RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



From the beginning of the 1 3th century on- 

 wards this hospital is known by its dedicatory 

 name. It stood close by the side of the im- 

 portant road to the north which traversed the 

 town ; and to the brethren was committed, in 

 the first half of this century, the important duty 

 of keeping the Trent Bridge in repair and col- 

 lecting alms for that purpose. 



The earliest reference to the brethren of this 

 hospital cited by Tanner is of the year 1202, 

 when they were entrusted with keeping in repair 

 the great bridge.^' In 1221 Henry III took 

 under his express protection the brethren of 

 St. John, to whom was committed the custody 

 and repair of the bridge ; strenuously enjoining 

 that they were not to be in any way molested, 

 vexed, or impeded, and that a generous response 

 was to be made to their gatherings for the repair 

 fund.^"" In 1229 the brothers of this hospital, 

 who are again stated to have undertaken the 

 making and repairing of Nottingham Bridge, 

 were once more taken under the protection of 

 Henry III.ioi 



Pope Honorius III in I220 wrote to the 

 Archbishop of York to the effect that the master 

 and brethren of St. John's had petitioned for a 

 chaplain and a cemetery, and commanded the 

 latter as diocesan to grant their request without 

 prejudice to anyone's rights. It is probable that 

 this was speedily done, though there is no formal 

 record of it extant earlier than 1234.^°^ 



About 1225 Hugh de Nevill, justice of the 

 forest, granted the hospital the important privi- 

 lege of gathering two cart-loads of firewood 

 weekly in the wood of Arnold, for the use of 

 the poor occupants. When Henry III was at 

 Nottingham in November 1 25 1 he granted a 

 formal ratification of this gift.^*" 



At this period (not later than 1235) occurs 

 what has been mistakenly termed the foundation 

 charter, by which one Robert son of Ralph son 

 of Fulk of Nottingham gave the brethren of 

 St. John's 8 oxgangs of land at Stanton on 

 the Wolds, a windmill and 20 acres of land 

 in the field of Nottingham, and all the houses 

 erected within the convent yard of the hospital. 

 Durand, brother of this Robert, was at that time 

 prior.-"'* 



Of approximately the same date is a charter 

 of Robert de Salcey, granting 2 oxgangs of 

 his demesne land at Stanton, a cultivated plot of 

 land called ' Rihelands,' together with pasturage 

 for 200 sheep, eight oxen, six cows, two horses, 

 and ten swine.^"* 



In 1235 Pope Gregory IX took the almshouse 

 of Nottingham under his special protection.^"^ 



»» Pat. 3 John, m. 3. "» Pat. 5 Hen. Ill, m. 4. 

 "" Pat. 14 Hen. Ill, m. 7. 

 "' T^ott. Bor. Rec. i, xiii, 20. 

 '»' Chart. R. 36 Hen. Ill, m. 26. 

 "* Nott. Bor. Rec. i, 4. 

 '»» Ibid, i, 26. 



Archbishop Gray in 1232 confirmed to the 

 brethren of the hospital of the Blessed John at 

 Nottingham all their possessions and goods con- 

 ferred on them by the pious devotion of the 

 faithful. He placed the hospital and brethren 

 under the protection of the Blessed Peter and 

 Paul, solemnly warning anyone against invading 

 their possessions or in any way presuming to 

 rashly disturb them.^"' 



On the feast of St. Andrew 1234 the arch- 

 bishop promulgated an ordinance for this hospital 

 whereby it was determined that, with the con- 

 sent of the rector and patrons of St. Mary's, the 

 brethren should have a chapel and a chaplain for 

 divine worship for themselves and their guests ; 

 that the chaplain was to solemnly swear not in 

 any way whatsoever to defraud the Prior and 

 Convent of Lenton of any kind of due or offer- 

 ing ; that the rector or master of the hospital 

 should take a like oath ; that the hospital should 

 have a cemetery for the brethren or for any who 

 died there ; that no other parishioners were to 

 confess, to receive the Eucharist, or to be buried 

 within the hospital ; that the brethren were to 

 have a bell on the roof to call them to mattins 

 and the hours, to mass, to vespers, and to com- 

 pline ; that on the day of St. John Baptist the 

 perpetual vicar of that church, or some one on 

 his part, should celebrate in the hospital and 

 receive all oblations and all other oblations that 

 had been made in the hospital during the previous 

 year ; that on the festivals of the Blessed Virgin 

 there should be no celebration within the hospital 

 save with closed doors and in a low voice ; that 

 the brethren, in recompense for the oblations 

 and obventions customarily made before this 

 present ordinance, should give a mark of silver 

 annually to the mother church ; that the brethren 

 were not to have an outer door in the chapel 

 towards the town ; and that if the chaplain, 

 master, or brethren are guilty of any excess, they 

 should be canonically punished by the Arch- 

 deacon of Nottingham, or in his absence by the 

 rural dean of the place. 



To this instrument were affixed the seals of 

 the archbishop, of the Prior and Convent of 

 Lenton, and of the vicar of St. Mary's,^"' and in 

 making this ordination the archbishop had the 

 express authority, under seal, of the burgesses of 

 Nottingham.^"^ 



In 1 24 1 Archbishop Gray sent to Robert 

 Alwin, the master, detailed rules to be observed 

 by the brethren and sisters (the latter being now 

 mentioned for the first time), of which the follow- 

 ing is an abstract : — (i) Two chaplains to be 

 provided ; (2) all the brethren to assemble for 

 mattins at daybreak from Michaelmas to Eas- 

 ter, after mass to betake themselves to their 

 respective duties, and to attend evensong and . 



'« Ibid. 16. 



"" York Epis. Reg. Gray, fol. 33-4. 



""Ibid. fol. 168-78. 

 109 



Ibid. 



i6g 



22 



