27. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST, COVENTRY (fn. 1)
Early in the reign of Henry II, the hospital
of St. John Baptist was founded with the approval of Prior Lawrence and his convent, chiefly
at the charges of Edmund, archdeacon of Coventry (1161-75), for a warden or master with
several brothers and sisters. Its object, as was
the case with almost all the numerous town hospitals of England dedicated to the honour of the
Baptist, was threefold, namely (1) to provide a
small permanent staff to supervise the house and
maintain the chapel services, (2) to afford temporary relief and lodgement for poor wayfarers, and
(3) to give more permanent relief to certain of
the local poor who were sick or aged.
Dugdale quoted largely from documents pertaining to this house, which were in his time in
the possession of John Hales of Coventry, the
representative of that John Hales who, after the
suppression of this hospital, played so large a
part in the foundation of the grammar school on
this site. (fn. 2) The deeds quoted by Dugdale include
the charter of foundation and its confirmation by
the archdeacon and by Richard, archbishop of
Canterbury (1174-84). (fn. 3)
In 1249 Roger de Montalt and Cecilia his
wife, on the grant of their manor of Coventry
to the monks of the priory, reserved for this hospital a weekly load of wood to be delivered by
the priory foresters. (fn. 4) From the Valor of
Henry VIII it is found that the priory supplied
daily to the hospital, from its first foundation,
bread, beer, and two messes of meat, the portion
of two monks, which was to be used there for
the poor. The annual cost of this allowance
was £14 13s. 2d.
Henry III in 1261 granted protection to the
master, brethren, and sisters of this hospital, and
to collectors whom they might employ to collect
alms. From Popes Urban IV and V they
obtained bulls of immunity from all secular
exactions. (fn. 5)
The Taxation Roll of 1291 merely names
6s. 8d. in temporalities, in the archdeaconry of
Leicester, as pertaining to this hospital; the
rest of its possessions were either exempt or
included under the priory. (fn. 6)
In 1327 the master, brethren, and sisters had
licence under privy seal to acquire in mortmain
land and rent to the yearly value of 100s. In
the same year and in 1329 the hospital received
small grants covered by this licence. (fn. 7)
A composition was entered into in June,
1424, between the vicar of Holy Trinity,
Coventry, and the master, brethren, and sisters
of this hospital, through the arbitration of the
prior of Coventry. The point at issue was the
loss incurred by the vicar of Holy Trinity
through the subtraction of his parishioners of
the hospital. The decision of the prior was to
the following effect, and any breach of the ruling
was to be subject to a penalty of £100. The
master of the hospital was to administer peaceably
or cause to be administered the sacraments in the
hospital according to ancient usage, save the
privilege of baptism, and to receive all oblations
by reason of such sacraments. The hospital was
to indemnify the vicar for all loss and injury by
the payment of £15, in three separate sums at
the next festival of Christmas, Easter, and
Michaelmas, and also at Michaelmas to begin
the payment of an annual pension of 6s. 8d. (fn. 8)
On 29 March, 1426, Thomas Everdon, the
warden, and the greater part of the brothers and
sisters of the hospital appeared in the chapterhouse of the great priory, in the presence of
Prior Richard and the greater part of his convent, before William Heyne, papal notary, and
two assessors, for amicable arbitration as to certain matters in dispute between the warden and
the prior. The elaborate decree then put forth
certified that the prior and convent were the
founders of the hospital chiefly endowed by
Archdeacon Edmund; that they were bound to
supply daily provision sufficient for two monks;
that the admission, reception, and profession of
the warden, brethren, and sisters were to be
always the right of the prior; that the warden
on appointment was to take a prescribed oath of
obedience and submission in every detail to the
prior; that the prior was the visitor, but was
not to visit more than once a year, nor with
more than eight in his train; that he was not to
remove any warden, brother, or sister without
legitimate cause, nor to take any goods of the
hospital for his use or that of the cathedral
church; that the warden was not to sell or part
with any property of the hospital nor grant any
corrody without the prior's licence; that each
brother, priest, layman, or sister entering the hospital should make the threefold vow of profession
and obedience to the prior after a prescribed
form; that if any brothers or sisters to be admitted or professed have but very slight knowledge of the Latin tongue that they shall make
their vow or profession clearly and openly in the
vulgar tongue; that no one shall be admitted
warden save a priest of good life and conversation; that the warden, brothers, and sisters
should wear decent habits, according to the previous use of the hospital, the outer garb of black
or dark brown, ample and flowing, but closed
and marked with a black cross, of decent length,
not remarkable for either excessive length or
shortness, and not buttoned, (fn. 9) that they should
also use cloaks similarly marked with a black
cross, and never be seen in the city outside
their house without them; the under garb of
the brothers should be a scapular of like colour
and similarly marked with the cross; that the
sisters should use a white veil and long closed
mantles or cloaks when without the house;
that all might have underwear of linen according to their ancient use, unless anyone chose
for the sake of devotion to abstain from such
use; that the warden was to administer discipline at a weekly chapter, but that grave
offences were to be reported to the prior;
that the use of Sarum was to be followed
at the masses and hours; that if any of the
brothers or sisters were altogether unlearned,
they were to say, in lieu of mattins, thirty Our
Fathers and the like number of Hail Marys, and
one Creed, and at the other hours, seven Our
Fathers and Hail Marys and a Creed; that the
literates were to say the hours of Our Lady,
with the psalter of the same; that none were to
be absent from the hospital without just, honourable, and necessary cause; and that the
sisters might be sought night and day, so often
as there was need for their ministration, to visit
and tend the infirm.
The decree also contained various provisions
as to the burial of the members, custody of
their seal, and as to their muniments and possessions.
In 1444 a tripartite indenture was made between John Pake, warden, and the brothers
and sisters of the one part; John Lusterley,
master of Corpus Christi and St. Nicholas
gild, and their brethren of the second part; and
John Blakeman and his wife Margaret of the
third part. The deed states that the warden,
for the great love and benefit shown to the
hospital by John and Margaret, covenants with
them and the master of the gild to nominate
and assign one bed in the hospital, on the
west side of the church near the door, to be
called 'Blakeman's bed,' to be at the disposal of
the Blakemans during their life, and afterwards
at that of the master of the said gild. They
covenant not to place in such bed any mad,
quarrelsome, leprous, infected, or loose person
wandering about at night, otherwise the master
can remove an objectionable person and admit
a proper one. The warden further covenanted
to keep the anniversary of John and Margaret
for one hundred years.
In 1518 John Haddon, draper, made the
sensible bequest to the hospital ' for the mayntenance of the pour folks beddes lxxx yards of
white freese.'
The Valor of 1535 gave the clear annual
value of the hospital as £83 3s. 2d.; of this sum
£16 was paid as salary to three chaplains celebrating within the hospital. The bread and ale
given weekly at the hospital gate was valued at
26s., and alms at certain anniversaries 31s. 4d.
The annual sum of 60s. was put down for the
expense of keeping twenty beds in repair for the
sick poor and wayfarers, and for food supplied
to bedridden sick. (fn. 10)
This hospital was surrendered to Henry VIII
on 4 March, 1545; the surrender is signed by
William Waller as warden and by Richard
Fulgeam. (fn. 11)
The site and possessions were granted in the
following year to John Hales, clerk of the hanaper, who established here a grammar-school. (fn. 12)
Godfrey, temp. Henry III
Peter, c. 1309
Walter, c. 1309
Philip de Bedeford, 1343-9 (fn. 14)
Henry Aston, c. 1352-61
Richard de Westeley, c. 1387
Richard Raynbold, c. 1398-1405
Thomas, c. 1414
Thomas Everdon, c. 1423-39
John Pake, 1444-65 (fn. 15)
John Rastell, 1472
Richard Leylond, 1473
John Ursewike, 1477
Thomas Smythe, 1482-95
William Wethake, 1500-8
William Balden, 1510-16
John Watwood, 1522
William Waller, 1533-45
The fourteenth-century seal is pointed oval:
St. John Baptist, standing in a canopied niche
with tabernacle work at the sides, holding in the
left hand the Agnus Dei on a plaque, and pointing to it with the right hand. The corbel ornamented with foliage. Legend:—
S' HOSPITAL . . . COVENTRE. (fn. 16)
28. THE HOSPITAL OF SPON, COVENTRY
Hugh Kevelioc, earl of Chester, founded a
hospital for lepers, dedicated to the honour of St.
Mary Magdalene, temp. Henry II, at Spon, on
the west side of the city of Coventry. The earl
had in his household a certain knight named
William de Anney, who suffered from leprosy.
This incident led to his assigning his chapel at
Spon, with the site and half a carucate of adjoining land, for the maintenance of such lepers
as should happen to be in the town of Coventry. (fn. 17)
The foundation consisted of a priest or chaplain,
with certain brethren and sisters to take charge
of the lepers.
When Sir Roger de Montalt and Cecily his
wife granted the manors of Coventry and Cheylesmore to the monks of the priory in 1250, the
leper hospital of Spon was among the reservations for themselves and their heirs. (fn. 18) By this
was meant that they reserved the patronage or
the appointment of the master or chaplain.
In the release made by Cecily in her widowhood to the priory, it is stated that this hospital
had at one time belonged to the abbey of Basingweek, Flintshire. (fn. 19) But ere long it changed
hands, for it was in the possession of the Coventry
monks in 1280. (fn. 20) When, however, the manor
of Cheylesmore came to the crown, this leper
hospital was included, and it so continued until
1474. On 6 November of that year, Edward IV,
in consideration of £12 paid in the hanaper,
granted the king's free chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, at Spon by Coventry, with all its emoluments, in free alms to the prior and convent of
Studley; coupling the grant with the condition
of praying for the good estate of the king, of
Elizabeth his consort, and their first-born son,
Edward, Prince of Wales, and for their souls
after death. (fn. 21)
29. BABLAKE OR BOND'S HOSPITAL, COVENTRY
A hospital or almshouse was founded at Bablake,
in the city of Coventry, in 1506, by Thomas
Bond, a wealthy draper, sometime mayor and
alderman. This house was for the sustenance of
ten poor men, and of a woman who was to attend
to their necessities. By his will he directed that
they should have every year a black gown with a
hood, having a cognizance of the Trinity before
and behind; they were to attend daily at mattins,
mass and evensong, and to pray for the souls of
the founder and his ancestors, and all Christian
souls, more especially the brothers and sisters of
the Trinity Gild. The ten brethren were to
be chosen from members of the Trinity Gild and
in default of poor men of that gild, then one of
the number of Corpus Christi Gild. Every day,
after supper, they were to go into their church
and there, every man kneeling, to say fifteen Our
Fathers, fifteen Hail Marys, and three Creeds in
the worship of the Passion of Jesus Christ, and
then drink and go to bed. To maintain this
establishment the founder assigned certain lands,
which were continued by his son John. John
Bond, by his will of 1537, ordered his son
Thomas to set forth lands to the city for the
continuance of the charity, but Thomas claimed
the lands as his own. Whereupon the city sued
him in chancery and won their suit after considerable expenditure. In 1610, the crown laid
claim to the lands as being forfeited under the
Chantry Suppression Act of Edward VI. In this
case, as in that of Ford's Hospital, the city had to
re-purchase the lands of the crown at a great cost.
Alderman Simon Norton, in 1641, made a sufficient benefaction to maintain another almsman.
In 1648, an increase of rents permitted of another
addition to their number, with an increased allowance, so that all the eleven poor men received 3s.
a week, in addition to gown, fuel, and other advantages. By the end of the century the number
had grown to eighteen. (fn. 22)
The trustees of the Coventry General Charities are now the governing body of Bablake or
Bond's Hospital. There are, at the present time,
sixty almsmen, eighteen of whom are resident,
and they all receive 6s. a week.
30. THE GREY FRIARS HOSPITAL, COVENTRY
The Coventry Hospital known for more than
three centuries as that of the Grey Friars is now
more usually styled Ford's Hospital. This foundation had, however, no connexion with the
Franciscan mendicants, but merely obtained its
name in respect of its situation in Grey Friars
Lane. It was founded in 1529, by William
Fourd or Ford, of Coventry, merchant of the
staple, to serve as an almshouse for five men and
one woman, who were each to receive 5d. a
week for their maintenance. The endowments
were shortly afterwards increased by William
Pisford, the founder's executor, who gave other
lands, and placed there six men and their wives,
assigning to each couple 7½d. a week. A third
alteration as to the inmates of this house was ere
long made by William Wigston, who was empowered by the two preceding benefactors to alter,
add to, or diminish their wills for the better
ordering of the foundation. Wigston provided
that there were to be but five men and their
wives, with an honest woman between the age
of forty and fifty, to serve as keeper of the house,
and to cook and wash for the other inmates.
The original donor had provided by his will a
yearly pension of £6 to maintain a priest who
was to say mass twice a week and to pray for the
souls of William Fourd and his relations. Consequently under the Confiscation Chantry Act of
Edward VI, the lands legally pertained to the
crown. The crown's claim was overlooked until
the second year of James I, and the hospital
suffered to continue; but in that year the claim
was enforced. Whereupon the city of Coventry
purchased the forfeited lands from the crown,
and 'have ever since maintained the charitable
uses, with a great addition out of the Chamber of
the City.' In 1621 the city added another man
and woman to the inmates at their own charge,
assigning 2s. a week to each married couple and
1s. a week to the nurse. Afterwards Alderman
Simon Norton bestowed sufficient on the house
to increase the inmates to seven couples. (fn. 23)
The raising of the allowance to 2s. occurred in
1671, when the rents of the lands were considerably raised; moreover each inmate had a blue
gown every two years, and to each house was
assigned 10s. worth of coals a year. (fn. 24)
Since the seventeenth century, various other
changes have been made in the administration of
the funds of this almshouse from time to time,
in accordance with the increase in its revenues.
The charity has now for some time been confined to women. There are at the present time
thirty-four almswomen, fifteen of whom are resident; each receives 4s. a week, and two tons
of coal annually. There is also a matron at 13s.
a week and a sub-matron at 10s.