32. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. MARY, WOLVERHAMPTON
The hospital of St. Mary, Wolverhampton, which
may have stood about a quarter of a mile south-east
of St. Peter's Church, (fn. 1) was founded in 1392-5 by
Clement Leveson, chaplain, and William Waterfall. (fn. 2)
In 1392 they received royal licence to found a
hospital in honour of St. Mary for a chaplain and
six poor people and to endow it with a messuage and
3 acres in Wolverhampton; part at least of this land
was intended as the site. (fn. 3) A few weeks after the
licence had been granted Waterfall was authorized
by the Crown to acquire lands or rents to the annual
value of £10 for the further endowment of the
hospital. (fn. 4) The original endowment evidently formed
part of the manor of Stow Heath, (fn. 5) as the alienation of
the property was also licensed in 1394 by the lord of
the manor, Hugh, Lord Burnell. (fn. 6) A final licence was
granted to the founders in January 1395 by Lawrence
Allerthorpe, Dean of Wolverhampton, within whose
jurisdiction the hospital was to be situated. Allerthorpe permitted the founders to make suitable
statutes and regulations, but he reserved the power
to authorize and approve the foundation when it
was completed and to add to and interpret the
regulations whenever it should be necessary. (fn. 7)
The founders' regulations, (fn. 8) presumably drawn up
shortly after Allerthorpe's licence was issued,
contain elaborate provisions concerning the patronage of the hospital, its relations with Wolverhampton
church, and the duties of the chaplain or warden.
The patronage was vested in Leveson, Waterfall,
and the latter's wife Joan during their lives, with
successive remainders to William Waterfall's heirs
in tail, and to John Waterfall, (fn. 9) Richard Leveson of
Wolverhampton, Nicholas Waryng of Wolverhampton, Richard Leveson of Willenhall, Roger
Leveson, and Hugh, Lord Burnell, in tail. The
patron was to present the chaplain of the hospital
to the Dean of Wolverhampton for induction and to
nominate the almspeople. Should he fail to do this
within 6 months of a vacancy, nomination was to
lapse to the dean.
As the hospital lay within the peculiar jurisdiction
of Wolverhampton, the responsibility for visiting it
was laid upon the dean or his official or upon their
commissary. Should the chaplain or any almsperson
be convicted more than once of any serious sin, the
visitor was to expel him from the hospital and inform
the patron.
The chaplain, before induction, was to take an
oath of canonical obedience to the Dean of Wolverhampton and was also to swear not to infringe the
rights of that church to any of its tithes, offerings,
or other revenues. All offerings made to the hospital
were to be brought to St. Peter's by the chaplain.
The six almspeople, who might be male or female, (fn. 10)
were the chaplain's special responsibility. Each day
he was to say mass, vespers, and 'other divine
services' in the hospital chapel. On Sundays and
double feasts, however, he was to be present in the
mother-church during matins and vespers and at
mass until the Gospel had been read; after the
Gospel he was to cross to the hospital chapel to say
mass for the almspeople. Prayers were to be said
daily at mass in the hospital chapel for Clement
Leveson, William and Joan Waterfall, Lord Burnell,
and Lawrence Allerthorpe, and for all the faithful
departed. The rights of St. Peter's Church were
safeguarded by a regulation which forbade the
almspeople to receive the sacraments from anyone
but their parochial chaplain (fn. 11) unless licensed by him
to do so or in time of necessity. On Sundays and the
four principal feasts, moreover, such almspeople as
could do so were to attend St. Peter's; for those who
were too infirm to go the hospital chaplain could
provide only the ministration of holy bread and holy
water. (fn. 12)
Little is known of the hospital's subsequent
history. William Waterfall presented the first
recorded chaplain, one John Pepard, who was
inducted in 1402. (fn. 13) Waterfall seems also to have
increased the endowment of the hospital, for in 1415
Pepard took possession of certain lands which
Waterfall had held of the Prebendary of Monmore. (fn. 14)
These lands were later leased out by Pepard, and
the rent included 'one competent carriage of land
coals to be drawn with five horses'. (fn. 15)
Pepard was still alive in 144. (fn. 16) He may in fact
have occupied the chaplaincy of the hospital for a
long time and given it his name: (fn. 17) in 1529 one
Thomas Bradshaw was inducted to the free chapel
called 'Pepers Chapell in Wolverhampton'. By that
time the patronage had passed to the Leveson family,
for Bradshaw was presented by James Leveson. (fn. 18)
'Pyper's Chapel' is mentioned in an inventory of
goods (apparently relating to the year 1541) of the
various chapels and guilds of St. Peter's Church, (fn. 19)
but nothing more of its history is known. Like the
chantries and guilds of St. Peter's the hospital is
not mentioned in the Staffordshire chantry certificates. (fn. 20) It seems, however, to have been suppressed,
and its property probably passed to the Leveson
family. (fn. 21)
Wardens or Chaplains
John Pepard, inducted 1402, probably still warden
in 1415. (fn. 22)
Thomas Bradshaw, inducted 1529. (fn. 23)
No seal is known.