44. THE HOSPITAL OF PLAYDEN
The hospital of St. Bartholomew in the parish
of Playden, but more often called 'outside Rye,'
seems to have been founded either by or under
the auspices of the abbey of Fécamp. The
earliest notice of it appears to be a notification by
Simon the priest, and the brethren and sisters of
the hospital that they had received from Ralf,
abbot of Fécamp (1189-1219), the chapel,
buildings, and lands of the hospital in perpetual
alms, saving an annual payment of 2s. to the
abbot and convent, who are to have the appointment of future priests upon the nomination of the
officers of the town of Rye. (fn. 1) Further stipulations were made as to the abbey's share of the
profits if Simon should succeed in obtaining
a grant of a fair from the king, as he appears
subsequently to have done; for, although no record of the grant is known a fair was long held
on St. Bartholomew's Day at a spot outside
Rye, in the immediate neighbourhood of the
hospital. (fn. 2)
The Custumal of Rye (Sections 59, 60) gives
some details of the administration of the hospital. (fn. 3)
From it we learn that the nomination of the
chaplain or warden lay with the mayor and
jurats, who submitted his name to the abbot of
Fécamp in time of peace, or to the lord chancellor if there was war with France, and they
in turn presented him to the bishop of Chichester. The house was for both brothers and sisters,
and the number of inmates was not fixed, but
none might be received without the assent of the
mayor and commonalty who, moreover, had the
right of admitting thereto any—
man or woman which had competently borne charges
in their time for the welfare of the town, if they be
now impoverished and impotent, decayed of their
goods and chattels, and little goods have to live with.
The seal of the hospital was to be kept by the
mayor and jurats so that the inmates should not
alienate any property without their consent.
This last clause seems to date from 1249, when
the barons of Rye issued a charter to that effect. (fn. 4)
From this charter of 1249 we learn that there
were then twelve brethren and sisters resident,
of whom some were lepers.
The warden in 1262 appears to have been
hardly a suitable person to have the spiritual
charge of the inmates, as he employed one Sybil
of Yarmouth to set fire to the buildings and ricks
of Mathew de Knoll at Beckley, and when she
was arrested assisted her to escape, first to the
hospital, where he kept her for a day and a
night, and then to Playden church, where she
abjured the realm. (fn. 5) Nor were some of his
successors altogether satisfactory. As a result of
a commission of inquiry issued in 1380 to William
Horne and William de Battesford, (fn. 6) it was found
that the master, Robert de Burton, had cut down
timber to the value of £20 at Brookland, had
wasted and appropriated to his own use grain to
the value of £10, and had allowed the hospital
lands to go out of cultivation. He had further
carried off muniments, bills, and indulgences
which brought in 40s. a year in oblations, and
had given nothing to the inmates, so that they
had to beg daily in the streets; and worst of
all, the brazen vessels of the poor brethren had been
seized for arrears of rent, so that they had no
vessels in which to prepare their dinners. (fn. 7) Some
sixty years later, in January, 1442, Bishop
Praty visited the hospital and found that the
master, William Parker, had been absent for six
or seven years, the chapel and other buildings had
fallen to ruins, and no paupers were maintained
there. (fn. 8) Parker was deprived, (fn. 9) but how far the
hospital recovered from its grievous state is not
known. It was bestowed with the other lands of
Fécamp Abbey upon the abbey of Syon in 1461, (fn. 10)
and subsequently, in 1502, upon Westminster
Abbey, soon after which date it had become
decayed past remedy, so that in 1521 Bishop
Sherborn allowed the abbey to appropriate it. (fn. 11)
Masters Of The Hospital Of Playden
Simon, occurs c. 1200 (fn. 12)
Robert, occurs 1262 (fn. 13)
John de Garlethorpe, occurs 1330 (fn. 14)
Hugh Pipard, appointed 1343, (fn. 15) appointment
revoked 1344 (fn. 16)
Randell de Wyke, appointed 1344 (fn. 17)
Robert de Burton, appointed 1379 (fn. 18)
John de Waldeby, appointed 1391, (fn. 19) died same
year
Robert Longe, appointed 1391, (fn. 20) died 1392
Ralf de Repyngdon, appointed 1392, (fn. 21) resigned
1393
Thomas de la Chambre, appointed 1393 (fn. 22)
John Bowetby, appointed 1395 (fn. 23)
John Sharpe, appointed 1396 (fn. 24)
Thomas Brygge, appointed 1397 (fn. 25)
John Hoton, appointed 1399, (fn. 26) exchanged
1400
John Deye, appointed 1400 (fn. 27)
Robert Kyng, nominated 22 February, 1401 (fn. 28)
John Bedeford, nominated 28 February, (fn. 29) instituted March 1401, (fn. 30) exchanged 1403
Joseph Scovill, appointed 1403 (fn. 31)
John Preston, appointed 1405, (fn. 32) resigned 1407
John Elmeton, appointed 1407 (fn. 33)
Nicholas Colnet, appointed 1413 (fn. 34)
Thomas Chase, appointed 1420 (fn. 35)
William Parker, appointed c. 1435, deprived
1442 (fn. 36)
John Faukes, appointed 1442 (fn. 37)
William Tracy, appointed 1461, (fn. 38) died 1478
John More, appointed 1478, (fn. 39) died 1479
Thomas Brent, appointed 1479 (fn. 40)