1. ENDOWMENTS

(a) Endowments in money.—The earliest subscriptions are recorded in the Pipe Rolls, consisting of royal alms p179 (Eleemosynæ Constitutæ) paid by the Sheriff of the county from the profits of Crown lands. Three entries in the year 1158 will serve as specimens:—

At first sight this seems not to concern hospitals; but a closer examination proves that sums are being paid to sick communities—in fact to lazar-houses. For the lepers of Gloucester dwelt in the suburb of Dudstan, and the infected inmates of St. Mary Magdalene’s, Winchester, were known locally as “the infirm people upon the hill”—now Maun Hill. The grant was paid out of the farm of the city until, in 1442, the citizens were unable to contribute that and other sums on account of pestilence and depopulation. The infirm of London were the lepers of St. Giles’; and the sixty shillings, originally granted by Henry I and Maud, was still paid in Henry VII’s reign, for a writ of 1486 refers “to the hospitallers of St. Giles for their annuity of lxs.” Between the years 1158 and 1178 subscriptions were paid to infirmi at the following places:—

[♦ ] 27. DOCUMENT AND SEAL OF THE LEPERS OF LINCOLN

Of the latter, some were grants on account of a vacant bishopric. In ad­di­tion to the above, sums were given to p180 lep­rosi of South­amp­ton and Peter­bo­rough, and to hos­pi­tals of Grave­send, of Nor­wich, and “of the Queen.” These con­tri­bu­tions vary from 12d. paid to Here­ford up to £6 given to Hecham (Higham Ferrers). In some cases corn and clothing were also con­tri­bu­ted. There is a con­tem­po­rary rep­re­sen­ta­tion of one of these “infirm” persons on the seal of the lepers of Lincoln, dating from the days of Henry II and St. Hugh. The doc­u­ment to which it is at­tached con­tains a cov­e­nant be­tween Bul­ling­ton Priory and the hos­pi­tal of the Holy In­no­cents, Lin­coln, con­cern­ing a rent of three shil­lings from the hos­pi­tal.

Revenues also consisted largely in annual rents arising from land and house property, some being appropriated to specific works. An early grant to St. Bartholomew’s, Gloucester (circa 1210), was to be expended upon the maintenance of a lamp in the chapel, and shoes for inmates, whilst the sum of 5d. was to go towards the provision of five beds.

(b) Endowments in kind.—The kings were generous in grants from royal forests. Henry III granted one old oak from Windsor to the sick of St. Bartholomew’s, London (1224). He afterwards gave to St. Leonard’s, p181 York, “licence to take what they need in the forest of Yorkshire for building and burning, and also of herbage and pasture for flocks and anything needful for their ease, as they had in the time of Henry II.” Food was also supplied by patrons, especially in what might be termed manorial hospitals, consisting generally of a grant of tithes on produce. Another form of endowment was to impropriate livings. St. Giles’, Norwich, owned six manors and the advowson of eleven churches. When funds were low at Harbledown, the archbishop impropriated Reculver church, thus augmenting the income by parochial tithes. This disgusted the parishioners who sought redress, thinking it “ill to be subject to lepers.”