WILLIAM, an eminent anatomist and surgeon, was born at Burrow on the Hill, in the county of Leicester, descended from an ancient family in the county of Rutland, whose arms and pedigree are in Wright's "History of Rutland." He received the rudiments of his professional skill at Leicester; and married Deborah Knight, a citizen's daughter, by whom he had one daughter, Williamina Deborah. In 1713 he published his Anatomy of the Human Body, one volume 8vo; and in 1723, A Treatise on the High Operation for the Stone. He was one of the earliest of his profession who contributed by his writings to raise it to its present eminence. In the beginning of 1736, he was thus honourably mentioned by Mr Pope: "As soon as I had sent my last letter, I received a most kind one from you, expressing great pain for my late illness at Mr Chefelden's. I conclude you were eased of that friendly apprehension in a few days after you had dispatched yours, for mine must have reached you then. I wondered a little at your query, Who Chefelden was? It shows that the truest merit does not travel so far any way as on the wings of poetry: he is the most noted and most deserving man in the whole profession of chirurgery; and has saved the lives of thousands by his manner of cutting for the stone." He appears to have been on terms of the most intimate friendship with Mr Pope, who frequently, in his Letters to Mr Richardson, talks of dining with Mr Chefelden, who then lived in or near Queen Square. In February 1737, Mr Chefelden was appointed surgeon to Chelsea hospital. As a governor of the Foundling Hospital, he sent a benefaction of 50l. to that charity, May 7, 1751, inclosed in a paper with the following lines:

'Tis what the happy to th' unhappy owe; For what man gives, the gods by him beftow. POPE.

He died at Bath, April 11, 1752, of a disorder arising from drinking ale after eating hot buns. Finding himself uneasy, he sent for a physician, who advised vomiting immediately; and if the advice had been taken, it was thought his life might have been saved. By his direction, he was buried at Chelsea.