43. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, LECHLADE
The hospital of St. John the Baptist at Lechlade was founded in or before 1246 by Isabella
de Mortimer. (fn. 1) She endowed it with land at the
head of Lechlade Bridge, the bridge, chapel, and
a mill. In 1246 the property of the hospital
was confirmed by Henry III to be held in free
alms. (fn. 2) The community seems to have consisted, according to the ordinance of the foundation, of seven priests of the order of St. Augustine, of whom one was prior or master, and a
number of lay brothers and sisters to minister to
the poor and sick, both men and women, who
came to the hospital.
In 1252 the manor of Lechlade was granted
to Richard earl of Cornwall, who thus became
the patron of the hospital. (fn. 3) Before 1255 he and
his wife Sanchia granted to the priests who
served it the right of electing their prior or
master, and endowed the hospital with the
advowson of the parish church, retaining however the right of presenting to the vicarage. (fn. 4)
In the visitation of the diocese of Worcester
which took place in 1290 and 1291, Bishop
Giffard deputed one of his clerks, by name
Nigel le Waleys, to visit the hospital. He
fulfilled his office on 11 January, 1291, (fn. 5) and
reported a most unsatisfactory state of affairs to
the bishop. The services were neglected, regular
discipline was not observed, and the administration was wasteful. On 17 February Giffard
sent a mandate for the reform of the hospital. (fn. 6)
He decreed that according to the will of the
founders seven priests should perform the daily
services, and that the prior and all the brethren
should be present at the hours unless prevented
by some honest cause. Silence was to be observed in church, dorter, frater, and cloister.
Among the brethren there should be uniformity
in dress; the sisters should have a suitable dress
and take their food in the places assigned to
them. As the vice of gluttony prevailed among
them, neither brothers nor sisters should presume
to eat or drink except at stated hours and places,
unless they were ill or engaged in the service of
the house; nor should they go beyond the
precincts without leave. As hospitality ought to
be observed with charity and cheerfulness, one
kind and courteous brother was to be chosen to
entertain guests, and another to receive the sick.
The prior was bidden to render an exact account
of the financial position of the house. Under
pain of eternal damnation the bishop forbade that
any possessions or rents given for the special use
of the poor and sick should be diverted to any
other object. In 1300 matters were no better,
and in January an inquisition into the state
and condition of the hospital was held in
the parish church. (fn. 7) The jurors declared that
the prior had withdrawn several of the priests
and expelled them and a number of lay brothers
and sisters, also that he had alienated various
lands and goods belonging to the hospital, including the books and ornaments of the church,
but there is no evidence of the steps taken to
restore order.
The maintenance of the bridge was a charge
upon the hospital, and in 1338 (fn. 8) and again in
1341 (fn. 9) Edward III granted the right of taking
tolls for a term of three years in aid of the
repairs.
On 21 October, 1351, Bishop Thoresby sent
a commission to Henry de Neubold, his vicargeneral, and William Poty, the vicar of Lechlade, to punish Brother Ralph of Tetbury for
laying violent hands on the brothers summoned
before the bishop at his visitation of the hospital. (fn. 10) On 26 February, 1352, he appointed
two commissioners to inquire into the excesses
and defects of the hospital, to make corrections,
and if necessary to remove the prior from office. (fn. 11)
He had heard that the prior and brethren had
put aside their habit and were going about as
chaplains, celebrating masses and getting salaries,
and they may perhaps have so acted under
pressure of poverty. Later in that year the
prior desired to be released from his office,
because he wished to live a life of contemplation. (fn. 12) In or about 1374 Bishop William
de Lynn attempted to reform the hospital. He
found at his visitation that Prior Stephen of
Newbury had diminished the services, wasted
and defiled the goods of the house, and had led
a dissolute life. (fn. 13) However, Stephen ignored the
bishop's injunctions, and on 22 March, 1375,
during the vacancy of the see, the prior of
Worcester sent a mandate to the dean of Fairford and all rectors and vicars of that deanery
to denounce him as excommunicate, and to
summon him to appear before the prior or his
commissary in the cathedral church of Worcester
to receive condign punishment. (fn. 14) On 31 October he resigned. (fn. 15) On 10 November, 1384,
when in the course of his metropolitical visitation
Courtenay, archbishop of Canterbury, came to
Lechlade, he found that the title of the prior,
Richard Smyth, was defective. The right of
presentation therefore fell to the archbishop, and
on account of the upright character of the
man, he collated him to the office. (fn. 16) In 1388
the repair of the bridge was a further expense;
it had been broken down by order of Thomas,
duke of Gloucester, and Richard II therefore
granted to the prior the right of taking tolls for
the next three years. (fn. 17)
When John Wyham resigned in 1454 there
were not enough brethren to elect a prior, and on
the commendation of Richard, duke of York, then
the patron, Bishop Carpenter collated William
Littleton. (fn. 18) In 1462 the hospital was so much
impoverished by misfortune that it was exempted
from payment of the tenth. (fn. 19) About two years
later Edward IV granted the advowson of the
hospital to his mother Cecily, duchess of York,
and on her presentation Bishop Carpenter collated William Lovel, who filled the office of
prior for eight years. (fn. 20) The poverty of the
house was very great, and the revenues were
utterly inadequate to maintain the objects of its
foundation. (fn. 21) In 1472 the duchess of York
obtained a licence from Edward IV to found a
chantry for three chaplains to celebrate divine
service daily in the chapel of the Virgin in the
parish church of Lechlade, (fn. 22) and William Lovel
was empowered to transfer the whole of the
possessions of the hospital to the chaplains of the
chantry. (fn. 23) Out of the revenues the sum of
ten marks a year was assigned by the duchess of
York to be paid to the chaplain of the chantry
of St. Blaise at Lechlade, which was founded at
the same time by John Twynho. (fn. 24) Accordingly
on 20 September, 1475, Bishop Carpenter
effected the appropriation of the hospital to the
chantry of St. Mary, (fn. 25) stipulating that the chaplains should keep the chapel of the hospital in
repair, and hold services there on the vigil and
feast of St. John the Baptist. (fn. 26)
Priors of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist, Lechlade
Peter of Pevensey, ob. 1283 (fn. 27)
William of Estham, 1283 (fn. 28)
Walter of Lambourne, occurs 1305 (fn. 29)
John of Lechlade, elected 1312 (fn. 30)
William of Tewkesbury, elected 3 April,
1330 (fn. 31)
Adam of Alcester, elected 15 April, 1330 (fn. 32)
Walter, resigned 1355 (fn. 33)
Stephen of Newbury, 1356, (fn. 34) resigned 1375 (fn. 35)
Richard, occurs 1384 (fn. 36) and 1388 (fn. 37)
John Wyham, 1442, (fn. 38) resigned 1454 (fn. 39)
William Littleton, 1454 (fn. 40)
Thomas Hedley, occurs 1464 (fn. 41)
William Lovel, 1464-72 (fn. 42)