Son of the Rev Joseph Cross, MA, who matriculated from Magdalen Hall, Oxford, 11 November 1812, was vicar of Merriott south Somersetshire, married Caroline Richardson and was afterwards precentor of Bristol cathedral. Francis Richardson Cross was born 26 November 1848 and was educated at Crewkerne Grammar School until he entered as a medical student at King's College Hospital. Here he acted as house surgeon in charge of the eye wards, was sub-dean, medical tutor, and evening lecturer on physiology. He also served as assistant demonstrator of anatomy. In 1896 he was elected a Fellow of King's College. He was for a short time resident medical officer at the St Pancras Infirmary, after which he attended clinics in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, and Utrecht, where he came under the influence of Professor Snellen the ophthalmologist. His interest in the subject being thus aroused, he became clinical assistant at the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital on his return to England. In 1878 he joined the medical school at Bristol as lecturer on anatomy, was elected assistant surgeon to the Bristol Royal Infirmary in September 1878 and surgeon in January 1879. He held this post until 1885 when, deciding to specialize in ophthalmic surgery, he was elected ophthalmic surgeon to the infirmary and held office until July 1900. He then resigned, was elected a governor, and retained his interest in the institution until 1925, having been elected a vice-president in 1919. During his tenure of office as surgeon to the infirmary, he was dean in 1880 of the medical faculty of University College, Bristol, which had not then been raised to the status of a university. In 1882 he was appointed surgeon to the Bristol Eye Hospital and raised the institution to a high state of efficiency. His first house surgeon was Herman Snellen, the son of his old teacher at Utrecht. He remained upon the active staff until November 1925 when he resigned and received the complimentary title of consulting surgeon, remaining a member of the committee until his death. In 1891 he was president of the Bristol Medico-chirurgical Society, and in the same year he was president of the ophthalmological section at the Bristol meeting of the British Medical Association. From 1898 till 1914 he was a member of the council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and delivered the Bradshaw lecture in 1909, "On the brain structures concerned in vision and the visual field" (printed Bristol 1910). From 1912 to 1915 he was president of the Ophthalmological Society of the United Kingdom. In 1901 he delivered the annual oration at Medical Society of London on "Some landmarks in the progress of medical science". He married in 1880 Eva Beatrice, who died 1920, daughter of Captain Hawkes, RN, and by her had three daughters. He died on Sunday, 12 July 1931, at Worcester House, Clifton, Bristol and was buried at Alveston, Gloucestershire, after a largely attended funeral service in Bristol cathedral. Cross was one of the last ophthalmic surgeons who began life as a general surgeon and afterwards specialized in his subject. He had many interests outside his profession. As a young man he was well known in the athletic world, winning the 100 yards in the inter-hospital sports in record time. Settled at Bristol, he took an active part in the social and municipal life of the city. He served as sheriff in 1897 and was presented with a silver cradle to mark the birth of a daughter during his year of office. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1902 and took an influential part in securing the foundation of the university in 1909, where he became lecturer and later reader in ophthalmology. He was president of the Grateful Society in 1889, of the Dolphin Society in 1911, and of the university Colston Society in 1916. During his tenure of these offices he was successful in collecting large sums for charitable purposes. He was throughout a keen sportsman, hunting with the Duke of Beaufort's hounds. He also took a great interest in the breeding of stock. He acted as chairman of the Bristol centre of the St John Ambulance Brigade, and for very many years was chairman of the Bristol School for the Blind. The welfare of the blind was always very near his heart and he was instrumental in obtaining new and better premises for the Royal School for the Blind. As a man he stood well over six feet in height with great breadth of shoulder, fine upright carriage, and a profusion of hair which became white early in life. He was a fine speaker and was everywhere an influence for good. He left £50 each to the Bristol Eye Hospital, the Bristol Royal Infirmary, King's College Hospital, London, the University of Bristol, and the School of Industry for the Blind; and a number of medical books from his library were presented by his daughter to the Royal College of Surgeons. A portrait painted in 1920 by Miss B Bright hangs in the senate room of the Bristol University, and there is a replica in the Bristol Eye Hospital. It is an excellent likeness.