A HISTORY OF DURHAM 



century) bears the cross of St. Cuthbert, with the 

 legend 



SIGILLU SANCTI ' EGIDII ' DUNELMIE ; 



the other a cross with two arms, and the words 



SIGILLUM ' SANCTI ' EGIDII. 76 



17. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. MARY 

 MAGDALEN, WITTON GILBERT 



This hospital was founded by Gilbert de la 

 Ley, lord of Witton (c. 1 1 54-80), who granted 

 to the almoner of Durham 60 acres of arable 

 land in Witton field, a rent of 301., free mul- 

 ture, and common of pasture for the support of 

 five lepers therein. On the death of any inmate 

 the almoner was to appoint another sufferer to 

 fill the vacant place. 77 This grant was subse- 

 quently confirmed by Philip son of Gilbert, and 

 in 1351 by Philip's granddaughter (sic) and her 

 husband. 78 



There exists an undated list of the names of 

 the brethren and sisters of the house at Witton, 

 with particulars of their allowances. The names 

 are as follows : John Stele ; John Binchester, 

 chaplain ; John Marshall ; John Short ; Jane 

 Partrike ; Jane Wharram ; Alice Waynfleet, and 

 Margaret Lesshmaker. The brothers had for 

 their corrodies one bushel of wheat every three 

 weeks ; 4;., pro namiis suis, at Christmas ; and 

 for 'soul silver' 8s. 8d. per annum. Those 

 brethren who lived in the house had two chalders 

 of coal for fuel. The sisters had a similar supply 

 of wheat and coal, and in addition four oxen 

 were divided amongst them, and they each had 

 200 red herrings. 79 They also received is. for 

 ' egg silver ' ; and two whole loaves ' at the cove ' 

 every week. 80 



Apparently the hospital was no longer in 

 existence at the time of the dissolution. 81 



1 8. THE HOSPITAL OF BATHEL 



The first mention of this hospital occurs in 

 the life of St. Godric. 1 A certain widow had a 

 daughter who was a leper, and in her distress 

 she appealed to the priest of their town, Halie- 



78 Arch. AeRana (New Ser.), ii, 56. 



77 Chart, ex Orig. zb, Spec. 



78 Chart. Snrt. Hist. Dur. ii, 370. 



78 Surtees thought there must have been some clerical 

 error here, as it was unlikely that the provision for the 

 women should exceed in quantity that for the men. 



80 Surt. Hist. Dur. ii, 370. 



81 In Hunter's MSS. No. 37, occurs the following 

 list : ' Fratres et Sorores Hospitalis Sti. Petri juxta 

 Witton, 1532-' The names of 1 3 men and 1 2 women 

 are given. Some are described as ' de Maison Dieu,' 

 and some as being in the infirmary. The above dedi- 

 cation is probably a mistake, as there is apparently 

 no mention elsewhere of a hospital of St. Peter. 



1 Vita Sti. Godrici (Surt. Soc.), 456-7. 



tune [? = Haughton-le-Skerne], for advice and 

 help. He procured the admission of the daugh- 

 ter into a hospital at Darlington, which was 

 scarcely three miles away, and was called 

 ' Badele.' The treatment there, if any were 

 tried, does not seem to have been successful, for 

 the sufferer remained for three years in the in- 

 firmary, growing steadily worse, and was finally 

 cured by a miracle. 2 



For nearly two hundred years there is no 

 further mention of the hospital, though the 

 names 'Bathela,' 3 Bathelgate,' 4 ' Bathley,' 6 and 

 ' Bathel,' 6 occur under Blackwell near Darlington 

 in Boldan Book in 1 1 83, and Hatfield's Survey, 

 c. 1377. In these entries there is no mention 

 of any building, but only of land, herbage, and 

 pasture. 



In February, 13401, we find the collation of . 

 Hugh de Picton, chaplain, to the chantry of 

 Bathelspital, near Darlington, vacant by the 

 death of William de Haltwhistle, and in the 

 bishop's collation. 7 In July, 1362, William of 

 Brantingham was collated to the hospital of 

 Bathel, vacant by the death of 'Dominus Wade,' 

 the late priest. 8 



Then follows another long gap in the history, 

 but in 1418-19 begins the series of appoint- 

 ments given below : 



John Ukerby, chantry priest of Darlington 

 manor, master and warden of the hospital of 

 Bathel, d. 141 8 (?) 9 



Roger Wakerlein, collated 6 January, 1418-19, 

 p.m. J. Ukerby 10 ' 



Richard [Gardener], rector of Dinsdale, ex- 

 changed with R.Wakerlein, 24 December,! 41 9 u 



Bernard Warde, vicar of Coniscliffe, exchanged 

 with R. Gardener, 18 March, 1420-1 12 



Robert Bett, al. Grissemere, priest, collated 

 16 May, 1422, p.m. B. Warde. 13 Resigned 

 9 September, 1422 14 



Stephen Austell, resigned 15 April, 1433 16 



William Blomeley, collated 4 October, 1437, 

 p.r. S. Austell 16 



After this all trace of the hospital seems lost, 

 unless it be the house of which Leland speaks as 

 ' a priory not far from Darlington, as I remem- 

 ber about Tees River.' 17 Bathel appears to have 



' Ibid. The editor of this volume says [p. 45 6, note] 

 ' that of this Hospital no other notice exists ' ; but 

 there seems no reason to doubt that the hospital men- 

 tioned so frequently in the Episcopal Registers is the 

 same. (See below.) 



3 BoldonBk. (Surt. Soc.), 17. 



4 Hatf. Surv. (Surt. Soc.), 3. 

 'Ibid. ii. 6 Ibid. 13. 



7 Reg. Pa/af. Dun. (Rolls Ser.), iii, 378. 



8 Dur. Epis. Reg. Hatfield, fol. 128. 

 Ibid. Langley, fol. 104. 



10 Ibid. " Ibid. fols. 105, 272. 



11 Ibid. fol. 107. " Ibid. fol. 112. 

 14 Ibid. fol. 113. 15 Ibid. fol. 204. 



16 Ibid. fol. 252. " Ititt. (2nd ed.), vii, 50. 



