Elinor Sneshell

Elinor Sneshell (fl. 1593) was an English barber-surgeon, active during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.

In the 1593 Returns of Strangers in the Metropolis, she was listed as a widow originating from Valenciennes who had been resident in London for 26 years.¹ Alongside Elizabeth Moulthorne of Antwerp, Sneshell was one of only two known female barber-surgeons who practised during this period.²

As a barber-surgeon, Sneshell was charged with caring for wounded soldiers during war. In the Middle Ages, surgery was often not performed by surgeons, but rather by barbers who were charged with tasks such as surgical procedures, teeth pulling, bleeding or applying blood suckers.³

References

Scouloudi, Irene. Returns of Strangers in the Metropolis 1593, 1627, 1635 and 1639. (1985), the Huguenot Society of London
Picard, Liza. (2003) Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9781780226507
International, Hektoen (28 January 2020). "The barber-surgeons: Their history over the centuries - Hektoen International". hekint.org. Retrieved 18 April 2025.

[1] Scouloudi, Irene. Returns of Strangers in the Metropolis 1593, 1627, 1635 and 1639. (1985), the Huguenot Society of London

[2] Picard, Liza. (2003) Elizabeth's London: Everyday Life in Elizabethan London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 9781780226507

[3] International, Hektoen (28 January 2020). "The barber-surgeons: Their history over the centuries - Hektoen International". hekint.org. Retrieved 18 April 2025.

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