22. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. EDMUND, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, GATESHEAD
This chapel or hospital was founded by Bishop
Farnham in or about 1248, and was dedicated
to the honour of St. Edmund, bishop and confessor, and St. Cuthbert. The establishment
consisted of a master and three other priests,
whose duties were simply to celebrate the divine
offices and to pray for the soul of the founder, his
predecessors, and his successors. Each of the
subordinate chaplains was to receive from the
master the sum of 20s. yearly. The bishop endowed his new foundation, which was almost
invariably called the chapel of St. Edmund, with
the vill of Ulkistan, the old lordship of Gateshead, Benchelm Wood which contained 43 acres,
and 29 acres of land in 'Alluresacyres'; in lieu
of all which he granted certain other lands to
the church of Durham. (fn. 1) He also united with it
the chapel or hospital of the Holy Trinity,
Gateshead, which had fallen into great poverty. (fn. 2)
The bishop of Durham for the time being was
to be patron of St. Edmund's. (fn. 3)
By an undated charter, probably of the early
fourteenth century, John of the Kitchen [de
Coquina], burgess of Gateshead, gave land to
the hospital; (fn. 4) and in 1316 was proved the will
of John of the Kitchen, chaplain (possibly the
same person), by which he left an annual rent of
half-a-mark to 'the house of the Holy Trinity
and St. Edmund the Confessor.' (fn. 5)
In the Nova Taxatio of the temporal and
spiritual goods of the Durham clergy in the fourteenth century the temporalities of the 'Hospital
of St. Edmund the Archbishop' were valued at
5 marks. (fn. 6)
Martin of St. Cross, master of Sherburn, whose
will is dated November, 1259, bequeathed some
vestments to St. Edmund's Chapel; (fn. 7) and other
benefactors must have followed his example, for
in February, 1325-6, the hospital possessed two
gold chalices and a goodly store of vestments and
books, some of the best of which were gifts from
John of Denton, late master. The inventory
which was taken after his death shows that the
buildings of the hospital included a chapel, hall,
kitchen, &c., and that the brethren owned oxen
and other live stock, and had, besides a good
supply of corn in the granary, 72 acres of land
sown with wheat. There is no hint of any
accommodation for poor or sick persons. (fn. 8) In
addition to the goods of the house the late
master's executors delivered up to his successor,
Roland de Jorz, bishop of Armagh, 'a certain
writing of the ordination of the chapel of
St. Edmund.' (fn. 9)
There was in the hospital as early as 1382 (fn. 10)
a chantry of the Holy Trinity, which was still in
existence in 1430. (fn. 11) It may have been a relic of
the incorporated hospital of the Holy Trinity.
In May, 1378, Bishop Hatfield issued to the
priors of Durham and Finchale a commission to
visit the hospital of St. Edmund the Archbishop; (fn. 12)
but no returns of this visitation exist, nor of
another which took place in 1421. (fn. 13) Ten years
later the bishop, dissatisfied with the conduct of
John Walkington, master, again ordered that the
hospital should be visited, and in consequence of
the state of things which was discovered, sequestrated the goods alike of the house and of its
master (11 May, 1431). (fn. 14) It seems probable
that Walkington was removed as untrustworthy,
since the collation of George Radcliffe occurs in
January, 1431-2. (fn. 15)
In 1436 the hospital was robbed: chalices,
books, vestments, &c., being stolen from the
chapel by some persons unknown. (fn. 16)
Two years later the nuns of St. Bartholomew,
Newcastle, who had sustained severe losses by
fire and by the non-payment of certain pensions,
appealed to the bishop for assistance. He responded (7 October, 1448) by appropriating to
them and incorporating with their house the
hospital of St. Edmund with all its possessions.
The nuns in return engaged to provide two
chaplains to celebrate in St. Edmund's chapel;
to keep the chapel and the buildings belonging to
it in repair; and to pay out of the issues or
the hospital two pensions:—one of 6s. 8d. to
the bishop, and one of 3s. 4d. to the prior of
Durham. (fn. 17) This appropriation was followed in
May, 1449, by a formal grant to the nuns by
William Hilderskelfe, master, of the hospital
with all its appurtenances. This later document binds the nuns to supply a chaplain to
celebrate in the hospital, and a priest to celebrate in St. Bartholomew's church at the
death or promotion of Hilderskelfe, and to
pay to the latter a pension of 10 marks per
annum. (fn. 18)
From this time onwards the history of the
hospital is merged in that of the nunnery, and it
was in all probability included in the possessions
of that house at the time of the dissolution. (fn. 19)
In a rental of the nuns' possessions, of a date
between 1489 and 1545, the following entry
occurs:—'Gateshead. Item, the hospital of
St. Edmund the Bishop and Confessor, by year
£12.' (fn. 20)
A master is mentioned in a list of persons
summoned to a synod in 1507, but his name is
not given. (fn. 21)
Masters of the Hospital of St. Edmund the Bishop, Gateshead
Gilbert, occ. c. 1248 (fn. 22)
Hugh de Segrave, occ. before 1316 (fn. 23)
John de Denton, occ. 1316; (fn. 24) d. 1325 (fn. 25)
Roland de Jorz, bishop of Armagh, coll. February, 1325-6, p.m. John of Denton. (fn. 26)
John de Thornsby, app. 2 October, 1333 (fn. 27)
Walter Fauconberg, coll. 1 March, 1340-1 (fn. 28)
John de Appleby, coll. 20 August, 1353 (fn. 29)
Adam Fenrother, occ. 10 January, 1366-7; (fn. 30)
res. 1376 (fn. 31)
Hugh de Conyngham, coll. by exch. with
Fenrother, 5 August, 1376 (fn. 32)
Henry de Manchester, coll. 17 September,
1381 (fn. 33)
Richard Levesham, coll. 27 March, 1383 (fn. 34)
Laurence de Allerthorp, occ. 20 November,
1388 (fn. 35)
John Walkington, occ. 20 March, 1430-1 (fn. 36)
George Radcliffe, coll. 29 January, 1431-2; (fn. 37)
res. 12 March, 1435-6 (fn. 38)
John Heyworth, coll. 12 March, 1435-6;
p.r. G. Radcliffe. (fn. 39)
Thomas Kirkeby, occ. 1441 (fn. 40)
William Hilderskelfe occ. 1449 (fn. 41)
A Master (name unknown), occ. 1507 (fn. 42)