The Hospital of St Leonard

[RichardB]

According to Mr. Richard Holmes, in his account of the Lazarite Hospital of Foulsnape at Pontefract, this was also a hospital of that order, (fn. 52) but unfortunately he does not give any authority for the statement.

The hospital was founded by William de Lovetot, whose charter, a small slip of parchment with some remains of the appendent seal, was in 1869 in the charge of the Duke of Norfolk's auditor. Dr. Gatty, (fn. 53) from the witnesses' names, assigns it to the reign of Henry II. By it, William de Lovetot granted to the sick (infirmis) of Sheffield the land which Roger held by the bridge of Don, and their living (victus), which was to be taken from his mill of Sheffield.

The original endowment was not large, but the hospital probably received other gifts as time went on. Dodsworth, who visited Sheffield in August 1620, says:

'There hath been a spittle there on this side the bridge.'

Nothing whatever has been discovered as to its history except that in 1299 Daniel, the keeper of the hospital, complained of Maud de Beauchamp, Countess of Warwick, Thomas de Furnival, and Richard del Clogh of Hallam, for unjustly disseising him of his free tenement in Sheffield.

(fn. 54) The hospital stood on a little eminence oh the east side of the town, still called the Spittal-hill. In an inquisition as to concealed lands, 12 February 1583, it is spoken of as a decayed chapel called St. Leonard's Chapel in the parish of Sheffield. In 1522-3 Dom. Edward Hadfeld was. chaplain 'apud le Spittell' at Sheffield, his stipend being £6 per annum. (fn. 55)

From: 'Hospitals: Scarborough - Yarm', A History of the County of York: Volume 3 (1974), pp. 330-36.

URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.as...ery=hallamshire