The Cadman family is a very old one. They may be related to Rufus Cademan, a Norman master barrel maker, who came
to England with William the Conqueror.
Whilst there are no definitive mediaeval family records, another possible link is with Caedmon the first English poet. It is thought that a Tudor relative was King Henry VIII’s executioner. At least he had regular employment.
Being at the top of one’s profession has been a recurring theme in the family. Euclid Cadman was Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University in the 16th century. His invention of the seven sided dice enabled him to amass a considerable fortune at the gaming table. This caused a great deal of envy and strife. One bankrupted player insisted on a duel. Euclid killed his opponent. In deep remorse he never gambled again. His ghost, rattling dice in its hands, can sometimes be heard late at night, walking the passages of Maudlin College.

The English Civil War saw two Cadman brothers on opposite sides. Lord Royston Cadman was a Royalist and his brother Sir Christopher was a Parliamentarian. Both commanded formidable numbers of soldiers. Matters came to a head near the tiny village of Soddit, with the opposing troops each side of the village. A bloody conflict seemed inevitable.

However, prior to commencing battle, the two Cadmans agreed to meet at the village inn. After several flagons of good ale, they agreed not to fight and dismissed all their troops, to the dismay of King Charles I and Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Both brothers retired to their country estates and took no further part in the Civil War.
In the world of politics, Sir Anstruther Cadman was Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Walpole Government, but managed
to escape to France before the empty government coffers were discovered. It was there that he bought several great Bordeaux châteaux and devoted himself to wine. Sadly he died of sclerosis of the liver exacerbated by dissipation.
Sir Anstruther’s grandson Cnute Cadman restored the family’s fame and fortune through his invention of the ‘eye-pod’ -
an indispensable device for concealing laudanum (tincture of opium) in hollow false eyes. The literati of the time frequently resorted to laudanum to enliven their parties and sharpen their creative wits. This association with literature bore fruit in the later writings of Magdalena Cadman, who wittily combined the roles of mistress to Prince Albert and the secret authoress of numerous novels that could only be printed privately in France where censorship did not exist. It was rumoured that Queen Victoria was not amused.
The French branch of the family, escaping from the Revolution, left Bordeaux, moved south and settled in Arles where they took up the medical profession. The late 19th century Dr Alphonse-Hercule Cadman was a minor painter in the Impressionist style and is credited with sowing Vincent van Gough’s ear back on. 
Science and fashion have much to thank the Cadmans for. Dr. Marlowe Cadman, the noted Edwardian chemist, invented knicker elastic. His son Jock, a Olympic athlete, went on to invent the famous strap. Marlowe Cadman was also a music lover. Inspired by the contemporary popularity of petomania, he composed several works for the tuba and serpent. Sadly they no longer appear in concert programmes.
Professor Codean Cadman, who, until recently, held the City University’s Chair in Pain Relief, was acknowledged as the world expert on the therapeutic benefits of gin.

His son Buck passed up a career in medicine and put into practice his remarkable skills in the City as a Bonus Consultant. He has taken a lucrative and well deserved early retirement in an anonymous tax haven.
Buck’s cousin Roy could be described as a serious dilettante who might have felt at home in Renaissance Italy. However, such trifles as electricity, cars, computers, money, decent wine and a good health service have kept him firmly in the 21st century, where a little touch of impresarioism in the world of music (www.pianorecital.co.uk) and a dalliance with words and images elsewhere might one day even add a little lustre to this branch of the Cadman family.
© Roy Cadman 2009