42. THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, OXFORD.
We first meet with this hospital about 1180in the Godstow Chartulary, (fn. 1) and about 1190 inthe chartulary of the Templars of Sandford (fn. 2);before 1194 we find it buying land, held of thehonour of Wallingford by Hugh de Malaunay,but when and by whom it was founded isunknown. In 1231 a great change was made,when the king granted the garden of the Jewsoutside the East Gate, that the hospital might beerected there, (fn. 3) and a later entry implies that thehospital chapel was built at the king's cost. (fn. 4) Bythis step he secured the title of founder; and itis possible that the character of the institutionwas altered at this time; for subsequently theonly purpose of the hospital seems to have beento nurse the sick, whereas in early times, likemany other hospitals, it was a place for entertaining strangers, and was sometimes called'herebergeria hospitalis extra portam orientalem.' (fn. 5) In 1246 Pope Innocent issued certain additions'to the ancient statutes' (fn. 6); he ordained that 'thehospital, built by the king for the relief of poorscholars and other miserable persons, and endowedby him,' should be governed by a master, to beelected by the brethren. There was also to bea cellarer, and a sacrist, the latter to have chargeof the infirmary and to hear the confessions ofthe infirm; incurable cases were not to bereceived; the members or staff of the hospitalwere to consist of brothers and sisters, but notmore were to be admitted than were necessaryfor waiting on the sick. Of the men it isassumed that several would be priests, and allwere bound by the monastic vows. He furthergranted that it should be exempt from episcopaland archidiaconal visitations; and in 1320, thearchbishop was warned not to intermeddle withit when he was visiting the monastic houses ofOxfordshire. (fn. 7) If visitations were necessary, theking entrusted the work to any clerk he chose;in 1331 he sent two of his own clerks; in 1335the archdeacon of Canterbury. (fn. 8) Unfortunatelyfor us, as the hospital was exempt, there is nomention of it in the episcopal registers, and weknow little of its history.
In 1245 the king granted various liberties,such as exemption from hundred courts, countycourts, view of frank-pledge and even murdrum(i.e. the assessment on landowners of the hundredin which a murder was committed), and from alltolls at markets and bridges. (fn. 9) In 1294 thebrethren had permission to enclose for a burialground some vacant land, measuring 100 yds.by 30, on the south side of the road whichpassed their churchyard, provided that they leftthe road with a breadth of not less than 26 ft. (fn. 10);no doubt this was the old burial-place of theJews, reserved under the original grant of 1231, (fn. 11) but no longer needed now that they had beenbanished.
Of the internal affairs of the hospital weknow very little. During the fourteenth centuryit was frequently excused (fn. 12) from the payment ofsubsidies because of its poverty, but its income,to judge from the amount of property it held inOxford and elsewhere, must have been considerable. In 1335 it was said that the brothersand sisters quarrelled among themselves; and itis noticeable that most of the masters, instead ofbeing elected by the brethren, were nominatedby the king, (fn. 13) some of them being appointedonly during the king's pleasure, while others hadmerely the custody of the hospital for a time.In 1341 complaint was made to the king by acertain Alice that whereas he had given her anorder to receive her sustenance for life from thehospital, the master and certain citizens ofOxford had assaulted her and taken the document from her. (fn. 14)
The hospital came to an end in 1457, whenit was granted with its endowments to WilliamWaynfleet for the college that he was founding.
Wardens of the Hospital of St. Johnthe Baptist, Oxford.
Elyas, resigned 1237 (fn. 15)
Robert, appointed 1237 (fn. 15); occurs 1241 (fn. 16)
Henry de Lewknor alias Thornton, appointed1242; occurs 1246 (fn. 17)
Adam, occurs 1246 and 1248 (fn. 18)
Thomas, occurs 1251 and 1254 (fn. 19)
Henry de Wingham, occurs 1254-7 (fn. 20)
Henry de Wylebi, occurs 1258 and 1262 (fn. 21)
Walter de Wylebi, occurs 1264 (fn. 22) to 1281 (fn. 23)
Nicholas de Shireveleye, appointed 1281 (fn. 24) 1295
Robert de Scardeburgh, 1295-1301 (fn. 25)
Nicholas de Shireveleye, re-appointed 1301, (fn. 26) occurs 1316 (fn. 27)
William de Otyndon, occurs 1320, (fn. 28) died1332 (fn. 29)
Geoffrey Halyweye, appointed 1332 (fn. 30)
Adam de Lodbrok, appointed 1335, (fn. 31) occurs1348
John de Idbury, occurs 1353 and 1360 (fn. 32)
Robert de Tywe, occurs 1362, (fn. 33) died 1384 (fn. 34)
Adam de Merston, 1384, (fn. 35) died 1387
John Idbury appointed 1387, died 1392 (fn. 36)
Richard Tywe, elected 1392 (fn. 37) occurs 1434 (fn. 38)
William Lodebroke, occurs 1435 and 1437 (fn. 39)
Thomas Oxenford, occurs 1437 (fn. 40)
Hugh Burton, occurs 1439, resigned 1442 (fn. 41)
Richard Vyse, elected 1442, resigned 1457 (fn. 42)
There are two seals of the hospital, bothpointed ovals; the first (fn. 43) represents a cross witha dove above and a (?) nail below, the legendbeing:—
S. FRATRVM OSPITALIS S. IOHANNIS DE OXEN
The second seal (fn. 44) has the same emblems, butthe legend is:—
[S. COMMVN]E DOMVS HOSPITALIS [SCI. IOH]ISBAPTISTE EXTRA [OXONIAM]
The former is evidently of the twelfth century,and was in use until after 1380. (fn. 45)
