HOSPITALS
31. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, BANBURY
Most of our knowledge about the early history
of the Hospital of St. John is derived from a
letter of Bishop Oliver Sutton, dated June,
1283. (fn. 1) We learn from it that his clerks had
held a visitation of the hospital in the previous
February; that Robert Whiting was reckoned
its founder, while Adam Grey was recorded as
a benefactor; that the rules under which the
brethren lived were drawn up by Serlo,
once prebendary of Banbury; that the master
was nominated by the brethren from their own
number, and according to some, ought to be presented first to the prebendary of Banbury for his
approval and then to the bishop, while others
said he need only be presented to the bishop;
that a master who had died between 1280 and
1283 had left property by will, which was absurd,
inasmuch as every one who joined the house
took on himself the vow of poverty as well as
obedience and chastity; that the master ought
to swear obedience to the prebendary of Banbury, but the other brethren need not; that
they ought to think about supplying the defects
of their library; and that this letter should be
preserved and often read. To this, Bishop
Dalderby adds that the brethren did wrong to
speak of 'electing' the master, that they should
say 'nominate,' the point no doubt being that as
they did not belong to the monastic orders, they
were not bound by the forms of a canonical
election.
From this information we conclude that the
hospital was founded early in the thirteenth century, Serlo having held the prebend of Banbury
between 1236 and 1241. (fn. 2) In 1229 the king
granted to the prior of the hospital the old
timber of the gaol of Warwick, to build himself
a house, (fn. 3) and four years earlier, in a survey of
Banbury, the prior of the Hospital of St. John
occurs several times among the householders. (fn. 4)
We hear of Herbert, prior of the hospital in
1259, (fn. 5) and a letter, preserved at Lincoln, written
to the dean and chapter in 1273, records that by
their command their agent had gone to the hospital, and had ordered the prior and brethren to
give canonical obedience to R. de Esthalle, the
newly appointed prebendary of Banbury, and
that none had gainsaid him. (fn. 6) About the middle
of the fourteenth century a change must have
been made in the nomination of the master.
When vacancies occurred in 1311 and 1326,
the brothers nominated one of their number,
the bishop instituted him, and there was no
form of induction. But from 1355 onwards
the bishop always appoints, and repeatedly asserts
that the hospital belongs ad nostram collationem
(whether in his character of bishop of Lincoln,
or as lord of the town of Banbury, is not said);
on some occasions too the archdeacon or the
prebendary of Banbury was commanded to give
induction; and though the master was chosen
from the brethren for some time, yet ultimately
the post was given to canons of Lincoln or
fellows of a college, not by any means the
people that were bound by the law of poverty.
Pedwell and Stalworth were both prebendaries
of Buckden, Brynknell was prebendary of Marston St. Lawrence, Stanbridge and Cartwright
were prominent scholars of Oxford. (fn. 7) In short
the mastership was one of those sinecures which
prominent ecclesiastics were ever ready to accept.
When Pedwell resigned the hospital of St. John
'at the end of the town of Banbury,' (fn. 8) he still
retained a pension of £4 for life, though he held
the prebend of Buckden, and in the same way
Stalworth, when he resigned, was not ashamed
to accept a pension for life of £2 a year.
The Hospital received gifts of land and rent
in 1290, 1303, and 1305, (fn. 9) while in 1513
Smith, bishop of Lincoln, left it by will the
sum of £100 in addition to £60 he had already
given. (fn. 10) In June, 1359, the bishop commands the
master to receive a poor priest, Robert son of
William son of John of Stanesby, as they are
short of the full number of brethren, who ought
to pray daily for their founders and benefactors;
this priest desires to leave the vanities of the
world, and in the habit of a regular to serve God
in the said hospital. (fn. 11) In 1526 the master's
salary was £14, of which he paid £4 to an
usher (ostiarius), (fn. 12) while in 1535 the net salary
was £15 1s. 10d. (fn. 13) ; possibly the income of the
hospital was more than this, but as with all
hospitals, that which was spent on the support of
the indigent would not be liable to assessment for
subsidies.
Priors or Masters of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist, Banbury
. . . . . . .
Herbert, (fn. 14) occurs 1259
Thomas, (fn. 15) occurs June, 1260
. . . . . . .
John de Banbury, (fn. 16) died 1311
Walter de Wokingham appointed 1311, (fn. 16) resigned 1326
William de Upton, appointed 1326 (fn. 17)
. . . . . . .
John Harding, appointed 1355, (fn. 18) resigned
1356
William de Langport, (fn. 19) appointed 1356
. . . . . . .
Richard Tewe, appointed 1406, (fn. 20) died 1407
Roger Robert, appointed 1407, (fn. 21) died 1433
John Reynold, appointed 1433 (fn. 22)
Robert Carleton, (fn. 23) appointed 1434, resigned
1457
Richard Turnour, appointed 1457 (fn. 24)
John Wigmore, (fn. 25) resigned 1465
Thomas Taylard, appointed 1465, (fn. 26) died 1467
William Pedwell, appointed 1467, (fn. 27) resigned
1485
Master Simon Stalworth, appointed 1485, (fn. 28)
resigned 1494
Ralf Hamsterleye, M.A., appointed 1494 (fn. 29)
Thomas Banbury, died 1501
Master John Stanbridge, appointed 1501, (fn. 30)
died 1510
John Crag, appointed 1510 (fn. 31)
Thomas Brynknell, S.T.P., appointed 1511 (fn. 32)
Nicholas Cartwright, S.T.P., (fn. 33) appointed 1541
Seal: a pointed oval: a patriarchal cross— (fn. 34)
+ SIGILLV. . . . TAL . . . . IOH'IS DE BANNEB'.