RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



51. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JAMES, 

 DUNWICH 



A leper hospital dedicated in honour of St. 

 James, consisting of a master, with several 

 leprous brothers and sisters, existed at Dunwich 

 at least as early as the reign of Richard I. 

 Walter de Riboff was one of the chief bene- 

 factors, and by some considered the founder. 

 By his charter, apparently early in the reign of 

 John, he granted to the church of St. James 

 and the house of lepers of Dunwich, and to 

 Hubert the chaplain who ministered there . and 

 to all successive chaplains, for the soul of Henry 

 de Cressie and his own good estate, 40 acres of 

 land at Brandeston, various plots in other places, to- 

 gether with eight bushels of wheatat Michaelmas, 

 two loaves of bread (daily) from his oven, and a sex- 

 tary (pint and a half) of ale from his brewhouse 

 wherever his residence might be, and the tithes 

 of his mills. To the chaplain he also assigned 

 an annual pension of 5*., and a comb of corn 

 yearly at Michaelmas, to be divided between two 

 leprous brethren, one of the chaplain's nomina- 

 tion and one of the nomination of himself and his 

 heirs; any of the household of the hospital who 

 were healthy (not lepers) were to receive the 

 sacraments and make their offerings at the 

 church of Brandeston on festivals. The dead 

 were to be buried in the graveyard of the mother 

 church. 1 



Pope Gregory IX, in 1233, granted licence 

 confirmatory of letters by Pope Lucius to the 

 lepers of St. James, Dunwich, to receive legacies 

 and trusts left for their use. 2 



Protection was granted by Edward II, in 

 1312, with authority to seek alms for one year, 

 to the master and brethren of St. James, Dun- 

 wich, as they had not sufficient wherewith to 

 live unless they obtained succour from others. 3 

 This licence was renewed for another twelve- 

 month in each of the three following years, for 

 the same reason. 4 This annual sanction for 

 collecting alms was also maintained from 1320 

 to 1323.* In 1330 it was renewed, and in 

 1331 the same was granted for two years 

 to the master, brethren, and their attorneys col- 

 lecting alms in the churches ; the king's bailiffs 

 were to prevent any unauthorized persons col- 

 lecting in their name. 6 



Weever, writing in 1631, says of this 

 hospital : 



The church is a great one, and a faire large one after the 

 old fashion, and divers tenements, houses, and land to the 

 same belonging, to the use of the poor, sicke, and im- 



1 Bodl. Chart. Suff. 196 ; Gardner, Hist, of 

 Dunwich, 62-5. 



8 Cal. Pap. Reg. i, 137. 



3 Pat. 6 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 21. 



4 Ibid. 7 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 12 ; 8 Edw. II, 

 pt i, m. 7 ; 9 Edw. II, pt. ii, m. 29. 



5 Ibid. 1 6 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 17. 



6 Ibid. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 33. 



2 137 



potent people there. But now lately, greatly decaied 

 and hindred by evil Masters of the said Hospital, and 

 other evilly disposed covetous persons, which did sell 

 away divers lands and rents from the said Hospital!, 

 to the great hinderance of the poor people of the 

 said Hospital, as is plainly to be proved.' 



Gardner says (1754) that the former great 

 income had dwindled to 21 igs. 8</., of which 

 48;. went to the master, and the residue to 

 maintain three or four indigent people ' who 

 reside in one poor old house, being all the remains 

 of the buildings, except the shells of the church 

 and chapel.' 8 



MASTERS OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JAMES, 

 DUNWICH 



Hubert, 9 c. 1200 

 William Coterell, 10 1 389 

 John Peyntneye, 11 1392 

 Hugh Blythe, 12 1393 

 Edmund Lyster, 13 occurs 1401 

 Adam Reyner, 14 occurs 1499 



The thirteenth-century seal of this hospital 

 shows a full-length figure of St. James with 

 nimbus, having the right hand raised in bene- 

 diction, and a crutch or cross-tau in the left. 

 On each side is an eschallop shell. Legend : 



SIGILL 



SACTI. IACOBI. 

 DON . 



52. THE HOSPITAL OF THE HOLY 

 TRINITY, DUNWICH 



A hospital dedicated to the Holy Trinity, but 

 more often mentioned as the Domus Dei, Maison 

 Dieu, or God's House of Dunwich, was founded 

 at an early date, though no records of it have 

 been found before the reign of Henry III. It 

 was then and afterwards in the patronage of the 

 king, and consisted of a master and six brethren 

 and certain sisters. 



In October, 1304, Edward I granted simple 

 protection to the master, brethren, and sisters of 

 the hospital of the Domus Dei, Dunwich. 16 In 

 the following March Robert de Sefeld, and at the 

 same time two other benefactors, were licensed 

 to alienate to the hospital land in Dunwich and 

 Westleton. 17 Royal protection authorizing the 

 collection of alms was renewed by Edward I in 

 I3o6, 18 and Edward II granted a year's protec- 



7 Weever, Funeral Monument!, 719. 

 * Gardner, Hist, of Duntvich, 63. 



9 Bodl. Chart. Suff. 196. 



10 Pat. 13 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 19. 



11 Ibid. 1 6 Ric. II, pt. i, m. 17. 



11 Ibid. 17 Ric. II, pt. I, m. 22. 



13 Bodl. Chart. Suff. 197. " Ibid. 189-90. 



14 B. M. Cast, Ixxi, 105. 

 16 Pat. 32 Edw. I, m. 2. 



" Ibid. 33 Edw. I, pt. i, m. 13. 

 18 Ibid. 34 Edw. I, m. 21. 



18 



