A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



celebrate in the chapel for the soul of William 

 de Percy, his ancestors and heirs, in per- 

 petuity." 



In 1546 the chantry was said to be ' of the 

 foundation of the late Erie of Northumberland.' ^' 

 Francis Edward was the chaplain, the intent 

 being to say mass in the chapel and pray for the 

 souls of the foimder and all Christian souls. 

 The stipend was a yearly rent of io6s. id. from 

 the late monastery of Healaugh, and the chapel 

 a mile from the parish church. In 1548,^' 

 when William Burdon, aged thirty-six, was 

 chaplain, the same stipend from Healaugh is 

 mentioned, but the obligation is changed to that 

 of doing ' divyne service to the inhabitants 

 thereabouts being distant from the parishe churche 

 a myle.' There was evidently a desire to spare 

 the chaplaincy and represent its duty as con- 

 formable with the altered forms of religion. 



After the hospital became dependent on the 

 priory of Healaugh Park one of the canons 

 appears to have taken charge of it as master, 

 although not holding that title. ^^ 



In the Ministers' Accounts of Healaugh Park " 

 for the year Michaelmas 1535 to Michaelmas 

 1536, 30X. are accounted as the rent of three 

 closes in Yarm, called Spittell Closes, in the 

 tenure of Matthew Metcalfe; \6s. as the rent 

 of a messuage and garden adjoining in the tenure 

 of William Oldfield, chaplain, late one of the 

 canons, with lid. as the rent of his camera for 

 the year. 



176. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. LEONARD, 

 YORK 



The hospital of St. Leonard, or St. Peter as 

 it was at first called, appears to have had its 

 origin in the hospitality shown to the poor by 

 the Culdees, who, before the Conquest, served 



" Healaugh Chartul. fol. 1043. 

 " rorks. Chant. Surv. (Surt. Sec), no 

 "Ibid. 487. ^ 



* In 1527 'dominus Thomas Revesley canonicus 

 ibidem' is returned in Subs. R. bdle. 63, no. 303. 

 On 8 June 1409 the prior and convent granted to 

 Brother Richard Roby, canon, their hospital of St. 

 Nicholas-juxta-Yarm for his life, with all its lands 

 and rentals (specified), as John Byrkyn and other 

 canons before him had held them, and Brother 

 Richard was to do service daily in the hospital chapel 

 and keep the buildings in repair. The archbishop 

 confirmed the appointment on 15 June following 

 (York Archiepis. Reg. Bowett, fol. 89). On 8 May 

 1540 Archbishop Lee instituted Francis Yowarde, 

 ciaplam, to the salary of the perpetual chantry in the 

 chapel of 'Yarom Spitle ' on the nomination of King 

 Henry VIII, the same being vacant by the death of 

 the late incumbent (York Archiepis.' Reg. Lee, fol. 

 44)- The presentation was in the king's hands as 

 representing the dissolved priory of Healaugh Park 

 Op. cit. 27-8 Henry VIII, no. 4471 



336 



the cathedral church of York.** According to 

 tradition, Athelstan, returning from the battle 

 of Brunanburh, seeing the large number of poor 

 folk maintained by the Colidei of St. Peter's, York, 

 granted, in 936, a thrave, or twenty sheaves of 

 corn, from ever}' plough ploughing in the then 

 extensive diocese of York, for the maintenance 

 of these poor folk, A small hospital was built 

 for them on ground belonging to the king, west 

 of the church, and this endowment of the 

 thraves, known as the sheaves of St. Peter, or 

 the Petercorn, though it led to litigation and 

 disputes in later times, formed the nucleus of the 

 rich property the hospital gradually acquired. 



William the Conqueror, at the request of 

 Archbishop Thomas, confirmed the gift of the 

 thraves, which in his charter are called * illam 

 antiquam elemosinam supra qua dictum hospitale 

 fundatum existit.'" The site of the hospital 

 was changed by William Rufus to other royal 

 land further west. Stephen constructed a church 

 dedicated in honour of St. Leonard, and hence- 

 forward the hospital was known as the hospital 

 of St. Leonard, although to the last the seal 

 used bore the figure and name of St. Peter. The 

 gift of the thraves was confirmed by several 

 kings, and the popes fulminated the heaviest 

 censures against those who withheld these ancient 

 alms.'' 



In 1246, on the occasion of a vacancy in 

 the mastership caused by the death of Hugh de 

 Gaytington, the Crown claimed the patronage 

 of the hospital, and an inquiry was held by a 

 jury of twelve of ' the older and more discreet 

 knights 'of the county. They reported" that 

 in the time of William the Conqueror, after an 

 ancient war {post antiquam guerram), the clerks of 

 the church of St. Peter of York, who at that 

 time were called ' Kelidenses,' asked the king to 

 give them a place lying before the gate of the 

 said church on the west as a site for buildings to 

 receive and lodge the poor sick and infirm who 

 at that time were suflPering extreme want, lying 

 by night in the streets. And the king gave that 

 place to them by his charter and ordered 

 GeoiFrey Baynnard to deliver it to them. Then 

 they erected buildings and assigned certain 

 thraves, which they were accustomed to receive 

 throughout the county, for the support of the 

 said hospital. King Henry the elder {sine) had a 

 chaplain and confessor, Paulinus by name, and he 



" Dugdale, Mm. Angl. vi, 607 ; Drake, Ebor. 

 332-6, &c. According to the Chartulary of the 

 Hospital (Cott. MS. Nero, D. iii, fol. 7) the thrave* 

 were given to the minster by AthelsUn without 

 reference to any hospital, were soon afterwards 

 regranted to the Crown for the purpose of exter- 

 minating wolves and were restored by William I in 

 1069. 



" Dugdale, Mm. Angl. vi, 608. 



" Ibid. 609. 

 Assize R. 1045, m. i7d. 



