Chapter LXII: Section VII

_Account of St. Mary Magdalen’s Hospital_, _the Lazar Houses_, _St. Lawrence’s Hospital_, _&c._

The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen was one of the most ancient of those religious houses that were suppressed here by Henry VIII. It is said to have been founded by Petrus Capellanus, in the reign of King Stephen, in honour of St. Mary Magdalen. It consisted of a prior and twelve brethren and sisters; of whom ten, including the prior were sound, and three unsound, or leprous; some ecclesiastical, and some secular; who were bound to perform rites and prayers for the souls of certain men who had departed this life, _viz._ for the soul of Petrus Capellanus their founder, the souls of popes, bishops, abbots, priors, kings, queens, and others, their benefactors; as appears by their ancient book of _obiits_ and _Orisons_, and by the ancient instrument of articles, which the brethren and sisters were bound to observe: and all, or most of the lands given to the said hospital were for the maintaining of prayers for the dead, as appears by divers deeds and charters, without date, of the first donations of those lands. {531}

In Mr. Kings MS. Volume there is a larger account of this ancient hospital than has been given by Mackerell and Parkin. We have there the ancient instrument of articles, or the fundamental rules of the fraternity, in Latin, under XVIII heads: annexed to which is the following account—

“This Instrument of Articles was made in the year that Petrus
Capellanus died [A.D. 1174.] and himself consented, with the two
archbishops, for ordaining the same.”—Then follows what has been
given by Mackerell, that “this ancient hospital continued in a
prosperous state from its first foundation about 400 years. But
after the statute of 1st Edward VI. was made, for dissolving all
colleges, chauntries fraternities, &c. this, with the lands &c. came
to, and were invested in the crown, by the said statute. The
fraternity, however, was not then broke up or dispersed, and might,
perhaps, have been still continued, but for the breaking out of what
is called Kett’s rebellion. A party of the rebels were encamped at
Rising: and they attacked Lynn, in hopes of surprising it, but being
repulsed and disappointed, they, on their return, fell upon this
hospital, which they violently entered, and not only robbed the poor
people there, and expelled them out of the house, but took away all
their common stock, and rased their chapel and most part of the
buildings there down to the ground: by means of which barbarous
usage, the said hospital was so impoverished, wasted, and spoiled,
that from thence forward it was quite destitute of brethren and
sisters, and utterly relinquished, saving that the mayor and
burgesses of Lynn maintained some poor people there, and endeavoured
to uphold the said ancient hospital, out of their charitable
disposition, for the purposes aforesaid.” {532}

“Nevertheless (says the author of the MS. account) some covetous
persons, taking advantage of the depressed state of the said
hospital, procured divers letters patents of concealment, from the
crown; some of the site of the same, and some of other parcels of the
lands and possessions belonging to the said hospital, intending to
convert them to their own private lucre. But the said mayor and
burgesses, (still having a great care that the said lands and
possessions should be preserved for charitable uses) did purchase of
some of the concealers the site of the said hospital, and a great
part of the lands thereunto belonging, and at their great costs and
charges supported and defended the same against all other concealers
and their agents, purposing always to erect anew the said hospital,
and employ the revenues thereof for the sustentation of poor people.

“But finding both by the advice of the king’s councill [counsel] and
their own, that all the said patents of concealment were defective
and utterly void in law, through many imperfections therein, and that
(notwithstanding the said patents) the scite of the said hospital and
the lands and possessions thereof still remained in the
crown—therefore they made humble suit to the king’s majesty [James
I.] for a grant thereof, and, of his Highness’ gracious favour and
pious inclination to works of charity, they obtained Letters Patents
of grant unto the mayor and aldermen, as well of the scite of the
said hospital, as also of the lands, &c. thereunto belonging, who by
the same are created governors thereof, and made a body corporate for
the defence and maintenance of the said hospital new founded by his
majestie.”

[An abridgement of those Letters Patents, transcribed from the Latin copy, is here subjoined, and is as follows.

“JAMES by the grace of God king of England, &c. to all to whom these
Letters shall come, greeting, &c.—Whereas a certain ancient Hospital
or Almshouse was founded and erected in Gaywood, called the House or
Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen—And whereas divers lands, tenements,
and hereditaments, were given and granted for the maintenance and
relief of divers poor and needy men and women therein for ever—And we
being informed, that certain evil minded men, covetously pursuing
their own private lucre, have endeavoured utterly to demolish the
state of the said Hospital, pretending some defect in the foundation
thereof, or that the same have been dissolved—We favouring the
sustentation of the poor, and such like charitable deeds, do of our
special grace, for us, our heirs and successors, grant all that
right, title, &c. which we have or might have in the premises, fully
and graciously to be conferred and extended towards the establishment
of the said Hospital, for poor and infirm men and women to dwell
therein: and for the causes aforesaid the same shall for ever
hereafter be called by the name of The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen,
of the foundation of king James, consisting of a Master and Warden
and 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, or 5 poor needy men and women, who shall likewise
be called, The Brethren and Sisters of the said Hospital, from
henceforth for ever.—And for the more effectual performance of this
our grant on our part, We have chosen nominated and appointed our
well beloved Peter Tudman to be the first and present warden, or
master of the said hospital, and to continue in the said office for
and during his natural life, unless for some default, trespass,
misdemeanor, &c. omitted or committed by him, contrary to the
constitutions or ordinances hereafter to be made and ordained, he
shall be from thence removed.—And moreover out of our own especial
grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, We have also chosen,
nominated, &c. our well beloved John Tilney and Avis his wife, Isabel
wife of the said Peter Tudman, John Pillow, Alice Briggs, and William
Mason, to be the first and present brethren and sisters of the said
hospital, there to be relieved and maintained during their natural
lives, unless for some fault or misdemeanor they shall from thence be
removed.

“And that this our pious and charitable intention may take the better
effect, and that the lands, tenements, goods and chattels, and
hereditaments, towards the maintenance of the said hospital and the
warden or master, and the poor brethren and sisters &c. may the more
effectually be given, granted, enjoyed, possessed and disposed, We
will, and by these Letters Patents for us our heirs and successors of
our like special grace &c. do grant ordain and constitute that the
Mayor of our Burgh of King’s Lynn that now is, or hereafter shall be,
and all the aldermen that now are or hereafter shall be, shall, from
henceforth forever be our Body corporate and politique, in deed,
fact, and name, by the title of The Governors of the lands,
tenements, revenues, possessions, and hereditaments of the Hospital
of St. Mary Magdalen upon the Cawsey between Lynn regis and Gaywood,
of the foundation of James king of England, &c.—And by the said name
of Governors, &c. to be always hereafter so called, termed, and
nominated, for ever: and by the same to have perpetual succession,
and to be both able and capable in law to obtain, receive, have, and
possess the manors, lands, tenements, meadows, pastures, feedings,
rents, reversions, remainders, and all other hereditaments
whatsoever, to them and their successors for ever, as well from us
our heirs, &c. as from any person or persons whatsoever; as also all
goods and chattels for the maintenance and relief of the said
hospital, the warden or master, and the poor brethren and sisters
which shall, from time to time, live and be sustained therein.—And we
do likewise by these presents for us and our heirs &c. grant unto
them and their successors to have a common seal for all matters and
businesses concerning the said hospital &c.—And that they by the name
aforesaid may answer and be answered in any of his majesty’s courts
or elsewhere within this kingdom of England.

“And we will that whensoever it shall happen, that the said master or
any of the said 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, or 5 of the brethren shall die or be
removed, it shall and may be lawful for the said governors (whereof
the mayor to be always one) within 20 days after, to choose another
in their room—And we will and grant that the said Warden or Master
and his successors shall take his corporal oath on the evangelists
for the due performance of his office, before the mayor for the time
being, in the Guildhall of the said Burgh—And we will and grant that
the said governors, or the greatest part of them (whereof the mayor
to be always one) and their successors with the assent and consent of
the bishop of Norwich for the time being, may make and constitute
such and so many good and wholesome statutes, laws, &c. in writing,
as well concerning the celebration of divine service every day in the
said hospital to the honour of God, as for the government, election,
expulsion, punishment and direction of the said master and poor
there, and also concerning their stipends, salaries, liveries,
habits, and all other necessaries whatsoever, as also concerning the
ordinary, preservation, and disposing of all the lands, tenements
&c.—And also may give and grant to the master and poor there, such
useful things as they shall think fit: and may revoke, change,
determine, augment, alter, and make new the same as they think most
convenient; which said statutes, laws, and ordinances, to be made and
constituted as aforesaid we straitly charge and command to be kept
inviolable, from time to time for ever, yet so as the same be not
contrary to the laws and statutes of this kingdom of England.

“And further for the continual relief and sustentation of the said
hospital we have given and granted, and by these presents do give and
grant to the said governors all the lordships, manors, messuages,
lands, meadows, pastures, feeding-grounds, liberties, franchises and
hereditaments whatsoever, lying in Gaywood, East Lexham, Dunham,
Narford, West Lexham, Westwinch, and Holkham, in our said county of
Norfolk, or any where elsewhere, which formerly were any part of the
possessions of the said hospital, however before this time called or
reputed, and which had not indeed though not by the law alienated,
bargained and sold by the prior, brethren and sisters of the said
hospital, and of which his Highness from the beginning of his reign
had not taken any yearly profits, revenues, or rents.—And further we
do give and grant unto the said governors, &c. To have, hold, and
enjoy all the aforesaid premisses, together with court-leet,
frank-pledge, liberties, franchises, goods and chattels waved of
felons as well as felo de se, as of all other felons, fugitives,
out-lawries, and taken in exigent, or in any other lawful way, right
or title, they shall be convicted, condemned, extrahur deodands and
all rights, jurisdiction, franchises, liberties, privileges,
commodities, advantages, possessions, emoluments and hereditaments
whatsoever, as fully, freely, and absolutely as any prior, brethren
and sisters, as well sound as sick, ever had, held, or enjoyed
heretofore, &c.—To have, hold, and enjoy all the privileges aforesaid
to the only use and behoof of them the said governors, &c., in free,
pure, and perpetual alms, for all rents, services, claims, and
demands whatsoever, to be rendered, paid, or done to us our heirs &c.
And we do likewise give and grant unto them all and singular, issues,
fines, rents, revenues, annual profits whatsoever, of all and
singular the premises aforesaid, whatsoever due before the grant of
these Letters Patent, or within 60 years last past without giving any
account of the same. And further we, our heirs, &c. will for ever
acquit, exonerate, and keep indemnified to the said governors, &c.
all and singular the premises aforesaid, against us our heirs &c. of
and from coridies, rents, fees, annual pensions, portions and sums of
money whatsoever, &c.

“And we will and straitly charge our Treasurer, Chancellor, and
Barons of our Exchequer, their heirs and successors, and all other
our Receivers, Auditors, Officers and Ministers whatsoever, upon
producing these our Letters Patents, or the enrollment thereof
without any other Breve or Warrant from us, that they make or cause
to be made to the said governors &c. a full and plenary discharge of
all the corodies, fees &c. whatever, for which these our Letters
Patents shall be to them a sufficient warrant and discharge.—And we
will and grant that these our Letters Patents and the enrollment
thereof shall be in all things as firm, strong and good, sufficient
and effectual in law against us, our heirs &c. in all our courts and
elsewhere within out kingdom of England, without any further
confirmation, licence, or toleration from us or our successors to be
procured or obtained.—Notwithstanding the misnaming, misreciting, or
not reciting the aforesaid premisses by these Letters Patents, Or the
not finding only the office or inquisition of the premisses or any
parcel thereof whereby our title ought to be found before the making
of these our Letters Patents, Or the misreciting or misnaming, or not
reciting or not naming any demise or grant of the premisses or any
part thereof, on record or not on record, or any way whatsoever
before this grant:—Or the misnaming or not naming any village,
hamlet, parish, race, or county, in which the premisses or any part
thereof be:—Or the full, true, and certain mention of the names of
the tenements, farmers, occupiers of the premisses or any part
thereof:—Or any defect in the certainty, account, or declaration of
the true yearly value of the same as aforesaid:—or any other defects
in not naming aright any one tenement, farmer, or occupier &c. or the
statute made in parliament in the first year of the late king Edward
VI. our predecessor, or the statute made in parliament in the 18th
year of the late king Henry VIII. our progenitor.

“And further we will, straitly charge and command the aforesaid
governors &c. that they expend, convert, and apply all and every the
premisses aforesaid towards the relief and maintenance of the master
and poor of the said hospital, and for the repairition and defence of
all and singular the premisses aforesaid, and to no other use and
purpose whatsoever.—Yet so that express mention be made of the true
yearly value, or certainly of the premisses or any part of them, or
any gifts or grants made before this time by us or any of our
predecessors to the governors aforesaid and their successors, or any
statutes, acts, ordinance, provision or restriction to the contrary
before this had made published or ordained in any thing cause or
matter whatsoever notwithstanding.—In Testimony whereof we have
caused these our Letters to be made Patents. Witness ourself at
Westminster this 22d. day of April in the year of our reign of
England, France, and Ireland the 9th and of Scotland the 44th.

_Per Breve de privato sigillo_.

“After the grant aforesaid, the mayor and aldermen endeavoured by all
fair means, to prevail with the concealers and usurpers of the many
lands, &c. to yield and deliver up the quiet possession thereof to
them, the said governors, without suit in law; but not able to
succeed therein, they thereupon exhibited a bill of complaints into
[in] the High Court of Chancery, against those who withheld the same,
and had likewise gotten into their hands sundry Deeds, Evidences,
Writings, Charters, Copies of Court Rolls, and Muniments, concerning
the said Hospital, for about thirty years before the king’s majesty’s
Letters Patents: whose names are as follow, viz. Sir Philip
Woodhouse; Thomas Thoresbie Esq.; Henry Bastard, Gent.; Henry Baker,
Gent.; Thomas Baxter; Robert Anderson; Richard Cross; Jefferie Pell;
Robert Large; Robert Trollop; William Simpson, clerk; Robert Say,
junr; Robert Spence, Gent.; Robert Webster; William Collis, als
Glover:—Who having given in their several answers to the said bill,
an order was made by the court, that the complainants should set down
in writing, the particular lands and fold courses by them claimed,
together with the evidences for proof thereof, that the same belonged
to the said hospital, and how much the defendants have of those lands
in their several possessions, &c. which they did as followeth”—

[The lands, &c. in question, are then particularly specified and described, being chiefly in East and West Lexham, and Dunham and Gaywood. They are denominated “_Lands of the Lepers_, or Spittle lands, pertaining to the brethren and sisters of the House, _called_ THE SPITTLE, upon the cawsey between Lynn and Gaywood”—the whole amounting to 305 acres—The complainants having thus specified their claims, the suit went on.]

“After divers hearings on both sides, in the high court of Chancery,
for about four years together, the plaintiffs being prepared to move
the lord chancellor with all speed for a decree, and for their costs
and damages, Sir Philip Woodhouse defendant, (who had most of the
lands, &c. in his hands,) solicited and intreated Sir H. Hobart, knt.
and bart. Lord chief justice of the Common Pleas, to hear and
determine the cause between them, which being consented to by the
plaintiffs, his lordship gave his opinion, that the plaintiffs had
right to all the lands and foldcourses, in the boundary before
mentioned, in such manner as they have been claimed by them,
excepting the messuage Warm, and 5 acres thereunto adjoining. And
therefore to prevent further suit and expences on both sides, his
lordship advised Sir Ph. Woodhouse to suffer that which he could not
contradict, viz. that a decree should pass of all the lands and
foldcourses (except as before excepted) for the plaintiffs, as in law
and equity it ought to be: but withal mediated and intreated the
counsel of the plaintiffs, in behalf of the said Sir Ph. that in
regard so much of the lands and fold courses as were in the
possession of Sir Philip, did lye so intermixed with his lands, it
would be a great annoyance to him, and little profit to the
plaintiffs, if the same were severed, that therefore it would please
the plaintiff’s counsel to consent that the plaintiffs, after the
decree passed, should make a lease to him of the premises aforesaid
for 99 years, at the yearly rent of 16_l._ viz. their foldcourses at
East Lexham, being in his possession for 10_l._ per annum, and all
their grounds in West Lexham and great Dunham, also in his possession
at 2_s._ 6_d._ for every acre per annum, and that the said Sir Philip
Woodhouse should be discharged of all the rents, issues, and profits
of the said lands and fold courses, for the time past; whereof the
plaintiff’s counsel agreed, and promised to procure the same, which
conclusion on both sides being made known the next day to the lord
Chancellor, by the plaintiff’s counsel, his lordship upon their
motion, ordered and decreed their possession of the said lands and
foldcourses, unto the plaintiff’s, not having any relation to the
said agreement made before the Lord chief justice, as aforesaid,
saving in the exception before excepted, and in the omitting of
damages and costs, which was promised in the last order.

“Afterwards, that it, upon the feast day of the decollation of St.
John Baptist, next following, Sir Philip Woodhouse came to Lynn, and
in the presence of John Spence, then Mayor, Thomas Oxburgh Esq.
recorder, the aldermen and the rest of the Society then assembled in
the common council house, the said Sir Philip did bring the draught
of a Lease, (perused by the Lord Chief Justice Hobart), of the
Spittle fold course of East Lexham, and of the lands which, by the
mediation of the said lord chief justice, were to be demised by the
mayor and aldermen to the said Sir Philip, a copy of which being
formally delivered to the said mayor, &c. they caused the same to be
engrossed on a pair of Indentures to that purpose, bearing date 17
May, 1615, then last past, (upon which day the last order for the
decree was made) which Indentures were openly read, sealed, and
delivered interchangeably in the said council house the said day of
the decollation, being the election day for the succeeding mayor.
The said Sir Ph. sent a fat buck, and gave his honourable promise,
that he and his heirs should every year after, during the time of his
Lease, give a like fat buck to every mayor for the time being towards
their festival upon the said day; which was, for sometime, faithfully
performed.—About a year after a Lease was granted by the mayor, &c.
of all those their fold courses, foldage, and sheep pasture in the
town of great Dunham for 250 sheep, to be goeing, fed, and depastured
in and upon all the common, and common pasture fields and amble
grounds there, as well demesnes as otherwise, anciently accustomed,
to Sir Thomas Hogan, Henry Bastard, Henry Barker, Thomas Baxter,
Thomas Burton, for 21 years, from Lady day 1616, for 10_l._ per
annum, free and clear from all manner of quit rents and charges
whatsoever. Both which sheep walks, with the lands thus demised,
were anciently in Lease to the lords of the manor of East Lexham,
from the old hospital, under the yearly rent of 20_s._ 4_d._ as
appears by two ancient rentals, [copies of which are preserved in Mr.
King’s MS. and are here given in the note below. {544}]—The flocks of
the lords of Dunham went and were depastured in and upon the common
of Dunham—as more appeareth by an ancient survey upon oath, both of
the freehold and copyhold tenants, made in the 4th Edward 2. which is
in the hands of Henry Bastard, Gent. now [i.e. about 1724] Lord of
the manor of Great Dunham.”

[A true copy of which subjoined: it is in Latin, and too long to be inserted here, as it fills near four folio pages.]

After some recapitulation, by way of summary, of the above account, the writer proceeds to treat of the then present state of the hospital (i.e. now near a 100 years ago) and he observes again,

“that the house was first granted by the founder for the society of a
prior and 12 men and women, called _brethren and sisters_, by which
last style and title it was again newfounded by the aforesaid Letters
Patents of K. James I. as appears by the 6th paragraph thereof. But
this mixture or medley of sexes being not afterwards well and rightly
approved of, it have been since thought necessary to alter and change
the same {546a} and instead thereof to establish a _sisterhood only_,
consisting of a master and eleven poor widows, {546b} who have
formerly lived well and creditably in the world; but are not usually
admitted under the age of sixty.” {546c}

The above account was probably taken from the _MS. vellum book_, which Parkin mentions, {546d} and is supposed still to exist among the town archives. It appears to have been written in 1617, under the sanction of the then mayor, recorder, and aldermen, and bears date on St. John’s day that year, when _John Wallis_ was mayor, _Richard Stonham_, mayor elect, _Thomas Oxburgh_, recorder, and the following made up the remainder of the then magistrates, or aldermen, viz. _Thomas Baker_, _Thomas Gibson_, _John Spence_, _Matthew Clerk_, _John Atkyn_, _Thomas Soame_, _John Wormell_, _Thomas Leighton_, _William Doughty_, _William Atkyn_, and _Thomas Gurlyn_.—As these seem to be the persons who had been so active, a few years before, in recovering the lands belonging to our Magdalen Hospital, and in promoting the reestablishment and perpetuation of that charity, their names are worthy of being kept in remembrance; for they certainly deserved well of their country, and especially of the town of Lynn. The above law-suit, which they so successfully carried on, appears to have been one of the most justifiable and commendable of any that this corporation has ever been engaged or concerned in. Some of our corporation law-suits in more modern times were, it seems, of a different character.

For more than thirty years after the date of king James’ Letters Patents, and till sometime after the commencement of the civil wars, things went on well with our Magdalen Hospital, or Gaywood Almshouse. Its subsequent history, down to some part of the last century, is given by Mackerell, as follows—{547}

In the year 1643 this hospital suffered another dissolution, being
purposely burnt down, when the Earl of Manchester came with the
parliament forces to besiege the town of Lynn, at that time
fortified, and standing out for the king, whereby it was then become
utterly dissolved for some time.—But in the year 1649 the corporation
being obliged to build it anew, which is very commodiously done, as
it now appears, with two courts, {548} a chapel, and convenient
apartments for the master, brethren, and sisters to dwell in, it was
thought fit to put up the two following Inscriptions in proper
places, to denote the occasion of this last disaster. The first is
over the arch, upon a square free stone, as you enter into the second
court, [and reads thus.]

THIS HOSPITAL WAS BURNT DOWN
AT LYNN SIEGE, AND REBUILT
1649, NATH. MAXEY MAYOR, AND
EDW. ROBINSON Alderman and Treasurer.

[The other] inscription, with the arms of the corporation in a shield
over it, is engraven on a marble stone, which is affixed over the
portal next the road, [and is as follows.]

THOMAS RIVET, MAYOR,
ANNO 1650. E. R.

Thus after divers revolutions we now see it again erected,
established, and committed to the care and management of two of the
elder aldermen of the corporation, chosen and appointed annually from
among the rest of their brethren, the governors, for that purpose,
who with their joint advice and consent, ordain rules and orders for
the better guidance and direction of the society; as may be seen
fairly written in a Table hanging constantly up in the chapel,
whereby every one of the members is obliged to be present to hear
divine service daily read by the Master, after the tolling of the
bell, and not to neglect their duty in attending, (unless upon just
cause to be given to the master) under the penalty, or mulct
prescribed in the said order.—The improvement of the lands and
revenues of the hospital have been so far advanced of late [1724] by
the provident and prudent management of the two last worthy
gentlemen, the two deputed governors thereof, that the poor have now
an addition to their former salaries, of twelve pence per week to the
master, and sixpence to each of the women, or sisters; and it is to
be hoped they may in a little time be yet further advanced. {549}—The
parish church which they are appointed to resort to on Sundays, is
that of Gaywood, in which [parish] this hospital is situated, where
they have a convenient pew, purposely provided for them to sit in:
but they may go to any other church or chapel at Lynn, or elsewhere,
when and as often as they please.—So much shall suffice to have been
spoken of this ancient hospital, being without the walls and limits
of the borough of king’s Lynn, though wholly depending on the
corporation there. {550}

From the date of the above account (which seems to be brought down to 1737, when Mackerell’s work was published) to the present time, our information concerning the said hospital is not so correct, particular, or ample as we could wish.—It appears however, that divers changes have taken place from time to time since king James’s grant was obtained: first from a mixed society of brethren and sisters to that of _sisters only_: at first, it seems, these sisters were to be _all widows_, but latterly there is said to have been a departure from that plan, and _old maids_ have been admitted, in some instances, as well as widows; which seems not at all objectionable. Changes also, of course, there have been in the weekly allowances of the respective pensioners; but not (at least during the present reign) in proportion to the changes in the price of the necessaries of life. Half a Crown a week, which was the allowance a hundred years ago, was to the full as good as ten or twelve shillings a week now: and yet the poor women during any part of this long jubilee reign (when the _shilling_ has sunk in value to _three-pence_, or a _groat_, at most) never had above five shillings a week, till the commencement of the present year: Nor had they been long in the receipt of even so much as five shillings, or more than _four and sixpence_ a week, which was their stated allowance for sometime till within these very few years. They must have been, therefore, till this present year, and during most part of this long reign of boasted prosperity and glory, in a very unenviable, miserable, ragged, and half starving condition, although the acting governor was generally a man of fortune: and a late one immensely so; but they never fared worse than under his inspection, for his humanity or charity did not appear to be commensurate with his wealth. In short it is well for these poor pensioners that the acting government of their house is at present in the hands of a gentleman that seems determined to do them justice, and promote their comfort and happiness to the utmost of his power.

As to the _four Lazar Houses_, or Lepers Hospitals, paid to have been suppressed here at the general dissolution, it is likely that one of them was attached to, or connected with our Magdalen Hospital, for it appears to have been _partly_ founded for unsound or leprous persons. This therefore may be supposed to have been one of those four suppressed houses. Of the other three, one was probably at _West Lynn_, one at _Cowgate_, and the other at _Hardwick_. The disease, for the relief of those afflicted with which these houses were founded, is said to have been introduced, or brought from the East into this country, and to Europe, by the madbrained crusaders, who became many ways a terrible grievance and pest to their respective countries and nations. It was a proof, certainly, of the humanity of our countrymen, in those times, that houses were erected and endowed for the reception and relief of persons afflicted with so grievous and incurable a disorder. So little do we know about the order, or economy, or laws of these Lazar Houses, that we must here necessarily dismiss the subject.

Of the _Hospital of St. Lawrence_ very little is known, except that it was one of the four Lazar houses and stood at Hardwick, or _Herdwyk Dam_, as Parkin calls it. He says

“that in the 11th of Edward III. Matthew Herlewine conveyed by fine
and trust to Thomas Duraunt, parson of Clenchwarton; William Duraunt
of South Lynn, and John Kervyle of Wygenhale (along with other
possessions) the advowson of the hospital of St. Lawrence at Herdwyk
Dam, together with the rents, homages, services, &c. of the master of
the said hospital, of the prior of Wirmegey, the prior of Westacre,
and of John de Lenn.”

He also says, that—

“John Duraunt Esq. granted to Robert Synkclere and Agnes his wife the
hospital, or house of lepars, with the chapel of St. Lawrence situate
on the cawsey of Hardwyke, by Lenne, with the appertenances for their
lives, from the feast of St. Michael in 27 Henry VI. paying to him,
his heirs and assigns, for every brother and sister entering into the
said hospital, and made by the said Robert and Agnes, 20_d._ and it
shall not be lawful for the said John, his heirs &c. to put in or
out, any brother or sister during the lives of the aforesaid Robert
and Agnes.”

He further informs us, that—

“in 17 Edward, IV. Edmund Bedingfeld, lord of the manor of Hall
Place, (in the hamlet of Seche Parva, in South Lynn) and in a court
held of the said manor, grants to _John Norris_, {553a} vicar of
South Lynn, the scite of the Hospital of St. Lawrence (which was then
burnt) till it was rebuilt.” {553b}