 The physician André du Laurens ( 1558 – 1609 ) claimed that Clovis I ( r . 481 – 511 ) was the first king who touched for scrofula , but the medievalist Marc Bloch ( 1886 – 1944 ) argued that it was probably Philip I. Modern scholars , most notably Frank Barlow ( 1911 – 2009 ) , agree that the French practice most likely originated from Saint Louis IX ( r . 1226 – 1270 ) . The earliest direct evidence of the royal touch in England are the financial records dating from the reign of Edward I ( r . 1272 – 1307 ) . The crusading Edward I did not arrive in England until 1274 but the custom of giving one penny to each patient had become well established by 1276 , suggesting that the practice dated at least from the reign of his father , Henry III ( r . 1216 – 1272 ) . Henry III , known for insisting on his arbitrary decisions , loved public displays and was as pious as his beloved brother @-@ in @-@ law , Saint Louis IX , all of which makes it likely that he introduced the practice in England . 
