48. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. PETER, BURY ST. EDMUNDS
St. Peter's Hospital stood without the Risby
gate, but within the abbey jurisdiction. It was
founded by Abbot Anselm towards the close of
the reign of Henry I, for the maintenance of
infirm, leprous, or invalided priests, or in their
absence of other aged and sick persons.
The earliest deeds in the muniment room of
the Guildhall, Bury St. Edmunds, are a parcel
chiefly of the reigns of Henry III and Edward I,
concerning the possessions of the hospital of St.
Peter, which are now attached to the Grammar
School. There is one, however, of the reign of
Henry II which recites the gift to this hospital
by Simon de Whepstede of 12d. rent for the
lights before the altar of St. Mary within the
hospital church.
Scientia, widow of Gilbert de la Gaye, gave
10s. annual rent from a building in St. Edmunds,
in return for which Robert de Baketone, clerk,
then prior of the hospital, granted her a weekly
mass for her soul and the souls of her ancestors
and the souls of brethren dying in the hospital.
What was left of the rent, after paying for the
masses, was to be expended in shoes for the
brethren. (fn. 1) There are also at the Bodleian a
variety of other undated deeds, temp. Henry III,
of small grants to this hospital, (fn. 2) and several grants
of rents in the reign of Edward I, (fn. 3) and in
1324 an annual rental of 12d. from a messuage in St. Edmunds, in Scolehallestrete, was
granted to Thomas de Swanstone, warden of
St. Peter's. (fn. 4)
The last pre-Reformation master, Christopher
Lant, occurs in a deed of 1538, whereby the
master and brethren appointed Edmund Hurste,
their proctor, to ask and collect in their name,
throughout England, alms and charity for the
leprous of the hospital of St. Peter. (fn. 5)
Though not originally founded exclusively for
lepers, this hospital gradually become confined
to such cases. It was ordained by the abbot and
convent in 1301 that when any priests of the
charnel were disabled by any incurable disease,
they were to be maintained at St. Saviour's Hospital; but if they were infected with any contagious disorder, they were to be sent to the
hospitals of St. Peter or St. Nicholas. (fn. 6)
There is a reference in another of the abbey
registers to the Leprosi extra Risby Gate. (fn. 7) In its
later history, the hospital of St. Peter was always referred to as a lazar-house. The Valor
of 1535 gives the gross income of the chapel of
St. Peter of the foundation of the abbot of
St. Edmunds, of which Christopher Lant, clerk,
was then master, as £20 16s. 8½d., and the
net income as £10 18s. 10½d. Out of the
gross, £4 is entered as paid in alms 'pauperibus le Lazares House extra Rysbygate de
Bury.' (fn. 8)
It is rather singular that the income of this
hospital was specially assessed in 1535; for in
1528 a bull was obtained from Pope Clement
authorizing the annexing of this hospital, together with St. Saviour's, to the abbey, the income being specially appropriated for hospitality
at the abbot's table; in the case of St. Peter's,
however, this project does not seem to have been
carried out. (fn. 9)
In the first instance, St. Peter's hospital was
under the immediate control of the abbey almoner; (fn. 10) but in the time of Henry III and onwards it was ruled by a master who was a
secular priest appointed by the almoner. This
hospital continued after the dissolution of the
great majority of kindred institutions, for in 1551
protection (or licence to beg) was granted to the
lazars of the hospital of St. Peter nigh St. Edmunds Bury, for one year; and George Hodgson, 'guide' of the house, was appointed their
proctor. (fn. 11)
Masters or Priors of the Hospital of St. Peter, Bury St. Edmunds
Alan, (fn. 12)
c. 1225
Gilbert de Pollekot, (fn. 13)
c. 1240
Robert de Baketone, (fn. 14)
c. 1260
William son of Bartholomew alias Livermore, (fn. 15)
c. 1275
Robert, (fn. 16) occurs 1280
William, (fn. 17)
c. 1300
Thomas de Swanstone, (fn. 18) occurs 1324
Walter Burton, (fn. 19) occurs 1439
Christopher Lant, (fn. 20) occurs 1538
George Hodgson, (fn. 21) occurs 1551