4. HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN EVANGELIST AND ST. ANNE AT OAKHAM
The hospital of St. John Evangelist and St.
Anne was founded in 1398 by William Dalby,
merchant of the staple of Calais. It was intended
to support twelve poor men, under the charge of
two chaplains, one to be warden and perpetual,
the other being removable. The advowson of
the hospital was to be in the hands of the prior
and convent of St. Anne's, Coventry. (fn. 1) William
Dalby granted an estate worth £40 a year for
the foundation, and a little later paid 577 marks
to the prior and convent of St. Anne's to increase
the endowment; (fn. 2) but in 1534 the yearly value
of the hospital was only £12 12s. 11d. (fn. 3) The
reason for the diminution of its income cannot
easily be traced, as so little is known of the early
history of the hospital. In 1419 Roger Flore,
son-in-law of the founder, granted a messuage, a
toft, and 70 acres of land and meadow for the
sustentation of the chaplain and poor men, who
were still twelve in number; (fn. 4) and two years
later the statutes were revised and corrected, and
provision was made that if the patrons did not
appoint a warden or fill vacancies in the house,
the presentation should devolve upon the vicar
of Oakham. (fn. 5) An indenture was made between
the warden and patron and the prior of St. Anne's
with regard to rent from the manor of Edith
Weston, in 1436. (fn. 6) After this we have no
further record of the fortunes of the house until
1534, when, as we have already noticed, its
revenues were much diminished.
The hospital is not mentioned in the Chantry
Certificate of 1548, but it was certainly in existence. The name of a warden who lived in
1570 was long preserved; (fn. 7) and permission was
granted by the queen in 1592 for some increase
to be made to its income. (fn. 8) The same Robert
Johnson, Archdeacon of Leicester, who founded
the New Hospital at Oakham, re-founded and
endowed the old hospital of William Dalby:
and in 1669 it still maintained six poor people,
with a warden who was also rector of Ridlington. (fn. 9) In Bishop Tanner's day it was in existence, but 'much decayed, impoverished, and
departed from its original purpose.' The old
bede-houses have now entirely disappeared; but
the chapel of the hospital is still in use, being
served by the clergy of the parish church. (fn. 10)
Wardens of Oakham (fn. 11)
Simon Thorp, occurs 1404, (fn. 12) 1405 (fn. 13)
William Baxter, occurs 1423, (fn. 14) 1436 (fn. 15)
Robert Watkynson, occurs 1546, (fn. 16) 1554 (fn. 17)
Robert Thorpe, occurs 1570 (fn. 18)
Richard Birkett, occurs 1581, (fn. 19) 1597 (fn. 20)
Robert Farington, occurs 1607 (fn. 21)
James Watts, occurs 1665 (fn. 22)
John Love, appointed 1685 (fn. 23)
John Warburton, appointed 1702
Samuel Adcock, appointed 1736
— Ball, appointed 1752