36. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GILES, STAMFORD
On the south side of the bridge of Stamford
stood a hospital dedicated to St. Giles. The first
mention of it occurs in a confirmation charter of
all their possessions granted to the abbey of
Peterborough by Richard I. on 5 December,
1189. 'St. Giles Hospital,' says Mr. Peck,
writing in 1727, 'stood where now the Spital
house stands, at the upper end of St. Martin's,
and had formerly a fair chappel belonging to it,
with lands to maintain a capellan and several
poor lepers, but who the founder was I cannot
learn.' (fn. 1)
King John gave 5 acres of land to the hospital
of lepers at Stamford, that is to say the hospital
of St. Giles. (fn. 2)
The hospital of St. Giles is also named as
belonging to Peterborough Abbey in the general
confirmation charter of 1227. (fn. 3)
On 25 December, 1303, the abbot of Peterborough gave to William Poncyre the wardenship of the hospital of the blessed Giles without
Stamford, for life, on condition that he should
supply the chantry in the chapel of St. Giles
three times a week, repair and sustain the buildings, and support the rest of the hospital duties as
of old accustomed. (fn. 4)
On four different occasions in the first half of
the fourteenth century we read of indulgences
granted to this small lazar-house for the construction or repair of its hospital or chapel, by
Bishop Dalderby in 1304, (fn. 5) and Bishop Burghersh in 1320, 1321, and 1332. (fn. 6) No further
references of a later date relative to this hospital
have been discovered.
37. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST AND ST. THOMAS THE MARTYR, STAMFORD
At the south, or Northamptonshire, end of the
bridge of Stamford, stood the hospital of St. John
Baptist and St. Thomas the Martyr. It was
founded towards the end of the reign of Henry II.
by Siward, Brand de Fossato, Richard de Humet,
and Bertram de Verdun, all of whom are named
in the confirming charter of Richard I., cited in
an inspection grant of Henry III. (fn. 7) The
hospital was, as was usual with such institutions,
on the confines of a town, for the double purpose
of relieving poor strangers as they passed by
with beer, meat, and lodging, and for the constant subsistence of certain of the local poor. (fn. 8)
King Richard, on 21 April, 1190, when at
Samur in Normandy, confirmed to this hospital,
first the site of the ground whereon it was built;
secondly, the house and chapel founded by
Siward; thirdly, the lands and possessions given
by Brand de Fossato; and, lastly, the meadow
at the south end of the bridge, given by Richard
de Humet and Bertram de Verdun for the building of a church with a churchyard. (fn. 9)
A final concord was entered into in 1194 between Akard, brother of this hospital, and the
abbot of Peterborough, concerning the advowson,
etc., of the church. Akard, on behalf of the
prior and brethren, recognized that the lordship
and advowson of the hospital pertained to the
abbot and convent of Peterborough, with the
assent of the palmers of the town of Stamford,
by whose alms the hospital was sustained. The
charters of the hospital were to be placed by the
brethren and palmers in a chest in the hospital,
under two locks, one to be kept by the abbot, and
the other by the prior of the hospital. They were
not to alienate anything without the abbot's
assent. The brethren were to make profession
in the abbey church to the abbot, saving the
right of a silver mark annually to the nuns of
St. Michael, as an acknowledgement of the benefit
of cemetery rights. (fn. 10)
William Humet, constable of Normandy and
lord of Stamford, was a benefactor to this hospital
in the reign of John. (fn. 11)
The hospital became subject to the great
monastery of Peterborough, in whose hands the
appointment of the master rested. In the confirmation grant to that abbey of all their possessions in 1227, Henry III. confirmed to it all
the lands, mills, churches, etc., on 'this side' the
bridge of Stamford, making particular mention of
this hospital. (fn. 12) In the same year the king granted
the master of this hospital 20 loads of dead wood
for his hearth, out of the wood of Duddington.
This grant was repeated in 1229, when the
master was termed a prior. (fn. 13)
The appointment of Hugh de Sancto Martino
as master was confirmed by the bishop in 1294. (fn. 14)
In April, 1299, Hugh de Clisseby, (fn. 15) master of the
hospital of St. John Baptist and St. Thomas of
Canterbury, at the bridge foot, held also the
vicarage of All Saints, Stamford. The house had
been reduced to such poverty by his mismanagement that he petitioned Abbot William of
Woodford for leave to resign. His resignation was
not accepted, but he was temporarily suspended,
and the custody of the hospital was assigned to
Robert, rector of the church of Northbury, who
was to endeavour, with the counsel of Hugh, to
put the house in a more flourishing state. In
August of the same year Hugh was restored to
the mastership, and the books, jewels, and other
effects of the house, in the chamber, hall, cellar,
kitchen, and bakehouse, formally re-delivered to his
custody. (fn. 16)
Soon after Hugh de Clisseby was re-admitted to
the wardenship Abbot William died, and was
succeeded by Abbot Godfrey of Crowland. The
new abbot soon had cause of complaint against
the master; he was charged with neglecting to
say mass in the chapel; with giving very inconsiderable alms to the poor and strangers; with
subtracting half a mark from the salary of Robert
Wodefoul, a lay brother, whose business it was
to relieve the sick and poor under the master.
He was also accused of retrenching the lamps of
the chapel and the lights of the house, and of
either selling, giving away, or suffering himself
to be tricked out of certain valuable relics pertaining to the hospital. The chapel was in a
scandalous condition, and various rooms intended
for the sick and poor travellers were locked up
and turned into store-rooms for the warden's
goods. Abbot Godfrey visited in person, found
the statements true, and at once deposed the
master. Thereupon Hugh applied to Bishop
Dalderby, and obtained letters of supplication from
him and from the archdeacon of Stow and Sir
John de Scaleby. On their entreaty, and on
Hugh's promise of amendment—taking oath under
seal to submit to such reformation in the affairs
of the hospital as the abbot should award—the
old master was readmitted on Easter Eve. The
abbot thereupon decreed that all the income,
whether revenue or offerings, should be divided
into three parts; one for a chantry priest to celebrate in the chapel, and perform all other necessary
offices for the sick and poor strangers, and to buy
lights, vestments, and other ornaments, which
office Hugh was himself to perform; the second
part for Robert Wodefoul, to provide necessaries
for the sick and poor; and the third part for the
support of the master's household. The lamps
and lights were to be maintained; the relics
recovered; the chapel and all rooms to be kept
clean and sweet. On any breach of these
articles another master to be at once appointed. (fn. 17)
Bishop Burghersh in 1323, and again in 1336,
granted indulgences to those assisting in the
maintenance of this hospital. (fn. 18)
Bishop Gray made an order in 1434 as to rights
of burial in the hospital cemetery. (fn. 19)
The masters of this house were not presented
to the bishop for institution, but were directly
collated by the abbots of Peterborough. On
14 February, 1445, Robert Wymbysh had conferred on him 'the full wardenship and government of the hospital of the blessed St. John the
Baptist and St. Thomas the Martyr, unto our
collation and appointments belonging,' by Abbot
Richard Ashton. Wymbysh had for some time
acted as coadjutor to John Combe, the aged
master, who then resigned on a pension. (fn. 20) On
12 February, 1448, John Westgate was collated
by the same abbot to the mastership. (fn. 21)
In the course of the fifteenth century this hospital
seems to have ceased its benefits, and at the last
only the chapel or church remained as a benefice
for the master or chaplain. The Valor of 1535
mentions the Free Chapel of St. Thomas the
Martyr on the bridge, and states the annual value
as £7 15s. 6d. (fn. 22)
The commissioners of 2 Edward VI. gave the
income of 'Seinte John baptist Free Chappell
apon Stameforde Bridge' as £9 16s. 5d., adding
the following:—
'Memorandum: that sythe the survey taken
by vertu of the Commyssyon, one John Stodderd
hathe brought before the kinges Majesties Commyssyoners Dyvers Evydences proving the same
to be an hospitall, And requyrethe that the Certificate made before the Commyssyoners may be
Frustrated and avoyded; but forasmuche as yt
hathe not byn used as an hospitall in releving the
pore, but the Revenues and proffyttes thereof
hathe byn convertyd only to the use of Thomas
Stodderd, son of the seyd John, being an infant
of the age of 13 or 14 years, Towards his exhibicion at Schole as yt is seyd, The Commyssyoners hathe Commyttyd the Determynacion
thereof to this honorable Courte.' (fn. 23)
38. THE HOUSE OF ST. SEPULCHRE, STAMFORD
In the general confirmation grant of Richard I.
to the abbey of Peterborough, of 5 December,
1189, among the possessions on the Northamptonshire side of Stamford there is mentioned their
right to the patronage of a religious house called
St. Sepulchre's.
'As for S. Pulchers,' wrote Mr. Peck in 1723,
'where it was situate, any further than that it
stood on the south side of the river, I am not
able to fix; and likewise as much to seek about
the founder. By the name, however, it appears
that it was an house of canons regular, of the
order of the holy sepulcher, whose business was
here to receive and entertain all such pilgrims
and knights of the holy sepulcher as passed
by out of the north, on their journey towards
Jerusalem.' (fn. 24)
Dr. Tanner thought that in this respect
Mr. Peck was in error, and conjectured that 'the
house was rather an hospital than a priory.' (fn. 25) In
the confirmation charter to Peterborough by
Henry III. in 1227, 'the house' of St. Sepulchre
is again named, and placed in the charter between
the 'hospital' of St. John and St. Thomas, and
the 'hospital' of St. Giles. (fn. 26)
We have not been able to find any later mention of this house; it was probably but a small
establishment, and became absorbed by the great
abbey.