Spital-in-the-Street
Encyclopedia
Spital-in-the-Street is a small hamlet in Lincolnshire
, England. It is on the Roman
Ermine Street
(hence the suffix), which forms the modern A15 road, near its junction with the A631 road, known as Caenby Corner
, 12 miles (19.3 km) north of Lincoln
. The first part of its name, "Spital", comes from the ancient hospital
for the poor which was situated there, this had its origins in a Hermit
age.
The Hermits or “Eremites” dwellers in the Eremos or wilderness
, commonly placed their Hermitages in remote spots, often on lonely highways in order to extend hospitality to travellers (when it came to lonely highways, the Ermine Street between Lincoln and the Humber Estuary was about as lonely as it got, running dead straight for the 32 miles (51.5 km) between Lincoln and the Humber and passing through no villages north of Lincoln until Broughton
25 miles (40.2 km) away).
The chapel
attached to the hermitage was dedicated to St Edmund. Edward II
granted a licence for land and rent to be appropriated by the Vicar
of Tealby
for the payment of the Chaplain
; and by a document signed at Tealby in 1323 and witnessed by nearly all the dignitaries of Lincoln Cathedral
the foundation was placed under the jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter. Ten years later the hermitage is called “Spital-on-the-Street” so its use had probably already been enlarged, although there is no documentary evidence of this. All that is known is the building of a house for the Chaplain by John of Harrington in 1333.
A fair and a market were inaugurated in 1324.
In 1396 Richard II
granted to Thomas de Aston, Canon
of Lincoln, leave to build a house “adjoining the west side of the chapel for the residence of William Wyhom the Chaplain and of certain poor persons there resident and their successors”, and before the end of the 14th century it had buildings sufficient for these poor persons. It escaped Henry VIII
’s dissolution of the monasteries
only to be later seized by Elizabeth I for the Crown and sold.
The Sessions
for the Kirton
division of Lindsey
were for many years held in the chapel, but it fell into disrepair and was pulled down by Sir William Wray in 1594 with a new Session’s House built nearby. Six years later Robert Mapletoft
of Pembroke College, Cambridge
was appointed Sub-Dean of Lincoln Cathedral and also Master of the Spital Hospital; he rebuilt the chapel and set about improving the Hospital’s revenues. By the mid 19th century, the Charity Commissioners estimated the hospital’s revenues to be £959 per year, although they said that most of this was being misappropriated. This money, a considerable amount, was eventually recovered and used to endow De Aston School
in Market Rasen
, to restore Lincoln Grammar School and pay the alms
of four neighbouring parishes.
The chapel was restored in 1864 but by the end of the century the hospital had been abandoned and only the chapel remained, falling ever further into dereliction until being restored once again in the 1990s.
Nearby villages include Hemswell Cliff
, Owmby by Spital
and Normanby by Spital
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England. It is on the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Ermine Street
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
(hence the suffix), which forms the modern A15 road, near its junction with the A631 road, known as Caenby Corner
Caenby Corner
Caenby Corner is a small settlement in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies at the junction of the A15 and A631, 10 miles north of Lincoln....
, 12 miles (19.3 km) north of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
. The first part of its name, "Spital", comes from the ancient hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
for the poor which was situated there, this had its origins in a Hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
age.
The Hermits or “Eremites” dwellers in the Eremos or wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
, commonly placed their Hermitages in remote spots, often on lonely highways in order to extend hospitality to travellers (when it came to lonely highways, the Ermine Street between Lincoln and the Humber Estuary was about as lonely as it got, running dead straight for the 32 miles (51.5 km) between Lincoln and the Humber and passing through no villages north of Lincoln until Broughton
Broughton, Lincolnshire
Broughton is a small town and civil parish situated on the Roman Ermine Street, in the North Lincolnshire district of Lincolnshire. England. The hamlet of Wressle is part of the parish....
25 miles (40.2 km) away).
The chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
attached to the hermitage was dedicated to St Edmund. Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
granted a licence for land and rent to be appropriated by the Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Tealby
Tealby
Tealby is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.Tealby is noted for the Tennyson d'Eyncourt family which donated the village hall and school. In the 1980s the school was used for filming the programme Nanny...
for the payment of the Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
; and by a document signed at Tealby in 1323 and witnessed by nearly all the dignitaries of Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
the foundation was placed under the jurisdiction of the Dean and Chapter. Ten years later the hermitage is called “Spital-on-the-Street” so its use had probably already been enlarged, although there is no documentary evidence of this. All that is known is the building of a house for the Chaplain by John of Harrington in 1333.
A fair and a market were inaugurated in 1324.
In 1396 Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
granted to Thomas de Aston, Canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Lincoln, leave to build a house “adjoining the west side of the chapel for the residence of William Wyhom the Chaplain and of certain poor persons there resident and their successors”, and before the end of the 14th century it had buildings sufficient for these poor persons. It escaped Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
’s dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
only to be later seized by Elizabeth I for the Crown and sold.
The Sessions
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
for the Kirton
Kirton in Lindsey
Kirton-in-Lindsey, also abbreviated to Kirton Lindsey, is a small town and civil parish in North Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:It is south of Scunthorpe, near the A15 road, and has a total resident population of 2,694....
division of Lindsey
Lindsey
Lindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it...
were for many years held in the chapel, but it fell into disrepair and was pulled down by Sir William Wray in 1594 with a new Session’s House built nearby. Six years later Robert Mapletoft
Robert Mapletoft
Robert Mapletoft was an English churchman and academic, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge and Dean of Ely.-Life:He was son of Hugh Mapletoft, rector of North Thoresby, Lincolnshire, was born there on 25 January 1609, and educated at the grammar school at Louth. He was admitted a sizar of...
of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
was appointed Sub-Dean of Lincoln Cathedral and also Master of the Spital Hospital; he rebuilt the chapel and set about improving the Hospital’s revenues. By the mid 19th century, the Charity Commissioners estimated the hospital’s revenues to be £959 per year, although they said that most of this was being misappropriated. This money, a considerable amount, was eventually recovered and used to endow De Aston School
De Aston School
De Aston School is a voluntary controlled, mixed comprehensive school in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England with a sixth form college and boarding house. The school has a broad Christian ethos but accommodates those of other faiths or no faith.-Admissions:...
in Market Rasen
Market Rasen
Market Rasen is a town and civil parish within the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the River Rase northeast of Lincoln, east of Gainsborough and southwest of Grimsby. According to the 2001 census, it has a population of 3,200....
, to restore Lincoln Grammar School and pay the alms
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
of four neighbouring parishes.
The chapel was restored in 1864 but by the end of the century the hospital had been abandoned and only the chapel remained, falling ever further into dereliction until being restored once again in the 1990s.
Nearby villages include Hemswell Cliff
Hemswell Cliff
Hemswell Cliff is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A631 between Caenby Corner and Gainsborough and on the Lincoln Cliff escarpment. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 683....
, Owmby by Spital
Owmby by Spital
Owmby by Spital is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census the civil parish, known as Owmby, had a population of 309. It is north of Lincoln just off the A15 and it is west of Market Rasen. The parish covers an area of...
and Normanby by Spital
Normanby by Spital
Normanby by Spital is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 318. It is north of Lincoln just off the A15....