Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital, near Dover, was built for Lepers.

In the reign of King Stephen and about the year 1152, a hospital was erected near Dover, either by Osborne and Godwin, five monks belonging to the priory of Saint Martin, or by Theobold, archbishop of Canterbury, with the consent of the prior and his brethren.

They gave a piece of land called Thegar at the foot of the hill on the left hand side of the road going to Canterbury, for site of the house, and nearly opposite to Barton farm. It was granted on this condition that the society of the new hospital should daily pray for the souls of all the members of all the members of the priory, their predecessors and successors, As the Benedictines had received their extensive donations from their liberal benefactors on these terms, they required the same conditions from those, who where to receive favour from them.

This hospital, like many others built for leprous persons, was dedicated to Saint Bartholomew. In the ninth century, there were nineteen thousand of these in Europe for the reception of persons of both sexes, who were afflicted with a loathsome and fatal disease; and as they were but seldom visited by the rich and the great for accommodations, this might be one reason why so many of them were meanly endowed, when compared with other religions houses, which were enriched by the mistaken piety of our ancestors.

Robert Wells and John Hewsfield, two monks belonging to the priory of Saint Martin, and Thomas of Canterbury, their superior, A.D. 1373, compiled from the papers in their possessions, and from their memories, a ledger book, for the use of the society.

The manuscript, which contains the orders to be observed, at the admission of the patients, the laws for the government of the house, and the sender of land, tenements, and annuities belonging to the hospital, is in good reservation, in the Bodlean Library, at Oxford.

It was first intended that the society should consist of ten brethren and his many sisters; but as the charitable donations were not equal to their expiations, they were reduced to eight of each. Before the patients were admitted they were examined upon oath, by persons appointed for the purpose.

The Terms of Admissions.

Every petitioner for admission was first to obtain the consent of the society, and then to pass and examination before the superior of the house, relative to the symptoms of the disease, which are described in the note. A married woman could not be received without the consent of her husband.

At the time of admission, the new member was to pay a certain sum into the fund, for the benefit of the society, half a mark to the warden, four pence to each brother and sister, and a fee to the porter of the lodge.

Before the patient was clothed in the habit of the society, the vestments were blessed by the priest; and when the service was ended, they administered the following oath.

“I’ll B here before God, and holy Bartholomew, and all saints, do promise to be faithful and useful to the society of holy Bartholomew near Dover; to be obedient to my superior, and to have love to my brethren and sisters. I will be sober, and chaste, and a moiety of the property, I shall die possessed of, shall belong to the hospital. I do also swear, that I will pray for the peace of the peace of the King and Queen, for the prior and convert of Saint Martin’s, for the burgesses of the town, both on the land and on the water, and for all the deceased benefactors of this hospital”

The person to be admitted, was then sprinkled with holy water, and led to the altar; and after the service for the occasion, the candidate was clothed in the proper habit of the society.

The superior was obliged to swear that he would observe the rules and orders of the house, and preserve the goods, and be obedient to his visitor, and render an account of his office when called upon.

The warden seemed to consider the prior of Saint Martin as his visitor; but he was so far independent that he and his brethren had a seal, and they could accept grants of lands, and too many acts of a corporal body.

Libations.

These were certain portions delivered to each member on particular festivals.

At Christmas, they had each of the eight pence and their usual allowance of pork, barley and beer.
They had an oblation of five pence for a dinner, on the festival of the Nativity; the same on Easter-day, on the day of the dedication of their church, and their own birthday, according to ancient custom.

On the festival of Saint Bartholomew their patron saint; on the vigil and festival of the Nativity of Christ, the Circumcision and the Epiphany, they received four pence. They had also pan-cakes distributed among, and the alms given on the festival of Saint Bartholomew.

They were allowed oats for porridge and beans and peas to seed their ground. Upon the death of a brother or a sister, two measures of fine flour were distributed among them.

No member admitted into the society, neither man nor woman, were to beyond the gates of the dormitory, without permission either of the warden or matron and after their first sleep they were to sit up in their own beds and say a Paternoster.

The men were not to tap at the door of the woman’s dormitory in the night, nor to play any pranks, nor make any assignations.

They share equally all profits arising from their dairy, their poultry and their sucking pigs; but if they were weaned, the money was placed to the general fund.

No member could be absent at night from the hospital, without the permission of the prior of Saint Martin’s; and for a break of this rule, and for quarrels, he could inflict what punishment he pleased, nor were they to contract any debts without his leave.

The warden was to attend in taking in, and securing their provisions and to render an account to the visitor; and he was to see that the healthy and the diseased were not in the same room.

The common seal of their hospital and the grants of their lands and tenements were to be deposited in a safe place; neither could they alienate, without consent of the visitor.

Retirement was deemed necessary and they were not to have any windows, which commanded a prospect either of the road, or the town.

The warden was to keep an inventory of the goods in the house, and the images in the church, and to have the lamps lighted at the entrance into the chapel, and the gate leading to the dormitory was to be closed during the night. Certain alms and oblations were to be expended in beautifying the church, and a lamp was to be kept daily burning before the crucifix.

The priest was to be allowed the usual fee for daily masses, for matins, vespers, and administering the sacraments, and for confessing those belonging to the hospital; but he could not receive the confessions of any other person.

The thirteen wax papers, and the four pounds of cotton candles, lighted only in the festival of the Nativity, and of Saint John’s were equally divided among the members of the house.

This hospital, like many others dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, had for many years a very confined income and they depended chiefly upon their industry, and the occasional gifts they received from diseased persons. Their poverty was so pressing at their first institution the Theobald archbishop of Canterbury, gave them a license to collect alms within his diocese for twenty days, and gave them the same privilege.

John Challfield obtains permission to collect alms for five years, throughout all England. In the year 1370 they obtained a further grant with the same privilege; and pope Clemment encouraged the people to bestow their alms, as they hoped for a remission of their sins.

They had a grant for holding a fair within the precincts of their hospital on the festival of their patron saint.

As this house was suppressed with the Maison Dieu and the priory, it is probable that the disease, which had afflicted so many of its inhabitants, had lost much of its malignity, by the application of some specific, which, rendered such hospital unnecessary.

The avarice of the King would hardly have carried him so far, as to see seize on an asylum for such miserable and infectious persons, if the treatment of their disease had not been better understood than it was by the ancient physicians.

When this house was suppressed, the church and the buildings were demolished before John Boulle, a leading man in Dover, without any commission, and he did his business so effectively that he did not leave one stone upon another to stand. He was so eager after gain, that he pulled the grave stones and plundered the dead.

Their annuities, rents and other particulars may be seen in the following list.

Yearly Rent
Land in Biggin Street ware, in Dover £0. 4s. 5d 2 cocks
House and garden in Biggin ware 4 denars – £0. 2s. 6d
House and garden in ditto – £0. 2s. 5d. 2 cocks
House and garden in ditto – £0. 4s. 7d. 2 cocks
House and garden, in ditto – £0. 2s. 3d. 2 cocks
A messuge, in La Boor – £0. 2s. 3d. 2 cocks
An annuity from a messuge in Biggin ward – £ 0. 3s. 0d.
Messuages, in Saint Mary’s ward – £0. 18s. 0d.
An annuity from a messuage, in Burman ward – £0. 2s. 7d.
Land, in Burman street – value not known.
A tenement, in Burman ward – 2s. 0d.
A house, in Ox ward, value – not known.
A house, in Snargate ward – value – not known
Land and houses, in Snargate ward – value not known.
Land, in Ballast ward – value not known.
Certain buildings, in Ballast ward – £0. 9s. 7d.
Land and Tenements in Ballast ward – value not known.
Land and building, in Park’s ward – £0. 12s. 0d.
Land, in Broad Street – value not known.
Land, in Wolves ward – £0. 6s. 0d.
Tenement, in Wolves ward – £0. 18s. 0d.
Land in Wolves ward – £0. 2s. 8d.
Messuages in Wolves ward – £0. 2s. 0d.
Land in Wolves ward – £0. 2s. 8d.
Messuage, in Horse-pool ward – £0. 8s. 0d.
Messuage, in Horse-pool ward – £0. 8s. 0d.
Land, half an acre, in Castle Dane, – value not known.
Houses, in Horse-pool ward – £0. 4s. 0d.
Lands, in the port of Dover ward not mentioned – £0. 5s. 0d.
A house in ditto, value not known.
Lands, in the port of Dover ward not mentioned £0. 10s. 0d.
Lands in Charlton, value not known.
An annuity, out of a messuage in Charlton £0. 9s. 0d.
Lands in Charlton, value not known.
Part of a messuage, in Charlton £0. 6s. 0d.
Land, half an acre, near the prior’s lands
A tenement, near the hospital £0. 9s. 0d. 1 cock.
A curtilagium, in Charlton – £1. 0s. 0d. 4 cocks
One acre and a half of land, near the prior’s lands, an annuity payable from it, eight shillings to the prior and the same to Saint John’s church, in Dover.
An acre and a half of land in Spital Down.
Lands, in Berghes, by paying eight shillings yearly, at two payments, to St. Nicholas Church.

Lands, in Berghes, £0. 2s. 0d.
One acre of land at La Lynche –
Four acres and a half of land on Windless Down.
Three virgates of land at Charlton by paying twenty shillings and four cocks, to the lord prior.
An annuity, out of land near the hospital lands – 5 cocks.
One acre and a quarter of land at Poltone – £0. 4s. 0d.
Two acre and a half of, and one virgate, on Windless Down.

From the high price of provisions in the eighth reign of Edw II. His Majesty ordeyne from henceforth, that no ox stalled or corne-fedde be sold for more than 24s. No other grass fed ox for more than 16s.
A fat stalled cowe at 12s. Another cow lesse worth, at 10s. A fat mutton corne-fed, or whose wool is well grown, at 20d another fat mutton shorne, at 14d. A fat hogges of two yeres olde 3s. 4d. A fat goose at 2½d: in the citie at 3d. A fat capon at 2d. in the citie at 2½d. A fat Hen at 1d. in the citie at 1½d. Two chickens at 1d. in the citie 1½d. Four pigeons at 1d. in the citie three at a 1d. twenty four egges 1d. in the citie twenty.

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