Bernard Foskett was born on March 10, 1685, in North Crawley. That is a small town about 50 miles north-north-west of London. His father, William, was a local magistrate, which tells us Bernard grew up well-off and Anglican. He was schooled privately at home and excelled at his studies. So he was sent to London to train as a doctor. One of his successors at Broadmead reported that the young Mr. Foskett “qualified and eventually practiced medicine for a number of years”.