How a physician from Co Down created hot chocolate and founded the British Museum
He brought his new recipe back to England and found it was loved by all who tasted it
As chocolatiers and artisan food producers congregate at Killyleagh Castle this weekend for the fifth annual Hans Sloane chocolate festival, historian Clive Scoular charts the remarkable life of the village’s forgotten son, who, along with being a distinguished doctor, is credited with inventing the popular beverage
The Co Down village of Killyleagh was founded in 1613 and today is known for multiple reasons — it is home to Ireland’s oldest inhabited castle, it is the birthplace of retired Northern Ireland footballer David Healy, and more recently has been presented to HRH The Duke of York, through his title, Baron Killyleagh.
Unbeknown to many in Northern Ireland, Killyleagh was also the birthplace of 17th century “forgotten son” and physician Sir Hans Sloane, famous for his collections, medical revelations and, perhaps his most widely appreciated accomplishment, the creation of milk chocolate.
Sloane was born in a modest two-storey thatched house on Frederick Street in Killyleagh on April 16, 1660, the youngest of seven sons. As a boy, he was educated in Killyleagh, which was where his interest in culture and collectibles was sparked. During his young years, he began collecting plants and other curiosities around the shores of Strangford Lough.
However, at the age of just 16, he became ill and rested for almost three years, by which time he had thankfully recovered. In 1679, just after turning 19 years old, a young Hans Sloane moved to London to study chemistry and botany. Not long after arriving in London, he decided to study medicine. Over the next six years, Sloane travelled to France to continue his education in medicine, and consistently collected unusual artefacts to add to his growing collections.
In 1687, word of his success in medicine spread throughout England, and he was offered the post of personal physician to the Duke of Albemarle, who was soon set to travel from England to be Governor of Jamaica in the West Indies.
Sir Hans accepted the position proudly and was excited to gather many more exotic items for his collections. While on the voyage to Jamaica, he got the opportunity to study creatures he had never seen before, like porpoises, whales and different sea birds, as well as the effects of seasickness.
He became intrigued by an extremely bitter cocoa drink enjoyed by the locals. Sloane added milk to it to make the taste more palat- able, developing perhaps the first known instance of drinking chocolate, or hot chocolate.
He then brought his new recipe back to England, and quickly learnt that it was loved by all who tasted it. Thanks to Sir Hans Sloane, milk chocolate was born.
In 1695, Sloane married Elizabeth Rose, and became the father of four stepdaughters and four blood children.
Throughout his married life, Sloane lived at 3 Bloomsbury Place, London, and soon rented the house next door to house his ever-expanding collections.
During his long life, he was honoured with doctorates and degrees from several universities, and was appointed to oversee medical treatment for many important English figures, including Queen Anne.
In 1727, Sir Hans Sloane was elected President of the Royal Society. He was determined to use his position to improve the society’s collections, which had fallen into disuse over recent years. At 81 years old, he retired from his work.
Sir Hans Sloane’s impressive collections included plants, fossils, insects, books, art, antiques and more. It was later calculated that he had a total of 69,352 items.
Before his death in 1753, he invited royal figures and many young collectors to see his artefacts, and was determined to share his collections and medical discoveries with the world.
After his death, the Government purchased the Sloane collections, which would be kept intact and open to the public.
Thus, the British Museum was founded by the famous son of Killyleagh.
He had bequeathed to the nation his treasures, which they enjoyed then and still continue to do to this day, 350 years after his birth in local Northern Ireland village, Killyleagh.
Sir Hans Sloane’s life and legacy — though lesser-known than other famous figures from Northern Ireland — is extremely important to Killyleagh and Northern Ireland.
In 2002, Sir Hans Sloane Square was created in Killyleagh, complete with a copy of the statue of Sir Hans from London’s Chelsea Physic Garden.
Over the last few years, the residents of Killyleagh have taken it upon themselves to ensure the legacy of Sir Hans Sloane remains alive within Northern Ireland and beyond.
In 2010 a team of volunteers, including myself, created a small history festival in the name of Sir Hans Sloane to teach visitors about the life of the Killyleagh physician and his importance to the history of the village.
As the festival grew in popularity, the organising committee decided to expand the historical offering to reflect Sir Hans Sloane’s discovery of milk chocolate, and the Hans Sloane Chocolate and Fine Food Festival was born.
Now in its fifth year, the biennial Finnebrogue Artisan Hans Sloane Chocolate and Fine Food Festival opens its gates today, Saturday, at Killyleagh Castle, and tomorrow, from noon until 6pm, to celebrate the extraordinary life of Killyleagh’s Sir Hans Sloane through entertainment, local artisan foods and, of course, lots of chocolate by local chocolatiers.
For more information on Sir Hans Sloane or this weekend’s Finnebrogue Artisan Hans Sloane Chocolate and Fine Food Festival at Killyleagh Castle, visit www. hanssloane.com. Clive Scoular will also lead walking tours around the village today and tomorrow at 1pm and 3pm
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Killyleagh residents have taken it upon themselves to ensure his legacy stays alive