HOSPITALS
24. THE HOSPITAL OF BAWTRY
The great parish of Blyth was one of those
few cases in which parochial boundaries extended
into two shires. The chapelries of Bawtry and
Austerfield were in the West Riding of Yorkshire, but pertained to Blyth, and were given to
Blyth Priory in the reign of Henry II. On this
account the hospital of Bawtry is for the most
part described as a Yorkshire foundation. But
this is certainly not the case; it was on various
occasions in mediaeval days treated as pertaining
to the county of Nottingham, and as a matter of
fact the county incidence is not in any way a
debatable question, for the site of the old
hospital usually known as Bawtry was in reality
in the Nottinghamshire parish of Harworth, and
merely contiguous to the adjacent Yorkshire
township of Bawtry.
There is much uncertainty about this early
foundation dedicated to the honour of St. Mary
Magdalen; but when King John in 1200, in his
grant to the church of Rouen, included the
church of Harworth, with the chapels of Serlby
and Martin, it is highly probable that the chapel
of Martin, a township of Harworth, within which
stood the hospital, was the hospital chapel. (fn. 1) At
any rate the hospital with its chapel was of
Norman foundation. (fn. 2)
The hospital was for the sustenance of certain
poor persons, and was under the rule of a master
or warden. If it was ever in the patronage of
the church of Rouen, as might be supposed to
follow from the Blyth connexion, (fn. 3) that arrangement came to an end at an early date, for the
Archbishops of York held the patronage at least
as early as the beginning of the reign of Edward I.
The earliest recorded entry of collation to this
mastership in the episcopal registers occurs in
1280. (fn. 4) Thomas de Langtoft, priest, was collated by Archbishop Romayne to the hospital
of Bawtry on 10 February 1289-90, and a
mandate was issued to the rural dean of Retford
to induct him; (fn. 5) and on 27 September 1291 the
archbishop collated Roger le Porter of Beverley,
priest, to this foundation. (fn. 6)
There are two entries of collation of masters of
Bawtry Hospital in the register of Archbishop
Thoresby, both of them the result of exchanges.
In 1361 Elyas de Thoreston of this hospital
exchanged with John de Grandle, chaplain of
the chapel of the Blessed Virgin and the Holy
Angels, York. Again in 1363 an exchange was
effected between Henry Barton and Roger de
Nassington, prebendary of Brickhill and Lincoln. (fn. 7)
The foundation was extended in 1390 by
Robert Morton, a wealthy and charitable benefactor. Morton was escheator of the county of
Nottingham and a knight of the shire from
1361 to 1393. In 1390 he gave to the neighbouring prior and convent of St. Oswald, i.e.
Nostell near Pontefract, the considerable sum of
£240, for which they stipulated to pay 8 marks
yearly for ever to the chaplain of the hospital of
St. Mary Magdalen, near Bawtry (vocata Le
Spittle), in augmentation of this stipend, to
secure his prayers for the good estate of Robert
the donor and Joan his wife during life, and for
their souls after death, and for the souls of their
parents, ancestors, and benefactors. To secure
the due payment by St. Oswald's of the chaplain's
stipend, there was a proviso that if the rent was
a term in arrear, it should be lawful for the
chaplain to enter upon the prior and convent's
manors of Tickhill, Wilsill, Swinton, and Holwell, and distrain for arrears. (fn. 8)
An indenture was entered into between
Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of York, and
Adam, Prior of St. Oswald, as to the due fulfilment of this undertaking. (fn. 9)
Robert Morton's will, made at Bawtry in
1396, provided numerous ecclesiastical bequests.
Among them he left 40s. to the Bawtry Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen; also to William
Myrfyne, then master of the hospital and one
of his executors, cattle and corn to the value of
£10. He also expressed a wish that his wife
should give to the hospital cooking utensils and
other necessaries to the value of 40s. (fn. 10)
Robert Morton junior, of Bawtry, was involved
in the revolt of the Percys and the Welsh at the
beginning of the reign of Henry IV, and all his
estates in the counties of Nottingham and York,
to the value of 40 marks yearly, were forfeited
to the Crown. In 1405 all his property was
granted by Henry IV to John Peryent, the king's
esquire, together with the chapel and chantry of
St. Mary Magdalen by Bawtry. (fn. 11)
In October 1403 John Scot, 'chivaler,' obtained
licence for 20 marks to grant the manor of
Misson to William Myrfyne, warden or chaplain of the hospital of St. Mary Magdalen by
Bawtry, to find a chaplain to celebrate daily in
the hospital for the good estate of the said John
and for his soul after death, and for the souls of
his wives, sons, and ancestors, and also for the
souls of Robert Morton and Joan his wife. (fn. 12)
These letters patent were not, however, executed,
and were surrendered in February 1406, when
by payment of an additional 5 marks John Scott
was permitted to transfer the manor of Misson
to the Prior and Convent of Mattersey in aid of
their maintenance. (fn. 13)
The Valor of 1534 names Richard Pygott as
master, and gives the clear annual value of the
hospital as £6 6s. 8d., of which £5 6s. 8d. was
paid by the priory of St. Oswald, whilst
20s. was entered as the value of 12 acres of
land. (fn. 14)
When Sir John Markham and other commissioners visited this hospital in 1545 they reported
under the head of 'The parrishe of Harworthe'
that—'The Hospitall of Mary Magdalen juxta
Bawtrie (was) founded by one Robert Morton, for
a Priest, there to be resident and to keep Hospitalitie for poore People, to pray for the Founder's
Soule and all Christian Soules, as the Deputye
of the Incumbent saith uppon his Oathe, without any Writings shewed to the Commissioners.'
The whole of the revenues (amounting to upwards of £14) at that time were in the hands
of Richard Pygott, described mistakenly by the
commissioner as 'chapliene to Kinge Henry the
eight,' except 13s. 4d. which he gave to a priest
to say mass there two days a week. (fn. 15) This man
Pygott was not in orders, but was 'a gentleman
of the Chapel Royal' and a favourite of the
king; Henry VIII insisted on bestowing on him
prebends and other ecclesiastical appointments
'notwithstanding his laity.' (fn. 16)
Notwithstanding the definite chantry purpose
of the income to this hospital from the priory of
St. Oswald, the payment was continued on the
dissolution of that house, and it even escaped
confiscation as a 'superstitious' use in the days
of Edward. This ancient charge even now
continues to be paid by the Crown.
One James Brewster was collated by Archbishop Sandys to the mastership or chaplaincy of
this hospital in 1584. Brewster entered into a
conspiracy with Thomas Robinson and two others
to subvert the hospital and its funds, and, upon
false information, to enable them to sell the
hospital and its grounds. In 1590 a warrant
was issued by the High Commissioners for Lands
Ecclesiastical at York to attach James Brewster
and others 'for profayninge and ruinatinge the
House and Chappell of the Hospitall.' The
opening sentence of the warrant runs:—'Whereas We are crediblie enfourmed, that diverse
evill disposed Persons have of late entered the
Hospitall of Mary Magdalen at Bawtrie and
pluckt up and carried away certaine Stalls and
other Furniture belonginge to the same, contrary
to all order and without any Awthoritie.' The
various conspirators made confession of their
actions and of their endeavours to transfer the
archiepiscopal rights as patrons to the Crown,
and Archbishop John Piers, in conjunction with
John Cooper of Southwell, whom he collated
to the mastership, jointly made suit before the
barons of Exchequer to recover the title. Cooper
in his evidence stated that from time immemorial
this hospital had been founded for the relief of
certain poor people and for the support of a
master who was to be an ecclesiastical person;
that divine service and common prayer ought
weekly to have been said; that the patronage was
in the hands of the Archbishop of York, or of the
Crown during voidance of the see; that within
two years last past one James Brewster of
Chelmsford, claiming to be master, set himself to
upset the state of the hospital, and to make
acquisition of its possessions to himself and his
heirs, disburdening himself of residence and
obligation to hold divine service; that latterly
he had profaned the chapel, carrying away all
ornaments, changing the same 'from a Chappel
to be a Stable or a Roame for theire Horses and
Cattell, to the great offence of the inhabitants
neare thereabouts adjoyninge . . . and contrary
to all Law and Equitie and good Conscience,
seinge as the same Hospitall was never lawfully
dissolved'; and that therefore Brewster had for
his long absence and 'other lewd Demeanors'
been deprived of the hospital by the archbishop.
On the death of Archbishop Piers, in 1594, this
suit was continued by his successor Archbishop
Hutton in conjunction with John Cooper, and
in 1595 decree was given in their favour,
Cooper being empowered to recover the profits
of the last five years and apply them to the
rebuilding or repair of the hospital, chapel, and
other buildings.
John Cooper died in 1610, and John Slacke,
M.A., was collated to the mastership by Archbishop Matthew. Slacke, however, was denied
entry into the premises by John Bradley and
others who had been tenants under Cooper and
had paid him £6 a year rent for the same. But
after considerable litigation the new master
obtained possession, and according to his own
statement 'builded up the decayed Chappell,
repayred the Windowes with Stone, Iron and
Glasse, made new Seats and the Pulpitt and
bought the Bell now in the Chapell.'
When John Slacke set forth his account of
this hospital and chapel, with details of all the
post-Reformation litigation, written in 1635, he
stated that all the profits then coming to the
master both by pensions and rents were £14 10s.,
and that two poor widows lived in the hospital,
each of whom received 20s. a year.
At the end of his record or chartulary he
enters three names as his benefactors: Archbishop Matthew (1606-28), Archbishop Harsnett
(1628-32), and 'Anthony Morton Esq. who was
buried in the Chappell.'
The last sentence runs—'There is a free
Rent of a pounde of Peper to be payed out of the
Hospitall yearely to the Mortons, whos Ancestors
were founders of this Hospitall.' (fn. 17)
A later master of this hospital became a
celebrated ecclesiastic—John Lake, Bishop of
Chichester 1685-9, who was one of the seven
bishops sent to the Tower by James II. The
chapel afterwards became again desecrated
through the scandalous inaction of later nonresident masters. When the late Canon Raine
came to Blyth and first saw this chapel in 1834
it was used as a carpenter's shop. It was soon
afterwards (1839) restored by Mr. Greaves of
Hesley Hall. (fn. 18)
The income of this hospital foundation now
amounts to about £120 a year; the chaplaincy
and mastership has been held by the Rev. Henry
Kendall since 1900; it continues to house and
support two widows.
Masters of Bawtry
Roger, 1280 (fn. 19)
Thomas de Langtoft, 1289 (fn. 20)
Roger, 1299 (fn. 21)
Adam Usflet, c. 1320 (fn. 22)
Elyas de Thoreston, resigned 1361 (fn. 23)
John de Grandle, 1361 (fn. 24)
Henry Barton, resigned 1363 (fn. 25)
Roger de Nassington, 1363 (fn. 26)
Robert del Strete, occurs 1390 (fn. 27)
William Myrfyne, occurs 1403 (fn. 28)
Roger Malton, died 1421 (fn. 29)
William Sadeler, 1421 (fn. 30)
Thomas Wirell, c. 1450 (fn. 31)
John Hawkins, c. 1510 (fn. 32)
William Hollgill, occurs 1527 (fn. 33)
Richard Pygott, occurs 1534 (fn. 34)
William Clayburgh, S.T.P., 1549 (fn. 35)
John Houseman, resigned 1584 (fn. 36)
James Brewster, 1584 (fn. 37)
John Cooper, 1590 (fn. 38)
John Slacke, 1610 (fn. 39)