Hospitals: Longbridge by Berkeley

41. THE HOSPITAL OF LONGBRIDGE BY BERKELEY (fn. 1)

The hospital of the Holy Trinity of Longbridge at the north end of Berkeley was founded by Maurice of Berkeley I, between 1170 and 1189. (fn. 2) The community consisted of a prior or master and a number of brethren to provide for the spiritual and temporal welfare of the sick poor who were received into the hospital. (fn. 3)

At the foundation of the hospital Maurice of Berkeley I guaranteed the rights of the abbot and convent of St. Augustine's, Bristol, to whom all the churches of the honour of Berkeley had been granted. It was agreed that all tithes and offerings should belong to the mother church of Berkeley, but that such offerings as were made by the parishioners on the feasts of St. John the Baptist and of St. Mary Magdalen should be assigned to the prior and brethren of the hospital. (fn. 4)

In 1269 Godfrey Giffard, bishop of Worcester, disputed the right of presentation to the hospital with Maurice of Berkeley. (fn. 5) It was then decided that the lords of Berkeley and the bishops of Worcester should present alternately, and this agreement was carefully observed.

The right of visitation was granted at the foundation, not to the bishop of Worcester, but to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine's, Bristol. (fn. 6) It was probably in virtue of their right of collation that the bishops of Worcester held inquisitions on two occasions. In 1275 Godfrey Giffard sent a mandate to the prior of the hospital of Lechlade to visit the hospital of Longbridge and inquire concerning the condition of the brethren and other persons dwelling there, (fn. 7) as he hoped to bring it to a more prosperous state. In 1321 Thomas Cobham commissioned Nicholas de Gore to inquire into the condition of the property of the hospital, and to discover what had become of the books and ornaments of the chapel, and the muniments and seal. The sick poor had apparently been ousted. (fn. 8) On 30 March, 1322, after receiving the report of the commissioner, the bishop wrote to the rural deans, rectors, and vicars in the archdeaconry of Gloucester bidding them fulminate the sentence of excommunication in their churches against certain persons, both clerks and laymen, in that archdeaconry who were said to have taken away the property of the hospital, unless they should at once restore it to Stephen de Brampton, to whom the bishop gave the office of master. (fn. 9)

The hospital benefited greatly under the will of William, marquis of Berkeley, in 1492. He directed that his executors should purchase a rental of 22 marks to find two priests for the chapel of Longbridge, and should spend 100 marks in building a house for them, 40 marks more in buying vestments and ornaments for the chapel, and in addition should buy a papal indulgence, 'as large as may be had,' to worshippers therein on the feast of the Trinity, who offered prayers for the souls of himself, his father and son. (fn. 10) The hospital of Longbridge was suppressed under the Act for the dissolution of chantries of 1547. (fn. 11)

Priors or Masters of the Hospital of Longbridge

Henry, occurs 1270, (fn. 12) ob. 1275 (fn. 13)

Robert de Werwich, 1275 (fn. 14)

Henry Hass, 1278 (fn. 15)

William de Cokebury, 1285 (fn. 16)

John of Newington, 1286 (fn. 17)

Stephen of Brampton, 1322 (fn. 18)

John de Barneby, 1331 (fn. 19)

Robert, 1349 (fn. 20)

Roger le Frend, 1355, (fn. 21) exchanged 1356 (fn. 22)

William le White, 1356, (fn. 23) exchanged 1357 (fn. 24)

Walter Launce, 1358 (fn. 25)

Nicholas Geoffrey, 1364, (fn. 26) exchanged 1370 (fn. 27)

Thomas Munday, 1370 (fn. 28)

Thomas Bristow, resigned 1401 (fn. 29)

Thomas Thame, 1401, (fn. 30) exchanged 1404 (fn. 31)

Reginald Powy, resigned 1406 (fn. 32)

Thomas Calle, 1406, (fn. 33) resigned 1409 (fn. 34)

William Rande, 1409, (fn. 35) resigned 1414 (fn. 36)

John Talbot, 1414 (fn. 37)

Richard Wude or Ward, 1422 (fn. 38)

Richard Vele, 1451 (fn. 39)

Richard Roos, 1455, (fn. 40) resigned 1465 (fn. 41)

Thomas Campden, 1465 (fn. 42)

John Campden, ob. 1486 (fn. 43)

John Wiche, 1486 (fn. 44)

William Wall, ob. 1511 (fn. 45)

Robert Davell, 1511, (fn. 46) resigned 1512 (fn. 47)

John Mogryche, 1512 (fn. 48)

A seal of the thirteenth century represents our Lord with nimbus, seated on a throne, lifting up the right hand in benediction, in the left hand a book. (fn. 49)