John McFadden was born in about 1835, the son of Anthony McFadden, a farmer and merchant who lived in Convoy, Donegal. Anthony McFadden was the son of James McFadden and Mairead Doherty from Cruit, Donegal and was born in around 1787.
John had a brother James and sisters Bridget and Margaret. John left Ireland in about 1860. He obtained a degree in medicine from Glasgow University, became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1858 and the 1862 Medical Directory mentions that he was ‘late Medical Officer Cloghan Constabulary and Disp.’ and surgeon of the ships ‘Agostina’ and ‘Jeremiah Thompson’.
He arrived in Batley, West Yorkshire in around 1860 and lived there for the next 20 years, marrying Eliza Hanstock in 1869 who bore him sons Wilfrid (1870) and William (1872) although she died soon after William’s birth. He remarried again in 1876 to Frances Colbeck, daughter of a local mill owner. While at Batley, he was instrumental in setting up a Cottage Hospital in the town, gained a degree in medicine from Glasgow University in 1866 and was Surgeon to the West Riding Constabulary, the 43rd West Yorkshire Riding Rifle Volunteers (see photo in uniform), several clubs and assurance companies and Medical Officer to the Great Northern Railway Company. He was Honorary Surgeon at Batley Town Hospital, designed by Architect Walter Hanstock (Eliza’s brother) and his day book for the years 1872-1874 is still in the family’s possession.
He moved to Oxford in 1881 before moving again to Acton, London in 1882 and moving finally to Southsea, Hampshire in around 1884. He remained in practice in Southsea for the rest of his life, dying on 31st December 1908 aged 73. His obituary in the Hampshire Telegraph reported over 500 people attending his funeral and the requiem mass was conducted by his son, Father Bertrand McFadden and chief mourners were his sons Wilfrid, Oswald and Rupert McFadden. He is buried in Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea.
