55. THE HOSPITAL OF WINDHAM
The Bollandist life of St. Richard mentions
that he founded a hospital for sick and infirm
clergy. This institution was the hospital of
St. Edmund at Windham, and was probably
founded not long before his death, as in his will (fn. 1)
St. Richard leaves ' to the house of Wyndeham
30 marks, exclusive of the debt in which I am
bound to them,' which suggests that the endowment was still incomplete. This is borne out
by the series of grants made during the episcopate of his successor, Bishop John, who was
considered co-founder of the hospital. (fn. 2) Simon de
Bosco of Albourne sold to the bishop, 'for the
support of the infirm chaplains and clerks dwelling in the hospital of Wyndham,' lands in
Albourne parish, and other lands there were
purchased for the same purpose from Philip
Cordwaner with the consent of Nigel de Brok,
lord of the fee. Sir Roger de la Hyde remitted
to 'the chapel of the Blessed Edmund the
Confessor and to the priests and ministers there'
all his claim to the estate of Windham, and
Bishop John himself in 1262 assigned an annual
rent of 20s. from the church of Ford to the
support of the chaplains.
Protection for the term of ten years was
granted to the hospital of St. Mary and St. Edmund of Windham in 1258, (fn. 3) and in 1289 one
Ralph atte Hese of Portslade, 'a brother of
the house of priests at Windham,' fell off the
bridge of 'Blaxinton' and was drowned; (fn. 4) but
beyond these two incidents the house seems to
have fulfilled its useful purpose in uneventful
quiet, gradually falling into decay, until Bishop
Sherborn suppressed it about 1520, taking the
revenues and lands to endow a new prebend in
the cathedral. (fn. 5)
Wardens of the Hospital of Windham
Walter, occurs 1306 (fn. 6)
John de Teddington, occurs 1342 (fn. 7)
John Lucas, appointed 1387 (fn. 8)
John Candelsby, resigned 1414 (fn. 9)
William Gyllyng, appointed 1414 (fn. 10)
William Gloucestre, resigned 1504 (fn. 11)
Edmund Wilkynson, appointed 1504 (fn. 12)
Hugh Rolf, last master (fn. 13)