120 



St. Nicholas* Hospital, -Salisbury. 



bank of the river to show wayfarers the ford, just as at other places 

 the cross or crucifix was placed in like manner and for a like pur- 

 pose." It appears to have been built between three and four hundred 

 feet from what was then the north bank of the Avon, just to the 

 north of the ford. It was about a mile from the then city of 

 Salisbury (Old Sarum), and no doubt would often have been 

 welcome as a diversorium for the night to travellers from the south, 

 after crossing the river, and before climbing up to the city. It 

 seems to have stood alone on the north bank of the Avon, without 

 neighbouring houses, with the exception of a Church of St. Martin, 

 which Leland tells us was near the spot. 



Can we find anything as to the purpose for which the original 

 hospital was founded ? It is to this original foundation that Bishop 

 Bingham seems to be referring when he says (1.245) that "it was 

 founded in a praiseworthy spirit for receiving and supporting the 

 poor" — fad recipiendum et sustentandum pauper es laudabiliter sit 

 fundatum). And even without this express testimony we should 

 gather that its purpose was something like what the purpose of the 

 hospital has been since. 1 



The two oldest deeds of gift to the hospital are dated in August 

 and September, 1227. 



The first of these is a deed of gift 2 by the Countess Ela of 

 Salisbury, 8 dated August 19th, 1227, from the Castle of Salisbury 

 (Old Sarum). The original has disappeared : the present copy was 

 made by Geoffrey Bigge, Master of St. Nicholas between 1593 and 

 1630, from the original in the Evidence House at Wilton, on one 

 of the fly-leaves in the cartulary of the hospital. It gives for the 



1 It will be seen that I put no faith in Leland's statement, " Kichard Poore 

 founded the Hospital of S. Nicholas, hard by Harnham Bridge, instituting a 

 master, eight poor women, and four poor men, endowing the house with lands." 

 — Itinerary, vol. iii., p. 97, quoted in Appendix F. 



2 See Appendix A. 



3 William de Wanda, the dean of that time, characterizes her thus : — " Ela de 

 Viteri, comitissa de Sarum, mulier quidem laude digna, quia timore Domini 

 plena." Osmund Register, ii., p. 13. She was countess in her own right, being 

 daughter and heir of William of Evreux, the last Earl of Salisbury. 



