24. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. LEONARD, FREEFORD
The leper hospital of St. Leonard, Freeford (in St.
Michael's, Lichfield), was in existence by the
mid 13th century. It may have been founded by a
prebendary of Freeford; the patronage was certainly
m. 21d.) and by 1292 to 124s. (E 372/137, m.8). By the
latter date, as a long-standing debt, it was being entered
held by the prebendary in the late 15th century. (fn. 1)
In the 13th century several grants and casual gifts
were made to the hospital by the Crown and its
officers. In 1246 Henry III gave to 'the lepers of
Lichfield' 15 carcasses of salt pork from the stores
at Nottingham castle. (fn. 2) In 1257 the lepers of St.
Leonard's Hospital received a grant of protection
for five years from the Crown. (fn. 3) A further grant, for
one year, was made in 1266 to the master and
brethren of the hospital. (fn. 4) In 1280-1 William
Trumwyn, keeper of Cheslyn Hay in Cannock
Forest, gave the lepers the salted carcass of a buck
which had been killed by wolves in the forest. (fn. 5)
Little is known of the endowments of the hospital.
By the later 13th century it possessed some land in
Burway Field, one of the common fields of Lichfield. (fn. 6) In the mid or later 13th century Robert
Talecok granted the hospital a rent of 1d. from a
parcel of land outside Tamworth Gate, Lichfield. (fn. 7)
The hospital also held two half-messuages in the
town itself during the reign of Henry III. (fn. 8) By
1333-4 it possessed land which was probably near
Greenhill (in St. Michael's, Lichfield). (fn. 9)
By 1366, when its warden was an absentee, the
hospital may have lost whatever eleemosynary
character it had possessed a century earlier. The
plurality returns of that year show that Adam de
Eyton, Rector of Berrington (Salop.), was warden of
the hospital; (fn. 10) he was normally obliged to reside in
Berrington. (fn. 11) The wardenship of the hospital was
then worth 40s. a year. (fn. 12)
In 1485 George Dawne, Prebendary of Freeford,
granted to the bishop the next presentation to the
free chapel of St. Leonard, Freeford. In 1490 the
warden, Ranulph Worthyngton, resigned and was
given an annual pension of 33s. 4d. for his food and
clothing. John Paxson was collated by the bishop in
his place. (fn. 13) In 1496 Paxson freely resigned the
wardenship of St. Leonard's Hospital and, with the
assent of the Prebendary of Freeford, it was united
to St. John's Hospital, Lichfield. (fn. 14) In return Dawne
and his successors in the prebend were granted the
right to nominate one of the thirteen almsmen in the
the new foundation. The prebendaries retained this
right until 1927. (fn. 15)
The hospital seems to have stood near to Freeford
Manor about a mile from St. Michael's Church
along the road to Tamworth. No buildings now
remain but the site of the hospital was indicated by
the discovery of the chapel burial ground in 19171918. (fn. 16)
Wardens
Robert de Suthwode, occurs temp. Henry III. (fn. 17)
John of Dunchurch, occurs 1314. (fn. 18)
Adam de Eyton, occurs 1366. (fn. 19)
Ranulph Worthyngton, probably warden in 1485,
resigned 1490. (fn. 20)
John Paxson, collated 1490, resigned 1496. (fn. 21)
No seal is known.