49. THE HOSPITAL OF WRITTLE
Pope Innocent III. having founded for the
English the hospital of the Holy Ghost in the
church of St. Mary in Saxia in Rome, King John
at his request granted (fn. 1) the church of Writtle to it
on 25 March, 1204, and also granted 100 marks
yearly at the Exchequer until the church should
be vacant. This came about in 1218, and on
1 October Pope Honorius III ordered (fn. 2) the
papal legate to put the envoy of the hospital in
possession.
Confirmations of the grant were obtained
from successive kings in 1314, (fn. 3) 1328 (fn. 4) and
1379, (fn. 5) and from popes (fn. 6) in 1218, 1229, 1291
and 1352. Pope Nicholas IV on 8 June,
1291, granted (fn. 7) relaxation of penance to penitents who should visit the church at certain
times. Edward I on 12 May, 1276, released (fn. 8)
the brethren from payment of the portion due
from them for a twentieth granted in the preceding reign; on 12 January, 1292, confirmed
a grant to them of land at Writtle; (fn. 9) and on
30 August, 1302, pardoned (fn. 10) them for having
acquired land in Writtle without licence. Not
many years later Lyoun, warden, asked (fn. 11) licence
to buy 40s. of land, as none of his tenants would
give him land.
The church was served by the brethren of
the hospital, and no vicarage was ever ordained.
On 21 July, 1246, Pope Innocent IV granted (fn. 12)
licence for them to present one of their number,
being a priest, to the bishop to receive from him
cure of souls and to celebrate divine service
there. Edward III on 15 July, 1346, ordered (fn. 13)
the escheator in the county not to aggrieve the
warden for chantries, maintenance of the poor or
alms; as it had been found by inquisition that
the church had been granted in frankalmoin to
the hospital at Rome and never charged with
such except for the maintenance of the poor and
infirm of that hospital. On 10 May, 1387,
John Eyr was sent (fn. 14) by the king to the master
with a request for maintenance; but the master
refused to admit him, pleading his charters and
that the so-called hospital consisted merely of a
church, 100 acres of glebe land and a parsonage
house. (fn. 15)
As the hospital was not of the power of
France it was not taken into the hands of the
kings of England on account of the war; and
the wardens, who were merely the proctors of
the hospital in Rome, received frequent grants of
protection. Later, however, they were subjected to restrictions as other aliens; and when
in 1366 the warden sent money abroad without
licence he was ordered to repay it to the king,
though in 1372 Pope Gregory XI interceded (fn. 16)
for him. The hospital was not now of much
value to its foreign owners, and eventually it was
sold with all its possessions, including the church
of Writtle and the chapel of Roxwell, to New
College, Oxford, by a licence (fn. 17) from the king on
22 February, 1391. The house at Rome did
not make much out of the transaction, for the
pope secured 5,000 ducats from the purchase
money. (fn. 18)
Wardens or Masters of Writtle
Algucius, occurs 1288, (fn. 19) 1296, (fn. 20) 1302. (fn. 21)
Leo, occurs 1324, (fn. 22) 1327. (fn. 23)
James, occurs 1332, (fn. 24) 1337. (fn. 25)
Nicholas, occurs 1339. (fn. 26)
James, occurs 1343, (fn. 27) 1346, (fn. 28) 1349. (fn. 29)
Giles, occurs 1348. (fn. 30)
Adrian, occurs 1357. (fn. 31)
Silvester Romanis of Florence, occurs 1366, (fn. 32)
1370, (fn. 33) 1383. (fn. 34)
Peter de Orto, occurs 1376. (fn. 35)
Nicholas de Aquila, occurs 1384, (fn. 36) 1386. (fn. 37)