33. HOSPITAL OF ST. NICHOLAS, ROYSTON (fn. 1)
The hospital of St. Nicholas was founded in
that part of Royston which lay in the county of
Cambridge and diocese of Ely. It seems probable
that it was founded by Amphelise, wife of Theobald son of Fulk and one of the daughters of Robert
the Chamberlain; she gave 2 acres of land in
Kneesworth in the parish of Wendy to the
Hospital of St. Nicholas, (fn. 2) and her gift was confirmed by her husband. (fn. 3) Amable, or Mabel, de
Cormeilles, who seems to have been sister of
Amphelise, also made a grant, with the assent of
her husband Osbert L'Evesque (Episcopus). (fn. 4) As
Osbert was dead by 1203 (fn. 5) and Theobald before
1206, (fn. 6) while Niel, the last surviving son of
Robert the Chamberlain, died in 1191 (fn. 7) the date
of foundation must have been about 1200.
Numerous small grants of land in Melbourn
and Kneesworth were made by more than a score
of donors. Most of these were made to 'the
brethren', in several instances qualified as 'whole
and sick'; (fn. 8) in two deeds 'brethren and sisters' are
mentioned, (fn. 9) and in four 'lepers and brethren'. (fn. 10)
There appears, therefore, to have been a small
religious community who received lepers, and
possibly other sick persons. According to a statement made in 1359 the original foundation had
been of a chapel and houses for the lodging of
lepers and the maintenance of a chaplain who
should celebrate in the chapel in the presence of
the lepers three times a week. (fn. 11) It does not appear
whether the chaplain was head of the community,
and it is curious that a grant of 1 acre in Kneesworth by Sir Thomas de Waddon (c. 1230-40) to
'the master and brethren' (fn. 12) is the only allusion to
such a head.
On 1 January 1213 King John took the house
and brethren under his protection, (fn. 13) and next day
he granted to the brethren of the hospital a fair
on the eve and day of the Translation of St.
Nicholas (8, 9 May). (fn. 14) Henry III in 1236
extended the fair to the morrow of that feast. (fn. 15)
The patronage of the hospital descended from
Fulk son of Theobald to his grandson Ralph
son of Ralph son of Fulk, who sold 2 acres in
Melbourn with the advowson of the hospital and
chapel of St. Nicholas to Sir Giles de Argentein, (fn. 16)
who already held the patronage of the Hospital
of St. James in Royston in Hertfordshire, probably founded by his father. (fn. 17) Towards the end of
the 13th century the chapel of the hospital contained a set of vestments, a silver chalice, a chrismatory, a missal, and a breviary; (fn. 18) and just about
a century later the ornaments included 7 bronze
crosses, 16 banners, 3 censers, and an incense boat. (fn. 19)
This suggests that at the later date the chapel was
used by one or more of the Royston gilds (fn. 20) —
possibly only as a store for their processional gear.
Even at the earlier date it is doubtful if the
hospital was still functioning, and by 1359 it was
certainly a sinecure free chapel or chantry. In
that year John de Norwych, nominal warden of
St. Nicholas, stated that the advowson of the
chapel was held by Agnes widow of John de
Argentein, that for a great while past lepers had
not dwelt there, and that the chantry of three
celebrations weekly was then performed at the
Hospital of St. James. The 30 acres of land which
constituted its endowment were held of the Earl
of Richmond and John de Argentein by service of
maintaining a lamp in the church of Wendy. (fn. 21)
For another hundred years services seem to have
been held, at least occasionally, in the chapel, as in
1467 one of the points in dispute between the
Prior of Royston and the Master of St. James's
Hospital was the saying of mass in the chapel of
St. Nicholas in the fields of Royston. (fn. 22)