120 St. Nicholas’ Hospital, Salisbury. 
bank of the river to show wayfarers the ford, just as at other places 
the cross or crucifix was placed in like manner and for a like pur- 
pose.” It appears to have been built between three and four hundred 
feet from what was then the north bank of the Avon, just to the 
north of the ford. It was about a mile from the then city of 
Salisbury (Old Sarum), and no doubt would often have been 
welcome as a diversorium for the night to travellers from the south, 
after crossing the river, and before climbing up to the city. It 
seems to have stood alone on the north bank of the Avon, without 
neighbouring houses, with the exception of a Church of St. Martin, 
_ which Leland tells us was near the spot. 
Can we find anything as to the purpose for which the original 
hospital was founded? It is to this original foundation that Bishop 
Bingham seems to be referring when he says (1245) that “it was 
founded in a praiseworthy spirit for receiving and supporting the 
‘poor ”—/(ad recipiendum et sustentandum pauperes laudabiliter sit 
Jundatum). And even without this express testimony we should 
gather that its purpose was something like what the purpose of the 
hospital has been since.! 
The two oldest deeds of gift to the hospital are dated in August 
and September, 1227. 
The first of these is a deed of gift? by the Countess Ela of 
Salisbury,’ dated August 19th, 1227, from the Castle of Salisbury 
(Old Sarum). The original has disappeared : the present copy was 
made by Geoffrey Bigge, Master of St. Nicholas between 15938 and 
1630, from the original in the Evidence House at Wilton, on one . 
of the fly-leaves in the cartulary of the hospital. It gives for the 
1 Tt will be seen that I put no faith in Leland’s statement, “ Richard Poore 
founded the Hospital of 8. Nicholas, hard by Harnham Bridge, instituting a 
master, eight poor women, and four poor men, endowing the house with lands.’ 
—Itinerary, vol. iii., p. 97, quoted in Appendix F. 
2 See Appendix A. 
3 William de Wanda, the dean of that time, characterizes her thus :—“ Ela de 
Viteri, comitissa de Sarum, mulier quidem laude digna, quia timore Domini 
plena.” Osmund Register, ii., p. 13. She was countess in her own right, being 
daughter and heir of William of Evreux, the last Earl of Salisbury. 
