The retirement of Dr David Maurice from the Marlborough surgery at the end of September will mark the end of an amazing dynasty of doctors from his family stretching back more than two centuries.

His retirement will end an unbroken chain of Maurice doctors serving the Marlborough area since his great great great grandfather Dr Thelwell Maurice joined the practice in 1792.

There have been so many doctors with the same surname in Marlborough that patients became used to referring to them by their Christian names hence Dr David’s late father was Dr Dick, his late uncle was Dr Tim and his cousin Dr Nick.

It was believed for years that the Maurice family held the world record for unbroken service and at one time the practice was in the Guinness Book of Records until a Spanish family practice was able to prove even longer continuous service.

The medical tradition continues, however, because Dr David’s son James recently qualified as a doctor from Edinburgh University, becoming the seventh generation to be a doctor, but his father said he had no current plans to join the Marlborough practice.

Dr David, 59, who lives in Kingsbury Street and joined the practice in 1980, has always been close to the church and after training he was ordained deacon in 2001, became a priest in 2002 and is a non stipendiary minister in the Marlborough Anglican team. He said: “You get to a stage where you feel a need to move on and I will certainly be more available to help in the church.”