A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



that in future every chaplain presented by the 

 mayor and burgesses of Northampton should also 

 obtain the consent of the prior of St. Andrew's, 

 rector of Hardingstone, and of the vicar. * It is 

 certainly a curious if not unique arrangement to 

 find the chapel of a lazar house used for regular 

 parochial purposes. The chapel and hospital had 

 been founded, however, by William the Con- 

 queror, according to tradition, and by him con- 

 ferred on the town, and in this case the founda- 

 tion would precede any special provision for 

 lepers. The sick brethren and sisters would 

 either have a small detached chapel of their own, 

 or else make use of the choir securely screened 

 off from the part used by the general congrega- 

 tion. 



Among the numerous evidences in the town 

 muniments is a deed of about 1 300, being a 

 grant from the master and brethren of the house 

 of St. Lazarus of Burton (Burton Lazars) to the 

 master and brethren of the hospital of St. Leonard, 

 Northampton, of a toft in the suburb of North- 

 ampton, opposite the hospital church, to be held 

 by them of the house of St. Lazarus for a yearly 

 rent at Michaelmas of I2d. If ever payment 

 should fail then the brother messenger sent to 

 collect the rent should be maintained in the 

 Northampton house until full payment had been 

 made. 



A curious entry in the Patent Rolls, under date 

 of 7 November, 1387, deserves mention in con- 

 nexion with this hospital : Lucy, sister of the 

 house of St. Leonard, Northampton, received a 

 royal pardon for the death of John Oxyndon, 

 chaplain. 2 How this death by misadventure 

 occurred is not stated. 



Institutions to the incumbency of St. Leonard's 

 are recorded in the diocesan registers from the 

 year 1282 ; after 1415 there are no more epis- 

 copal institutions to the wardenship or chaplaincy 

 entered. In 1220 we read that Bishop Wells 

 granted seven days' relaxation of penance to 

 those who should contribute to the maintenance 

 of the poor lepers of St. Leonard without North- 

 ampton.8 In the Valor of 1535 the mayor of 

 Northampton is termed the master, and there is 

 no provision for a chaplain. The clear annual 

 value was ^i i 6j. 8;^., and only 26;. 8^. of this 

 went in alms to a certain poor woman and 

 leprous person.* 



In the fifteenth century the town adopted the 

 unhappy expedient of leasing the hospital with 

 all its lands, tenements, and rents, and of making 

 the lessee responsible for the dues pertaining to 

 the mastership. John Peck, of Kingsthorpe, the 

 lessee in 1472, covenanted to pay the chaplains 

 eight marks a year, or four marks with food and 



1 Line. Epis. Reg. Memo, of Sutton, cited by 

 Bridges, Hist, of Norlhants, i. 363. 



2 Pat. 1 1 Ric. II. pt. I, m. 7. 



8 Line. Epis. Reg. Roll of Wells. 

 * Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 322. 



drink and three yards of cloth, to pay 5^^. a week 

 to each male or female leper who might be there, 

 and once a year two gammons of bacon and a 

 bushel of oatmeal, and to keep the houses, build- 

 ings, and church in good repair. It was thus 

 obviously the interest of a lessee to keep down as 

 far as possible the number of the inmates. 



In 1505 this system proved such a scandal 

 that the corporation determined to keep the 

 management in their own hands, insisting on 

 their mayors taking an oath when elected to 

 manage the hospital personally in conjunction 

 with a corporation committee. The oath (iacra- 

 mentum hospital^ Sci. Leonardi) runs as follows : 

 ' Ye shall swere that ye shall well and trewly kepe 

 and governe the hospytale of Seynt Leonardes 

 the abbote in Coton besydes Northampton which 

 hath byn myssused and evyll governed and gevyn 

 awey contrary to the Fyrste grannte thereof in 

 tymes passed. Therefore hit is provided and 

 ordeyned by Robarde Shefforde meyre of the seid 

 Town of Northampton and the Comburgesses 

 and Comynatte havyn assented and conducended 

 of an hole mynde and aggrement by the Cor- 

 poration of the seide towne that in no maner of 

 wise From this tyme Forwarde that the seid hos- 

 pitale of Seint Leonarde shalbe gevyn graunted 

 or to ferme sette to eny man persone or persones 

 in tyme comyng But that it shalbe allweys 

 remayne for evermore in the meyres handes for 

 the tyme beyng Comburgesses and Comynatte 

 accordyng to their Fyrst grannte And also that 

 they may chose and elect of themselves ii of the 

 meyres Brethren to have the Rule oversight and 

 good governance of the forseide hospitall apper- 

 teynyng and belonging And that the seid 

 wardens and overseers with the seide Bailly once 

 in the yere within one monyth after the Fest of 

 oure Lorde next coumyng that they do make 

 their due and lawfuU accountes how they have 

 reuled and governed the goodys of the seide place 

 for that yere beynge and how they byn employed 

 to the universall weale of the same to your 

 coumyng and power so helpe you God and all 

 seynts and by that boke.' ^ 



Though the use of the parochial chapel of 

 St. Leonard came to an end during the reigns of 

 Henry VIII. and Edward VI., and the inmates 

 were dispersed, the corporation were sufficiently 

 powerful to prevent all falling into the hands of 

 the crown. There was an award in Chancery 

 in 1550 between the mayor and burgesses of 

 Northampton and Francis Samwell, who claimed 

 to have purchased St. Leonard's of the crown in 

 1549. The award assigned the chapel and 

 churchyard to the town ' to such use and intent 

 as they shall think meet and expedient by their 

 discretion ' on a certain payment to Francis 

 Samwell. 



In Elizabeth's reign the corporation having 



^ Northampton Customary, B. M. Cited in Rec. of 

 the Borough of Northampton, ii. 331-2. 



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