works include "And Can It Be", "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today", the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and "Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending".