A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



chaplains of the same 4 messuages and 3 tofts in 

 Arundel for a hospital or Maison Dieu, in honour 

 of the Holy Trinity. 6 The inmates were to be 

 twenty poor men, aged or infirm, of good life, 

 and able to repeat the Lord's Prayer, Salutation, 

 and Creed in Latin, preference being given to 

 the servants or tenants of the patron. Over 

 them was to be a resident priest as master and 

 chaplain, who should have the assistance of a 

 prior elected by inmates from among themselves. 

 Idleness was discouraged, the inmates being set 

 to such tasks as the care of the garden, the 

 weeding of the churchyard walks, or the nursing 

 of their sick brethren. Regulations for divine 

 service were also laid down, and it was ordained 

 that the brethren should wear a brown woollen 

 garment like that of a monk, with a hood ; this, 

 with shoes and socks, being given to each at 

 Christmas. In the case of an inmate developing 

 leprosy he was to be removed from the hospital 

 and to be allowed one penny a day during the 

 continuance of his illness. 6 



The revenues of the hospital amounted in 

 1407 to just over ^50, but under the will of 

 Thomas, earl of Arundel, in 1415 the house 

 benefited largely, its income standing in 1437 at 

 101 13*. io^/., 7 at about which figure it 

 remained for a century, being about ^94 in 

 1546, in which year it was suppressed. 8 



MASTERS OF THE MAISON DiEU, 9 

 ARUNDEL 



Thomas Dene, occurs 1407, died 1439 



Nicholas Ward, appointed 1439, occurs 1443 



Robert Curteys, occurs 144353 



John Chambers, occurs 1482 



John Aslaby, occurs 1519 



William Bushby, occurs 1524, 1544 



Henry Rede, surrendered I54& 10 



The circular seal of the hospital shows the 

 Trinity in a canopied niche, with tabernacle 

 work at sides. 11 Legend : 



SIGILLO . DOM* . ELEMOSINAR . SCE . T'NITAT.' 

 ARDDELL' 



32. THE HOSPITAL OF BATTLE 



' The house of the pilgrims which is called the 

 hospital ' is mentioned as adjoining the gate of 

 the abbey in the survey of the vill of Battle 

 made about IO76. 12 This hospital, which thus 

 appears to have been, originally at least, a kind 



6 Pat. 1 8 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. 17. 

 ' The statutes are given by Tierney, Hist, of 

 Arundel, 6648. 



' Ibid. 669. Ibid. 670. Ibid. 671. 



10 Dtp. Keeper's Rep. viii, App. ii, No. e. 



11 B.M. bnii, 75. 



" Chrm. of Battle Abbey (ed. Lower), 15. 



of casual ward attached to the abbey, occurs 

 from time to time in rentals as a landmark, and 

 in 1345 we find one Alan Payn accused of 

 breaking into ' the buildings of the hospital of the 

 blessed Thomas the Martyr in the vill of Battle,' 

 and stealing a silver chalice and other goods. 13 

 But, possibly because of its complete dependence 

 upon the abbey, we learn nothing of its history 

 or constitution. 



33. THE HOSPITAL OF BIDLINGTON 



There was a hospital for lepers at Bidlington 

 early in the thirteenth century, and possibly 

 sometime previous to that date, as a lawsuit 

 of 1 220 mentions that William, eldest son of 

 Nicholas Malmains, becoming a leper while still 

 under age, was consigned for two years to a 

 certain ' maladria ' in Bidlington. 14 That this 

 church or chapel was dedicated in honour of 

 St. Mary Magdalene is shown by a reference 

 in 1259, wnen it is mentioned in the chartulary 

 of Sele Priory ; ls it was evidently identical with 

 the ' chapel for lepers outside Bramber ' men- 

 tioned in 1227, as will be shown. On the 

 other hand, Peter de Braose in 1305 asserted 

 that Bidlington was a manor and no hospital 

 in 1280 and for many years afterwards, until 

 William, son of William de Braose, converted it 

 into a hospital. Against this assertion, John de 

 Benestede, who was then master, produced the 

 bishop of Chichester's letters, saying that he 

 found from the registers that his predecessor, 

 Bishop Gilbert, had presented Simon, vicar of 

 Horsham, 16 John de Brous, priest, and the said 

 John de Benestede, in succession to the custody 

 of the chantry of the hospital of the Blessed 

 Mary at Bidlington. The master further pro- 

 duced letters of Ralph, formerly bishop of 

 Chichester, testifying to the admission, on the 

 presentation of John de Braose, of Ralph de 

 Brembre to the chapel of the lepers outside 

 Bramber, 17 and a charter of the same Ralph in 

 which he, under the title of ' rector and master 

 of the house and brethren of St. Mary of Bid- 

 lington,' leased certain land to Godfrey de 

 Horsham. 18 



Probably, therefore, the hospital was originally 

 founded by a member of the Braose family, and 

 its endowment subsequently increased between 

 1280 and 1305 by William de Braose. How- 

 ever this may have been, it was so poor in 1320 

 that it was excused from contributing to the 



15 Gaol Delivery R. 129, m. 71. 

 14 Curia Regis R. 72, m. 18^. 



16 Suss. Arch. Call, x, 1 24. 



16 He occurs as master in 1298 ; Assize R. 1313, 

 m. 2. 



" The record of this admission, dated Jan. 1227, is 

 entered in the Dean and Chapter's MS. ' Liber Y.' 



18 Coram Rege R. 180, m. 26. 



98 



