A HISTORY OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 



and meaningless as the ordinary Deeds of 

 Surrender. 



The Valor Ecclesiasticus gives the clear in- 

 come of the friars at Aylesbury as 3 2s. $d* 

 London valued the whole property close, 

 fields, garden and site at 6 2s. ^d. ; the 

 timber round the house was worth 6 1 $s. \d? 



Pointed oval seal, red in colour and chipped 

 at the top, attached to the Deed of Surrender 



dated I October, 1538. The impression, 

 which is somewhat indistinct, represents St. 

 Francis to the right beneath a tree lifting up 

 the right hand and holding in the left hand a 

 pastoral staff. In the branches of the tree are 

 two birds before him and on the left a friar 

 kneeling. The whole may represent the story 

 of St. Francis preaching to the birds. Legend : 



. COMUNITATIS : FRA 



. UM : AYLESBURIE. 



HOSPITALS 



20. HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN 

 BAPTIST, AYLESBURY 



The oldest hospital in Buckinghamshire 

 seems to have been that of St. John Baptist 

 at Aylesbury, which is said to have been 

 founded during the reign of Henry I. by 

 Robert Ilhale, William atte Hide, William 

 son of Robert and John Palnok for the main- 

 tenance of lepers and sick persons. The men 

 of Aylesbury appointed the masters. It was 

 endowed with a messuage and 21 acres of land 

 and 4 acres of meadow in Aylesbury. The 

 house had however fallen into great poverty 

 by the reign of Edward III., and was united 

 in 1384 with that of St. Leonard in the same 

 town. 3 



21. HOSPITAL OF ST. LEONARD, 

 AYLESBURY 



The hospital of St. Leonard at Aylesbury 

 was founded apparently at about the same 

 time as the Hospital of St. John Baptist, and 

 was intended also to receive lepers. It was 

 endowed with a messuage and 14 acres of 

 land and 2 acres of meadow in Aylesbury, 4 

 but fell into poverty at the same time 

 as the hospital of St. John, and was united 

 to it before 1384. Both had ceased to 

 exist long before the suppression of the 

 chantries. The founders' names are said 

 to have been Samson son of William, Reginald 

 Wauncy, and others. 5 In 1360 Eleanor, 

 Countess of Ormond, claimed to hold the ad- 

 vowson as lady of the town of Aylesbury, and 

 she is said to have presented John de Adyn- 

 grave, John Synekere and another as masters. 6 

 In 1384 Walter Bere was appointed master of 

 the united hospitals by the king by reason of 

 the wardship of the heir of James Butiller, 

 Earl of Ormonde. 7 



Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv. 248. 

 a L. and P. Henry V1I1. xiii. (l) 501. 



3 Inq. p.m. 34 Edw. III. (2nd Nos.), No. 56, 

 and 35 Edw. III. (and Nos.), No. 57. 



4 Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. III. (and Nos.), No. 57. 

 Ibid. " Ibid. 



' Pat. 7 Rich. II. pt. i. m. 12. 



22. HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN 

 BAPTIST, BUCKINGHAM 



The hospital of St. John Baptist is men- 

 tioned only once, under the year 1279, in the 

 Hundred Rolls of this county, 9 where it is 

 stated that the master held one acre of land 

 for which he paid id. yearly. It is just pos- 

 sible that the chapel of St. John Baptist, be- 

 longing to the hospital of St. Thomas of Aeon 

 in London, 10 and endowed with a chantry by 

 Matthew Stratton in 1268," may have ori- 

 ginally been the chapel of this hospital ; but 

 this is mere conjecture. 



23. HOSPITAL OF ST. LAURENCE, 

 BUCKINGHAM 



The hospital of St. Laurence was founded, 

 for the purpose of sheltering lepers, probably 

 during the thirteenth century, though it is 

 not mentioned earlier than the fourteenth. 

 The master and brethren received an indul- 

 gence in 1321 from Bishop Burghersh, to in- 

 duce the faithful of the neighbourhood to 

 contribute to their necessities. 12 In 1337 it 

 was stated that they had not enough for their 

 livelihood unless they could be relieved by 

 contributions from a somewhat wider circle, 

 and they were consequently allowed to seek 

 alms from those outside the town of Bucking- 

 ham. 13 In 1 347 a certain Gilbert of Bucking- 

 ham endowed the hospital with lands of the 

 value of 10 marks, out of compassion for the 

 poverty of the master and brethren. 1 * The 

 depreciation of property after the Great Pes- 

 tilence probably made it impossible for the 

 house to be maintained any longer. Nearly 

 all the hospitals of the county came to an end 

 at this period. 



s P.R.O. Deed of Surrender, No, 10. 



Hund. R. (Rec. Com.), ii. 341. 



1 Chant. Cert. 5, n. 9. 



" Ibid, and Browne Willis, History of Bucking- 

 ham, 73. 



Line. Epis. Reg. Memo. Burghersh, 3gd. 



" Pat. 10 Edw. III. pt. i., m. 37. See also Ibid. 2 

 Edw. III. pt. i., m. 10 and 4 Edw. III. pt.i., m. 23. 



14 Browne Willis, History of Buckingham, 40. 



392 



