41. THE HOSPITAL OF LONGBRIDGE BY BERKELEY (fn. 1)
The hospital of the Holy Trinity of Longbridge at the north end of Berkeley was founded
by Maurice of Berkeley I, between 1170 and
1189. (fn. 2) The community consisted of a prior or
master and a number of brethren to provide for
the spiritual and temporal welfare of the sick
poor who were received into the hospital. (fn. 3)
At the foundation of the hospital Maurice of
Berkeley I guaranteed the rights of the abbot
and convent of St. Augustine's, Bristol, to whom
all the churches of the honour of Berkeley had
been granted. It was agreed that all tithes and
offerings should belong to the mother church of
Berkeley, but that such offerings as were made
by the parishioners on the feasts of St. John the
Baptist and of St. Mary Magdalen should be
assigned to the prior and brethren of the
hospital. (fn. 4)
In 1269 Godfrey Giffard, bishop of Worcester,
disputed the right of presentation to the hospital
with Maurice of Berkeley. (fn. 5) It was then decided that the lords of Berkeley and the bishops
of Worcester should present alternately, and
this agreement was carefully observed.
The right of visitation was granted at the
foundation, not to the bishop of Worcester, but
to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine's,
Bristol. (fn. 6) It was probably in virtue of their
right of collation that the bishops of Worcester
held inquisitions on two occasions. In 1275
Godfrey Giffard sent a mandate to the prior of
the hospital of Lechlade to visit the hospital of
Longbridge and inquire concerning the condition
of the brethren and other persons dwelling there, (fn. 7)
as he hoped to bring it to a more prosperous
state. In 1321 Thomas Cobham commissioned
Nicholas de Gore to inquire into the condition of
the property of the hospital, and to discover what
had become of the books and ornaments of the
chapel, and the muniments and seal. The sick
poor had apparently been ousted. (fn. 8) On 30
March, 1322, after receiving the report of the
commissioner, the bishop wrote to the rural
deans, rectors, and vicars in the archdeaconry of
Gloucester bidding them fulminate the sentence
of excommunication in their churches against
certain persons, both clerks and laymen, in that
archdeaconry who were said to have taken away
the property of the hospital, unless they should
at once restore it to Stephen de Brampton, to
whom the bishop gave the office of master. (fn. 9)
The hospital benefited greatly under the will
of William, marquis of Berkeley, in 1492. He
directed that his executors should purchase a rental
of 22 marks to find two priests for the chapel
of Longbridge, and should spend 100 marks
in building a house for them, 40 marks more
in buying vestments and ornaments for the
chapel, and in addition should buy a papal indulgence, 'as large as may be had,' to worshippers therein on the feast of the Trinity,
who offered prayers for the souls of himself, his
father and son. (fn. 10) The hospital of Longbridge was
suppressed under the Act for the dissolution of
chantries of 1547. (fn. 11)
Priors or Masters of the Hospital of Longbridge
Henry, occurs 1270, (fn. 12)
ob. 1275 (fn. 13)
Robert de Werwich, 1275 (fn. 14)
Henry Hass, 1278 (fn. 15)
William de Cokebury, 1285 (fn. 16)
John of Newington, 1286 (fn. 17)
Stephen of Brampton, 1322 (fn. 18)
John de Barneby, 1331 (fn. 19)
Robert, 1349 (fn. 20)
Roger le Frend, 1355, (fn. 21) exchanged 1356 (fn. 22)
William le White, 1356, (fn. 23) exchanged 1357 (fn. 24)
Walter Launce, 1358 (fn. 25)
Nicholas Geoffrey, 1364, (fn. 26) exchanged 1370 (fn. 27)
Thomas Munday, 1370 (fn. 28)
Thomas Bristow, resigned 1401 (fn. 29)
Thomas Thame, 1401, (fn. 30) exchanged 1404 (fn. 31)
Reginald Powy, resigned 1406 (fn. 32)
Thomas Calle, 1406, (fn. 33) resigned 1409 (fn. 34)
William Rande, 1409, (fn. 35) resigned 1414 (fn. 36)
John Talbot, 1414 (fn. 37)
Richard Wude or Ward, 1422 (fn. 38)
Richard Vele, 1451 (fn. 39)
Richard Roos, 1455, (fn. 40) resigned 1465 (fn. 41)
Thomas Campden, 1465 (fn. 42)
John Campden, ob. 1486 (fn. 43)
John Wiche, 1486 (fn. 44)
William Wall, ob. 1511 (fn. 45)
Robert Davell, 1511, (fn. 46) resigned 1512 (fn. 47)
John Mogryche, 1512 (fn. 48)
A seal of the thirteenth century represents our
Lord with nimbus, seated on a throne, lifting up
the right hand in benediction, in the left hand a
book. (fn. 49)