RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



Possibly it was a hospital not only for the 

 sick but for poor wayfarers: in 1389 it is 

 mentioned as the house of alms,^* and the 

 Chantry Returns, although confusing the hos- 

 pital with a chantry there,*" report that it was 

 founded for the relief of poor people coming 

 and going through the town of Royston. 



Letters of protection were given by Henry III 

 to the master and brothers in 1251,*^ and in 

 1267, when the hospital is called St. James and 

 St. John.« 



In 1302 Bishop Dalderby visited the hospital 

 by deputy, and found its state entirely satis- 

 factory.*^ 



Very little is known about its affairs. The 

 master of St. James was a party to a law-suit 

 about a tenement in 1 260-1,**' and in 1295 the 

 hospital was taxed at lis. i^d. for the eleventh 

 and seventh.*^ Before the middle of the 14th 

 • century the chapel of St. Nicholas was amalga- 

 mated with the hospital of St. James,** to the 

 material benefit of the latter, which also in 

 August 1359 received permission from the king 

 to acquire in mortmain land to the annual 

 value of 1005.*' 



In 1389 Thomas Strete bequeathed to the 

 house 20s. to buy beds,*^ and in 1393 Henry 

 Strete left 6s. Sd. towards the roof of its chapel. 

 How long the place continued as a hospital 

 is uncertain : in i486 it was already a free 

 chapel.*' It is still called hospital in the 

 Valor, ^° but the term is evidently a mere sur- 



39 Lond. Epis. Reg. Braybrook, fol. 398 d. No 

 other hospital is known at Royston at this date but 

 that of St. John and St. James. 



*> It is called the hospital of Richard Argentein 

 founded by licence of Edward III to find a priest for 

 ever for the relief of poor people, &c. Part of this 

 refers to the chantry of St. Nicholas, which was re- 

 founded in the reign of Edward III, but part does not. 

 (See Hospital of St. Nicholas, Royston.) 



" Pat. 35 Hen. Ill, m. 9. 



« Ibid. 5 1 Hen. Ill, m. 20. 



*5 Line. Epis. Reg. Memo. Dalderby, fol. 49 d. 



** Kingsbury, Hist, of Royston, 48. 



*5 Lay Subs. R. bdle. 120, no. 5. 



^« See Hospital of St. Nicholas, Royston. 



*^ Pat. 33 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 12. Licence was 

 given at the request of John of Gaunt, Earl of Rich- 

 mond, who appears to have been the overlord of the 

 Argenteins (Chan. Inq. p.m. 33 Edw. Ill [ist nos.], 

 no. 44). 



*8 Lond. Epis. Reg. Braybrook, fol. 398 d., 405 d. 

 The first was rector of Much Hadham, the other, 

 rector of Barley. 



« Cal. Inq. p.m. Hen. Vll, i, 14. William 

 Alington, who died in i486, held the advowson of a 

 free chapel in Royston. His descendant, Sir Giles 

 Alington, had the advowson of the hospital of 

 St. John and St. James (Feet of F. Div. Co. East. 2 & 3 

 Philip and Mary), so the free chapel was clearly the 

 same as- the hospital. The Alingtons were the heirs 

 of the Argenteins. 



50 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iv, 278. 



vival, as in the Chantry Returns of 1549-50 

 where it is applied to what was obviously the 

 chantry of St. Nicholas refounded in the hos- 

 pital of St. James in the 14th century.^^ 



Its yearly value in 1535 was ,^5 Ss. lod. net,""^ 

 in 1549-50 ly ^s. ^d. gross and ^6 Ss. 6\d. net,'' 

 its revenues being apparently derived from 

 property in Barley and Therfield (co. Hertford), 

 Kneesworth, Melbourn and Chishall (co. Cam- 

 bridge).'^* 



Masters or Wardens of the Hospital of 

 St. John and St. James, Royston 



William, occurs 1 29 1 ^^ ; William de Melreth, 



died 1297 5* 

 John de Lithngton, instituted 1297," died 



133^68 



William de Langrave, instituted 1335,'' re- 

 signed 1355 *" 



John de Norwich, priest, instituted 1355,*^ 

 occurs 1358 and 6 July 1359*^ 



Walter Spersholt, resigned 1363 ^ 



John de Eston, instituted July 1363 " 



Philip Walles, resigned 1377 ^^ 



Richard Freman, instituted 1377,°^ resigned 

 1389" 



Thomas Gery, instituted 1389*8 



Thomas Foulmere, resigned 1397" 



John Wigworth, instituted 1397'" 



Robert Eyr, instituted 1408 "^ 



John Yernyng, instituted 1444 '^ 



William Alyngton, died 1452'* 



" Chant. Cert. 20, no. 62. 



52 Valor Eccl. loc. cit. 



53 Chant. Cert. 20, no. 62. 



5* Pat. 5 Jas. I, pt. xvil, m. 16. 

 55 Lay Subs. R. bdle. 120, no. 2. 

 5* Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Sutton, fol. 91 d. 

 5' Ibid. It is now called the hospital of Saints 

 John and James. 



58 Ibid. Inst. Burghersh, fol. 383. 



59 Ibid. 



«» Ibid. Gynwell, fol. 359. 



61 Ibid. 



62 Chan. Inq. p.m. 33 Edw. Ill (ist nos.), no. 44 ; 

 Cal. Close, 1354-60, p. 587- He is called warden 

 of die hospital of St. Nicholas, but that had been 

 amalgamated with the house of St. John and St. James. 



63 Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Buckingham, pt. i, fol. 

 283 d. 



6* Ibid. . 



65 Ibid. fol. 314 d. He then exchanged with 

 Freman, but is still called master of the hospital of 

 Saints John and James, Royston, in 1381 {Cal. Pat. 



1377-81, p. 555). . 



66 Line. Epis. Reg. Inst. Buckmgham, pt. 1, tol. 



3l4d. 



6' Ibid. pt. ii, fol. 258. 



68 Ibid. He exchanged with Freman. 



69 Ibid. fol. 286. 



™ Ibid. He exchanged with Foulmere. 



'1 Ibid. Repingdon, fol. 338. 



" Ibid. Alnwick, fol. 167. 



73 Clutterbuck, op. cit. iii, 562. 



463 



