RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Simon Smith, i resigned 1401. 



William Aichecote,^ presented 1 40 1, resigned 

 1407 



William Humberston,' presented 1407, re- 

 signed 1409 



William Oldon,* presented 1409, died 141 9 



John Rede, 5 presented 141 9 



Thomas Tong, resigned 1454 



Robert Taylour,' presented 1454, died 1455 



William Lambton,^ presented 1455, died 1468 



Nicholas Langton,** presented 1468, died 1478 



Henry Wright,* presented 1478 



25. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JAMES 

 AND ST. JOHN, BRACKLEYio 



About the year 11 50, Robert le Bossu, earl 

 of Leicester, gave to one Solomon, a clerk, an 

 acre of land at Brackley whereon to build a 

 house for showing hospitality to the poor, together 

 with a free chapel and graveyard. His son, 

 Robert Blanchmaines, earl of Leicester, granted 

 2^ acres adjoining the site of the house and other 

 lands exempt from tolls and dues within the 

 parish of Brackley.^' The house and chapel 

 were dedicated in honour of St. John the Evan- 

 gelist, but afterwards re-dedicated in honour of 

 SS. James and John.^^ The abbot and convent of 

 Leicester, in whom the advowson of the rectory 

 of Brackley was vested, granted the hospital leave 

 to have a church free from all subjection to the 

 mother-church, with rights of sepulchre, and to 

 receive the tithes of all their lands.^' Bishop 

 Hugh, 1 186-1200, confirmed the charters of the 

 two earls, and granted to Solomon and his succes- 

 sors and to the brethren of the hospital the order 



1 Macray, loc. cit. ' Simon late warden ' is re- 

 ferred to in an action brought by William Oldon, 

 warden, against the executors of John Cope. Early 

 Chanc. Proc. bdle. 75, No. 2. 



- Line. Inst, of Beaufort, f. III. 



' Ibid. Inst, of Repingdon, f. 227. 



* Ibid. f. 237d. 5 Ibid. f. 278d. 

 8 Ibid. Inst, of Chadworth, f. 5 2d. 



Mbid. f. 56d. sibid. f. 74. 



* Ibid. Inst, of Rotherham, f. 53d. 



1" An extract from the chronicle of Henry Knyghton 

 (lib. ii. cap. ii.) records that Robert, earl of Mellent, 

 the father of Robert le Bossu, was the founder of this 

 hospital, and that his heart, preserved in salt, was 

 buried there in a leaden coffin. 



'* The chartulary of Brackley Hospital is at Magdalen 

 Coll., Oxf. ; the foundation charter and three other 

 charters are given in Dugdale, Mon. vi. 751— 2. 



'-In 1 32 1 Bishop Beck granted a licence for the 

 dedication of the church and churchyard of the 

 hospital. Line. Epis. Reg. Memo, of Beck, f. 55. 



'3 The Brackley Evidences at Magd. Coll. Oxf., 

 largely cited by Baker, Hisl. ofNorthants, i. 579-582, 

 are exceedingly full. The separate deeds dating from 

 1 160-1 165 number 945, and the chartulary of the 

 hospital, written about 1300, numbers 80 leaves. 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. App. iv. pp. 458, 460. 



of priesthood, so that they might celebrate in the 

 chapel and officiate in the parish church during 

 a vacancy without further warrant, as had been 

 granted them by the authority of Pope 

 Alexander IIL 



Margaret, daughter and co-heiress of Robert, 

 earl of Leicester, son of the founder, married the 

 earl of Winchester, and their descendants were 

 patrons of the hospital.'* One of the numerous 

 benefactions to the hospital recorded among the 

 Magdalen College Evidences is that of Roger de 

 Quincy, earl of Winchester, who ordered a 

 measure for corn in the shape of a coffin to be 

 placed in the chapel of the hospital on the right- 

 hand side of the shrine wherein the heart of 

 Margaret his mother was entombed, and left 

 provision for filling it with corn thrice yearly for 

 ever from the grange of Hawes or Halse, for the 

 use of the hospital. ^^ 



In 1278 Pope Nicholas III. ordered the 

 collectors of the Holy Land tenth in England not 

 to suffer the master and brethren of the hospital 

 for the poor of St. John's, Brackley, to be 

 molested, in accordance with the previous ex- 

 emption granted by Pope Gregory X. to lazar 

 houses, houses of God, and poor hospitals.*' 



Various additions were made to the endow- 

 ment of the hospital during the fourteenth cen- 

 tury. In 1 30 1 John de Segrave obtained a 

 licence for the alienation by John le Poer to the 

 master and brethren of the hospital of a messuage, 

 35 acres of land, and part of an acre of meadow 

 in Westbury, towards the maintenance of the 

 infirm poor." In 13 10 Thomas de Luton ob- 

 tained a like licence for the alienation of lands 

 and rents to the annual value of ;^io to three 

 chaplains to celebrate daily in the chapel of 

 St. James, Brackley, for the souls of himself and 

 his ancestors.'* In 13 16 Alice, widow of Roger 

 le Bygod, earl of Norfolk, obtained a licence for 

 the master and brethren of the hospital of St. John, 

 Brackley, to acquire lands, tenements, and rents 

 in the king's fee, their own fee, or the fee of 

 others, to the value of ;^io a year.'* Edward II. 

 seems to have exercised to the full the right of 

 imposing pensioners on all houses of royal founda- 

 tion or patronage. On 12 August, 1314, the 

 master and brethren of the hospital were ordered 

 to admit into their house William, son of Thomas 

 le Charetter, of Grove, and to find him mainten- 

 ance for life in food, clothing, and other neces- 

 saries, as he was unable to labour for himself, the 



'* A table of the descent of this lady is given in 

 Hilt. MSS. Com. Rep. App. iv. 460. The heart of 

 the countess and that of her eldest son were buried 

 before the high altar in the chapel of the hospital. 

 Ibid. 



'5 Baker, Hist. ofNortkants, i. 580. 



'« Cal. of Papa! L. i. 456. 



'' Pat. 29 Edw. I. m. 13. 



18 Ibid. 3 Edw. II. m. 7. 



'* Ibid. 10 Edw. II. pt. I, ra. 30 ; pt. 2, m. 2;. 



151 



