A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



had his annual stipend raised in 1617 from 

 16s. to 20S.^ 



32. THE HOSPITAL OF WALBEK, 

 NORTHAMPTON 



In addition to the important foundation of 

 St. Leonard's by the south gate of Northampton 

 for the service of lepers, there was another lazar 

 house by the north gate. This hospital is not 

 mentioned by Dugdale or Tanner, and has 

 hitherto escaped the attention of the local 

 historians of the county or borough. 



Only two references to it have been noticed, 

 both of them of the fourteenth century and in 

 diocesan registers. In 1301 Bishop Dalderby 

 granted an indulgence in favour of the infirmary 

 of the hospital of Walbek without Northamp- 

 ton ; s and in 1322 Bishop Burghersh granted an 

 indulgence for those assisting the poor lepers of 

 Walbek without the north gate of North- 

 ampton.8 



The name Walbek occurs in one of the 

 corporation deeds of the year 1360, wherein 

 Sir Paynel Gobion granted a life lease of 

 16 acres of land, lying without the north gate, 

 on each side of the king's highway, from St. 

 Bartholomew's church to Walbek.* 



33. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. LEONARD, 

 PETERBOROUGH 



A hospital of St. Leonard for the service of 

 the lepers was established at an early date in 

 connexion with the great monastery of Peter- 

 borough. The first mention of it is at the death 

 of Abbot John of S6ez in 1 125, when, as already 

 stated, there were thirteen lepers and three 

 servants in the lazar house. The next time it 

 is named is in the year 1147, when Robert de 

 Torrell, in his infirmity, came to Peterborough, 

 and there in the chapel of the hospital of St. 

 Leonard before many witnesses gave himself to 

 God, assigning all his lands at Cotterstock and 

 Glapthorn to the monastery, on condition of 

 diet for himself and four servants during his life, 

 and that at his death they should receive him in 

 a monk's habit. ^ 



Abbot William of Woodford (1295-9) made 

 special provision for this hospital, ordering that it 

 should be supplied yearly with forty ells of cloth 

 by the almoner at the feast of St. Martin, with a 



1 Full accounts of the later history of the hospital 

 are given in volume ii of the Rec. of Borough of 'North- 

 ampton ; and there is a good illustrated paper descriptive 

 of the buildings by Sir Henry Dryder, in the Journal 

 of the Associated Architectural Societies for 1876, to 

 which future reference will be made. 



^ Line. Epis. Reg. Memo, of Dalderby, f. 40. 



8 Ibid. Memo, of Burghersh, f. 78. 



* Cox, Records of the Borough of Northampton, ii. 1 6"]. 



* Swapham, f. 115. 



stone of ointment and a stone of tallow {sepi) ; and 

 with three bacon pigs, namely, one each at 

 Christmas, before Lent, and at Easter. It is 

 interesting to note, as affecting the question of 

 the infection of leprosy, that the monk in charge 

 of the lepers [servens dictorum infirmoruni) had 

 the right of dining with the abbot's household at 

 Christmas, at Easter, and on the feasts of St. 

 Peter and All Saints.* 



In this same abbot's time incidental mention 

 is made of the annual payment of a penny on 

 St. Peter's Day to the brethren of the hospital of 

 St. Leonard.'' Also in 1296, when a taxation 

 roll of all the goods of the abbey was drawn up, 

 the hospital of the lepers, ' extra Burgum,' is 

 named as taxed at ^^6, but paying no tithe.^ 



The return of 1535 shows that eight poor 

 men living in the hospital of St. Leonard were 

 then in receipt of 40^. each a year, and that they 

 prayed daily for the souls of the founders.** 



Dean Patrick says, ' There is still a well near 

 the Spittle, which is called St. Leonard's Well, 

 whose water hath been thought medicinal.' ^" 



34. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. THOMAS 

 THE MARTYR, PETERBOROUGH 



The hospital of St. Thomas of Canterbury 

 was founded at the gates of the monastery 

 by William of Waterville and completed by 

 Abbot Benedict (11 77-1 194), the great friend 

 and biographer of the martyred prelate, and a 

 former prior of Canterbury.^^ 



Abbot Acharius (1200-1210) granted to the 

 almoner of the monastery the offerings of the 

 chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr (where many 

 of his relics were preserved) for the use of the 

 hospital pertaining to it.^' 



The funds were used for the support of 

 resident poor sisters, and for the sick whom they 

 tended. A casual entry in the rough account 

 book of William Morton, the almoner of the 

 monastery in the days of Abbot Ashton, shows 

 that the admission of sisters to this hospital was 

 a duty assigned to that official. In 1455 Joan 

 Gattele was received among the sisters of the 

 chapel of St. Thomas the Martyr by the 

 almoner.'^ 



The return of 1535 shows that at that time 

 there were eight poor women living in the 

 hospital of St. Thomas, each of whom received 

 the annual sum of 3 35. 4^.^* 



s Cott. MS. Vesp. E. xxii. f. 4. Gunton's 

 Hist. 38. 



7 Swapham, f. 241. 8 JbiJ f_ 245. 



9 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 283-4. 

 1" Suppl. to Gunton's Hist. 3 1 7. 



11 Gunton, Hist, of Peterb. Suppl. 286-7. 



12 Swapham, fF. 104-200. 



13 Cott. MSS. Vesp. A. xxiv. f. 42. 

 1* Falor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 284. 



162 



