34. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, WELLS
This hospital was founded by Hugh de Wells,
Archdeacon of Wells from 1204 to 1209 and
Bishop of Lincoln from 1209 to 1235. He was
greatly assisted in his project by his brother
Jocelin de Wells, Bishop of Bath (1206–42), and
in his charter by which he confirmed his brother's
gift Bishop Jocelin gave the hospital a chantry
and the right to have and ring bells and a
cemetery for the brethren 'qui signati sunt et
sub signo viventes ibidem conversati.' (fn. 145) The
original endowment is not quite evident. In the
draft of his will made in 1212 (fn. 146) Bishop Hugh
gave his brother 500 marks for that purpose,
but in his final will he granted to 'my lord the
Bishop of Bath my brother' (fn. 147) the wardship
of Tunring, to the use and repair of the hospital
at Wells, and 200 marks for the work of the
hospital and wardship of the land and heirs of
Crombwell to apply the profits to the work of
the hospital at Wells. It is probable that lands
at Keinton Mandeville and Babcary formed
either a portion of this bequest or were granted
to the hospital in the earlier part of this century,
as in the early years of Edward I the prior is
entered as possessed of lands there. (fn. 148) Jocelin
himself had given the church of Evercreech
with the chapel of Chesterblade to the house,
and the gift was confirmed by Thomas Prior
of Bath in 1213. (fn. 149)
Prior William bound the hospital to Richard
de Button the precentor of Wells (fn. 150) to perform
services annually at the altar of St. John in
their house for the soul of the said Richard, of
Bishop William de Button and of his ancestors.
In April 1314 (fn. 151) Bishop Drokensford formally
ordained the foundation of a chantry in the
chapel of the hospital by John de Wyk, Canon
of Crediton, who had given his rectory of
West Down, Devon, for that purpose. The
hospital however was ill-endowed, and in
1323 (fn. 152) the brethren appealed to Bishop
Drokensford to grant them the congé d'élire
without payment of the usual fees. The bishop
did so, and confirmed the selection of Philip
de Eston as prior or master. (fn. 153) Three years
afterwards, 1326, the bishop by inspeximus
ratified the foundation by Philip, the prior, of
a chantry of St. Nicholas in the chapel of the
hospital for the benefit of the soul of William
de la Wythy late burgess of Wells. (fn. 154) Wythy
had enriched the hospital by giving the brethren
five houses and parcels of land in the borough
and 8 acres elsewhere in the town.
In January 1331 (fn. 155) Bishop Ralph wrote to
the prior to admit William Bisshop, clerk 'ad
gerendum habitum religionis illius.'
In April 1350 (fn. 156) the bishop ordained the
foundation of a chantry in the hospital chapel,
and assigned for its endowment the rents, lands,
etc., which he had received as a gift from William
de Luttleton, canon and precentor of Wells,
and William de Bourwardsleye. A chaplain
was to pray for his soul and for the soul of John
de Somerton, formerly Abbot of Muchelney, at
the altar of St. Martin in the cathedral church of
Wells, and the hospital was to provide a chaplain
to pray for the bishop and for the soul of William
formerly Abbot of Shrewsbury in the chapel
of the hospital, and the number of brethren in
the house should be increased to a prior and
ten brethren, and if the funds of the hospital
could not support this chaplain and so many
brethren, then the hospital was to enjoin one
of their number so to pray for the soul of Bishop
Ralph.
In 1362 Walter de Compton bequeathed
20s. for the repair of the hospital, and other
small bequests were made from time to time. (fn. 157)
In 1475 through the appeal of William Drew,
one of the brethren, Pope Sixtus IV granted
certain privileges and protection against hasty
interdicts to the brethren of the hospital. (fn. 158)
In the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 (fn. 159) John
Pynnock is entered as prior, and the endowments
of the hospital are valued at £40 0s. 2d. arising
from rents of lands and houses in the city of
Wells, a mill at Wookey and rents at Wookey,
Dinder, Pynckmore, Keinton Mandeville, and
the rectories of West Down near Ilfracombe,
North Devon, and Evercreech.
The hospital was surrendered to the king
on 3 February 1539, and the lands and buildings
were given to Bishop Clerk in exchange for the
manor of Dogmersfield in Hants.
Priors of St. John's Hospital
Peter, 1228, occurs 1251 (fn. 160)
John, occurs 1292 (fn. 161)
Walter, occurs 1314, (fn. 162) died 1323 (fn. 163)
Philip de Eston, appointed 1323 (fn. 164)
Henry de Exton, collated 1348 (fn. 165)
John Type or Typpe, died 1409 (fn. 166)
John Bartlett, appointed 13 July 1410 (fn. 167)
Nicholas Cousin, collated 1439, (fn. 168) resigned
1445 (fn. 169)
Thomas Yle, collated 1445, (fn. 170) resigned 1462 (fn. 171)
John, appointed 1462 (fn. 172)
Thomas Cornish, 1483, (fn. 173) resigned 1497 (fn. 174)
Reginald ap David, appointed 1487 (fn. 175)
John Marler or Morler, appointed 1500, (fn. 176)
resigned 1510 (fn. 177)
Richard Smith, died 1524 (fn. 178)
John Bartram, appointed 1524 (fn. 179)
John Pynnock, occurs 1535 (fn. 180)
Richard Clarkson, surrendered 1539 (fn. 181)
The 13th-century seal of the Hospital of St.
John Baptist at Wells (fn. 182) is a vesica, 2¼ in. by
1½ in., with a figure of the patron saint holding
a roundel with Agnus Dei upon it, and standing
between two croziers which refer to Hugh of
Wells, Bishop of Lincoln, the founder, and
Jocelin, Bishop of Bath, benefactor of the hospital. The legend is:—
SIGILL' HOSPITAL' S[ANCTI] IOHANNIS D' WELLES.