RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



the hospital of St. John in Westham, 200 and in 

 1489 Henry Dawson left 6s. 8d. to the same 

 house. 201 After the Reformation the issues of 

 the hospital were devoted to the support of 

 almshouses, the distribution of food, and other 

 charitable purposes. 203 



51. THE HOSPITAL OF WEST 

 TARRING 



The only known reference to this establish- 

 ment is found in 1277, when 'the warden of 

 the house of St. Mary of Tarring ' brought an 

 action against Thomas le Waleys of Salvington 

 touching a tenement in Salvington. 203 



52. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. BAR- 

 THOLOMEW, WINCHELSEA 



This hospital was situated in the south-west 

 of the town, near the New Gate, and was 

 established when Winchelsea was rebuilt, as in 

 the survey of 1292 'the house of St. Bartholo- 

 mew' is entered in the thirty-ninth 'quarter.' 2 * 

 It was for brethren and sisters, was endowed 

 with 2 acres of land worth 6s., and was under 

 the control of the mayor and commonalty, who 

 had the power of admitting suitable inmates. 205 

 From the copy of the Custumal of Winchelsea 

 drawn up in 1577, it would seem to have been 

 still in existence at that date, 206 but in 1586 the 

 lands of ' the dissolved priory of St. Bartholo- 

 mew ' were granted to the corporation. 207 



53. THE HOSPITAL OF THE HOLY 

 CROSS, WINCHELSEA 



This hospital was originally founded in Old 

 Winchelsea some time before 1252, in which 

 year protection was granted to the brethren 

 thereof. 208 When the old town was destroyed 

 by the sea in 1287 and rebuilt by King Edward 

 'the house of the Holy Cross' was established in 

 the thirty-ninth ' quarter ' near the New Gate. 209 

 The original endowment was I acre of land, 

 but this was subsequently increased to 6^ acres. 210 

 Protection was granted to the master and brethren 



100 Early Chanc. Proc. bdle. 16, No. 679. 



101 Will in P.C.C. Milles, fol. 159. 

 ** Rep. of Char. Com. 773. 



101 Pat. 5 Edw. I, m. 13 d. 



104 Cooper, Hist, of Winchehea, 52. 



** Ibid. 154, 226. ""Ibid. 



107 Ibid. 109. *"> Pat. 37 Hen. Ill, m. 12. 



*" Cooper, Hist, of Winchelsea, 52. 



110 Ibid. .-53. 



in I3I4, 211 and in 1427 Henry VI ratified the 

 estate of Simon Morley in the ' hospital or free 

 chapel ' of Holy Cross. 212 It is possible that this 

 was the ' church of the lepers of Winchelsea ' 

 mentioned in I287- 213 



MASTERS OF THE HOSPITAL OF THE HOLY 

 CROSS, WINCHELSEA 



Thomas Mille, appointed 1411 214 

 Simon Morley, occurs 1427 215 

 Henry Medwall, died 1501 21e 

 Robert Wrothe, appointed 1501 217 



The early thirteenth-century seal is circular, 

 and bears a cross with enlarged ends somewhat 

 resembling the heraldic cross pattee. In the 

 field, the first word of the legend :- 



218 



SI - GIL - LV - M s[C]E CRVCIS DE WINCHELESE 



54. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN, 

 WINCHELSEA 



Probably this was the oldest and most im- 

 portant of the three hospitals at Winchelsea, as 

 certain rents were assigned to it from time im- 

 memorial from the issues of Great Yarmouth, 

 John de Romeney, as attorney of the brethren 

 and sisters of the hospital of St. John of Win- 

 chelsea, in the time of Edward I receiving 

 315. 6d. from this source. 219 The survey of 

 1292 mentions the house of St. John in the 

 thirty-fourth ' quarter ' considerably nearer the 

 business part of the town than were the other 

 two hospitals. Its lands, granted to the corpora- 

 tion in 1586, amounted to 10 acres. 220 It was 

 under the control of the mayor, who had to 

 visit it once a year, and had power to remove 

 any objectionable inmate, and, with the consent 

 of the jurats, might admit any poor man or 

 woman who had been ' in good love and fame 

 all their time.' 221 The Custumal 222 drawn up 

 in 1557 suggests that this house and that of 

 St. Bartholomew were still in use at that date ; 

 but it seems more probable that the section con- 

 cerning the two hospitals was merely transcribed 

 from an earlier copy, and that they were already 

 dissolved, as they certainly were before I586. 223 



'"Pat. 8 Edw. II, pt. i, m. 31. 



'"Pat. 5 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 14. 



'"Assize R. 924, m. 47. 



'"Chich. Epis. Reg. Reade, fol. 147. 



115 Pat. 5 Hen. VI, pt. i, m. 14. 



'"Chich. Epis. Reg. Story, fol. 1 1. 



'" Ibid. 



""Egerton Chart. 385. Figured in Arch. xlv. 



'"Cooper, Hist, of Winckelsea, 153. 



"Ibid. 109. "'Ibid. 227. 



m Ibid. ""Ibid. 109. 



I0 7 



