32. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. LEONARD, BANBURY
At Banbury there was a hospital of St. Leonard for lepers, standing at the east end of
Banbury bridge, and therefore in that part of
the parish which is within the county of Northampton. In the reign of Edward I land was
given to the 'master and leprous brothers of
St. Leonard, Banbury'; (fn. 1) while in 1319 Bishop
Dalderby granted an indulgence of twenty days
to those who should contribute towards 'the
maintenance of the poor lepers of the house of
St. Leonard, near the bridge of Banbury.' (fn. 2) In
June, 1333, the king granted protection for two
years for the leprous men of the hospital of
St. Leonard without Banbury, collecting alms
for their house. (fn. 3) Three years later a carucate
of land was given to the hospital by Sir John de
Lyons, and the same donor in 1376 granted
further possessions to 'Robert, chaplain of the
hospital of St. Leonard, near Banbury.' (fn. 4) The
last record we have is that in 1398 the king
granted to 'Geoffrey Stokes, clerk, the custody
of the hospital of St. Leonard, near Banbury, in
the country of Northampton.' (fn. 5) There is no
mention of it in the Taxation of 1526 or in the
Valor of 1535.
Footnotes
| 1 |
Beesley, Hist. of Banbury, 79. |
| 2 |
Linc. Epis. Reg. Dalderby, Memo. fol. 398. |
| 3 |
Pat. 7 Edw. III, pt. i, m. 2. |
| 4 |
Beesley, Hist. of Banbury, 79. |
| 5 |
Dugdale, Mon. vi, 772. |