RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



From that time there is no mention of the 

 house of St. John Baptist. A report, however, 

 made in 1540 on the leper hospitals of Berk- 

 hampstead^' says that a warden, brothers and 

 sisters had been possessed of two, one called the 

 Overspitalhouse or St. John the Evangelist, the 

 other the Netherspitalhouse or St. Leonard, 

 and as the property in Berkhampstead, North- 

 church and Hemel Hempstead included the 

 tithes of six water-mills and a fulhng-mill, it 

 seems likely that the hospital of St. Leonard '" 

 was identical with that of St. John Baptist.*^ 

 Apparently the two houses had been united 

 before 1515-16, since there was then only one 

 warden, and at that time the departure of the 

 inmates brought the existence of the remaining 

 hospital to a close.*^ 



There are several references to the hospital 

 of St. Thomas the Martyr of Berkhampstead, 

 but it is clear that they refer to either the 

 hospital of St. John Baptist or that of St. John 

 the Evangelist, which both belonged to the 

 monastery of St. Thomas the Martyr of Aeon, 

 and were therefore probably known by the 

 name of the superior house.^* 



the protection was renewed.*' A few weeks 

 before Henry had ordered the constable of 

 Berkhampstead to supply the lepers of St. 

 John's for their maintenance with 4 qrs. of corn 

 from his grange and two ' bacones.' ** 



Whatever Fitz Piers's charter may have given 

 the canons of Aeon,*' the right of appointing 

 the master of St. John's was not included. 

 This apparently belonged to the owner of 

 Berkhampstead*": in November 1336, when 

 the honour was in the king's hand, he gave the 

 custody of the hospital to one of his clerks*^; 

 and Henry VI, while he held the manor, pre- 

 sented the warden. *2 



In 1 391 the house is mentioned as the hospital 

 of brothers and sisters of St. Thomas the 

 Martyr and St. John the Evangelist.** 



Edward IV in November 1461 inspected and 

 confirmed Fitz Piers's deed in favour of the 

 brothers of Aeon,** and when the hospital, with 

 that of St. Leonard, came to an end in 1 5 15-16 *5 

 the master of St. Thomas of Aeon entered into 

 possession of the house and its property.** 

 Probably the chapel was served for some years 

 longer.*' In September 1533, however, the 



23. HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE 

 EVANGELIST, BERKHAMPSTEAD 



The hospital of St. John the Evangelist for 

 lepers was founded at Berkhampstead certainly 

 before 121 3, for it is the subject of a charter of 

 Geoffrey Fitz Piers Earl of Essex, who died in 

 that year. The earl, who was evidently patron 

 of the hospital,** committed it to the custody of 

 the brothers of St. Thomas of Aeon, so that 

 under their supervision its goods and alms 

 might be expended on the poor and sick of the 

 hospital, and not be removed elsewhere.*^ 



The master, brothers and sisters of the house 

 received letters of protection in February 1222 

 until the king's coming of age,*^ and in May 

 1227, when the king had attained his majority, 



39 Rentals and Surv. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 25, no. 37. 



'" St. Leonard was a favourite saint with com- 

 mercial communities, and this would therefore be a 

 probable invocation, supposing the connexion between 

 the gild and the hospital. 



*i Especially as the foundation of both hospitals, 

 St. Leonard's as well as St. John the Evangelist's, is 

 attributed to King John. 



^^ As to the connexion of this hospital with Berk- 

 hampstead Grammar School see V.C.H. Herts, ii, 

 72, 172. 



33 See Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), ii, 19, 21 ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1317-21, p. 68 ; Lay Subs. R. bdle. 120, 

 no. 2 ; Cant. Archiepis. Reg. Courtenay, fol. 280^ ; 

 Ct. R. (Gen. Ser.), portf. 177, no. 15. 



'* No doubt in virtue of the king's grant of 

 Berkhampstead Manor to him. 



*' Inspeximus and confirmation 3 July 1325 {Cal. 

 Pat. 1324-7, p. 1 28V 



'" Col. Pat. 1216-25, p. 325. 



*' Cal. Chart. R. 1226-57, p. 35. 



** Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. Com.), ii, 173. 



3' As far as is known the house of Aeon had no 

 land at Berkhampstead, and in that case the suit of 

 court there owed by the master in 1498 and 1507 

 (Ct. R. [Gen. Ser.], portf. 177, no. 15) can only have 

 been due from him as representative of the Berk- 

 hampstead hospitals. 



*^ The honour, which reverted to the Crown soon 

 after Geoffrey Fitz Piers's death, seems after the gift 

 of it with the earldom of Cornwall by Henry III in 

 1227, to have been held by the Earls of Cornwall. 

 It was thus held by John de Eltham, who was created 

 Earl of Cornwall in 1328 by his brother Edward III ; 

 and it was in the interval between John's death in 

 Oct. 1336 and the bestowal of the duchy of Cornwall 

 upon Prince Edward in Feb. 1 337 that the king 

 presented to the hospital. From this date for a long 

 period the manor belonged to the Duke of Cornwall 

 or Prince of Wales, and in 1423 the hospital was said 

 to be in the gift of the king as Prince of Wales {Cal. 

 Pat. 1422-9, p. 163). For the descent of the manor 

 of Berkhampstead see F.C.H. Herts, ii, 165-8. 



*^ Cal. Pat. 1334-8, P- 336. 



*2 Ibid. 1422-9, p. 163 ; 1446-52, p. 42. 



** Lambeth, Cant. Archiepis. Reg. Courtenay, 

 fol. 280 d. 



** Cal Pat. 1 46 1 -7, p. 60. 



*» By the voluntary departure of the inmates 

 (Rentals and Surv. [Gen. Ser.], portf. 25, no. 37). 



« Ibid. , 



*'At the inquiry of Mar. 1540 it was stated 

 that Laurence Copferler, late master of St. Thomas 

 of Aeon, and John St. John, chaplam, held the 

 hospitals and the issues of their property from Apr. 

 1525 to Sept. 1533 (ibid.). There seems to be a 

 mistake as regards the first date, for Copferler did 

 not become master of St. Thomas of Aeon until 

 1527 {F.C.H. Lond. I, 495)- 



459 



