142 St. Nicholas’ Hospital, Salisbury. 
farm-house and hospital: something, therefore, had happened to it 
to cause ceremonial defilement, after which it was impossible to bury 
there until a service of “ reconciliation ” had been performed in it. 
What was this? 
Nothing that remains gives us any idea of the nature of it; and 
conjecture is well-nigh worthless. 
3. The part demolished of the hospital was the north row of 
inmates’ rooms, up to the chapel on the east. The arcade of arches 
was not yet built up into the north wall of the building, but re- 
mained open, and was joined by a wall to the east end of the chapel, 
so as to divide the chapel itself into two. The northern half of the 
old chapel was then converted into a common hall; the space west 
of this was occupied by a sister’s room, and a wood-house. 
Such was the hospital over which William Wilton was made 
warden, being probably appointed thereto by the dean and chapter, 
and not instituted, as had been usual, by the bishop. He it was 
that was warden when Bishop Bell consecrated the chapel. There 
is every appearance of both chambers having been consecrated before: 
so that this must mean, I think, re-consecrated the one after the 
desecration of the other. And the same day he re-consecrated the 
litton after some defilement, the nature of which we cannot guess. 
With Wilton begins a new era. It is Wilton that began to record 
the poor people’s names and dates of admission in a record still 
extant. It is he that put together what we now call the Old 
Register, and we recognize his handwriting in many of the marginal 
notes to that volume. 
To him succeeded, in 1524, Edward Fox, who before had been 
steward of the hospital. Strange to say, there was one of the 
chapter of that name, a relation of Bishop Fox of Winchester, who 
in 1492 had become prebendary of Major Pars Altaris, and in 1533 
was to become Archdeacon of Dorset, and Bishop of Hereford in 
1535.1. But this was not the master of St. Nicholas’, for he by 
1He took a forward part in the doctrinal reformatien: assisting the King in 
the composition of the first draft of the ten articles, and being the envoy sent by 
him to the League of Schmalkalde, 1535. 
