528 Notices of St. Leonards Hospital. By G. Skelly. 



priest, and which in all probability would not be older than the 

 fourteenth century, when the functions of the Chapel were 

 delegated to the Abbot of Alnwick Abbey. It is rather re- 

 markable that we have so few remains of this particular class of 

 dwellings in the north of England. For if we except the 

 chamber that was formerly on the roof of the chancel of the 

 parish church of Alnwick, and another on the north porch of the 

 church of St. Lawrence at Warkworth ; — these may be said to be 

 the only instances of this class of architecture that we have in 

 this diocese. There can be little doubt but that these chambers 

 would be used by the clergy who ministered at the Altar within 

 their own respective churches. At Durham there was ample 

 provision made for this rite.* 



All of the remains that have turned up may be regarded as 

 late Norman. Conspicuous will be found the round arch, 

 clustered columns, cushion-headed caps, etc. ; while the principal 

 ornaments are zig-zag, or chevron, nail head, lozenge, etc. 



The site of the Hospital was on the north side of the river Ala, 

 and is distant from the town about two thirds of a mile. The 

 building stood on a plot of ground that was, during last centurj^, 

 known as part of Radcliffe's Closes. This, together with some 

 other fields on the opposite side of the present highway, were 

 formerly owned by the Earls of Derwentwater. How they came 

 into possession of this property is uncertain, but the family 

 would probably acquire it by purchase shortly after the 

 Dissolution. On the attainder of James, the last Earl in 1715, 

 the Alnwick property, together with others, was granted to the 

 Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital. By an Act of Parliament 

 passed in the year 1778, the Duke of Northumberland effected 

 an exchange with the Commissioners. 



We gather from the subjoined memorandum, that the 

 Commissioners consented to hand over to the Duke the following 

 properties, viz : — 



" Derwentwater House, which stood at the top of the Path, ou the 

 opposite side of the entrance to the Castle Gate ; Radcliffe's two Closes in 

 the north Demain, Alnwick ; also ground on the north side of the river 

 above the bridge, called Barbara's Bank ; also ground called the Goose 

 Close in Wideopen Demain, on the north Demain aforesaid ; also the corn 

 and tithes of corn and of hay, with the stead fields of Broxfield, called 

 Fire Fields, iu the parish of Embleton ; also the tithes of hay in a Haugh, 



* Sanderson's Hist, of the Ancient Church at Durham. 



