Holy Jesus Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Holy Jesus Hospital is a museum and tourist attraction in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
in the care of the National Trust
.
The site of the hospital has been in use for 700 years helping the townspeople, and this history is explained by the museum currently on the site. There was an Augustinian Friary on the site from the thirteenth century, then a hospital
or almshouse
for housing retired freemen, then a soup kitchen
in the nineteenth century, before the site acquired its current function as a museum. The museum also serves as the basis of the Inner City Project of the National Trust. The Inner City Project takes people of ages 12–25 and over 50 out to the countryside in order to increase appreciation of the city's natural surroundings.
The building is of architectural interest because it still retains architectural elements from many previous centuries, including a thirteenth century sacristy
wall and 16th century fortifications connected with the King's Council of the North
. It is also one of only two intact 17th century brick buildings that survive in the city, the other being Alderman Fenwick's House.
had a population of around 4,000; and it was difficult for the four parish church
es to care for the needs of such a large population. The priests were expected to be educators, doctors and counsellors; as well as meet the spiritual needs of their parishioners. Therefore, in 1291 land was gifted by William Baron of Wark on Tweed
to found an Augustinian Friary on the land on which the museum now stands.
The Augustinian Friars were originally an order of hermits in Northern Italy whom Pope Alexander IV
first congregated into a single body in 1256. The Order spread to France and then to England after being invited by Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
to found Clare Priory
in Suffolk, by the River Stour
. On 3 September 1249 de Clare was able to get a writ of protection for the Friars from the King. The brethren were clothed in black and observed the rule of St Augustine of Hippo. Augustianian Friars had been in England since 1250 and they helped by preaching and healing in the community.
The Friary was also used as a lodgings house because it was on one of the main roads North. On the day that King Edward I passed through Newcastle in December 1299 the brethren each received three shilling
s and four pence (3s. 4d). In 1306 the King also granted the monastery additional lands to enlarge the burial ground
. Richard II
directed the bailiff
s of the city to issue a proclamation against dumping waste near the site. Apparently some local people threw "excrements, filth, and garbage, in a certain way that led near to the house of the Austin Friars, to their great annoyance and peril."
It is possible that the site was used by English Kings before its later use as a temporary seat for the Council of the North
after the Dissolution of the Monasteries
. Henry Bourne, an 18th century historian of Newcastle Upon Tyne wrote of the site: "the Kings of England since the Conquest, kept house in it, whence they came with an Army Royal against Scotland, and since the Suppression of the Monasteries, made a Magazine
and Store-house for the North Parts."
Bourne also suggests that the use of the site as a religious centre might predate the Friary. He wrote "the same authority tells us also, that there was an ancient Religious House founded by the Kings of Northumberland
and that several of them were buried here; but it cannot be true that they built any Thing for the St Austin Fryers, for they came not into England 'till long after the Conquest, in the year 1252."
In 1539 the Friary was seized by the crown along with five others in the area including the Dominican monastery of Blackfriars. At the time of its capture the Friary had seven brethren and three novices including the Prior
, Andrew Kell. The Monks and Nuns were pension
ed and the friars received gratuities. Some took jobs as chantry priests or accommodation in Parish Livings. Those nun
s who were of good birth returned to their families. The bells, lead plate and vestments were turned over to the crown. Most of the building and lands were sold to the lesser gentry, new nobility, and town merchants or to borough corporations. At the time of the Dissolution there was a prior, ten Friars and three novice
s.
In 1537 Thomas Cromwell was asked if the Austin Friary site could be left intact after the dissolution, to be used as Northern headquarters of the King's Council of the North
when it was not sitting at York
. It was rarely used for this purpose (Elizabeth I decreed that the council spend 20 days a year there). It appears that in 1551 the site was granted to John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
"as parcel of Tynemouth Monastery." In 1553, Richard Benson occurs as keeper of this house for the crown for a fee of 40s per annum. In the map of the City by John Speed
in 1610, the site appears as 'Kings Manour.' It was much dilapidated by 1595. During the confused period of the English Civil War
it passed into the hands of the Corporation. The area became known as Kings Manor which was a short lived counterpart to the famous King’s Manor at York. Military drills were performed by the townspeople at an area called the artillery ground. All that remains of the Friary is part of the sacristy
wall though a model in the interpretation room gives a possible layout of some of the Friary buildings.
The Tower was constructed sometime between the Dissolution and the Union of the Crowns
but the exact date is not known. It was probably constructed as a strong room to store munitions or provide a secure location if the city walls were breached. This turned the ground floor room into a lock up where troublesome citizens would be thrown until they came before the law to be punished. Much about the tower has changed. The wall to the right of the door is 13th Century while the dividing wall including the door is 18th Century.
to George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
. In that same year Home was also made a Knight of the Garter and received his Earldom of Dunbar. Bourne quotes one of his sources as saying, "a Scot did beg it (the Hospital) of King James; after that took the lead off it and sold it; but it was cast away before it came to its market." Also in that year Home consolidated all the lands given to him into a free Earldom, Lordship of Parliament and Barony of Dunbar. The site was one of many Home acquired under the patronage of the king including the Manor and Castle of Norlan
and the Castle of St Andrews
. Home died in Whitehall
, London, in 1611 without a male heir and thus his Earldom and Barony became extinct. A Captain Dykes became the next owner of the land. Bourne wrote 'He (George Home) sold also some stones to Sir Peter Riddel, who with them built the south end of his fine house; but now it belongs to Captain Dykes, and his posterity hath no right.' The site disappears from the historical record until 1646 when it is recorded as being owned by the council.
The Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1681 by public subscription to house retired Freemen, their widows or unmarried sons or daughters. The hospital was commonly known by local people as the "Freeman's Hospital" and the "Town's Hospital" but on the 26th of March 1684 the building was incorporated by the name of the master, brethren, and sisters of the Hospital of the holy Jesus. The Mayor, alderman and Common Council of Newcastle were appointed as visitors and charged with setting the rules for the hospital. Shortly afterwards the founders bought a quay and garden, in the Close for £700 and an estate in Edderly, County Durham for £1610, and another estate at Whittle, Northumberland for £1300 and the master and brethren of the hospital were settled across these properties. The building itself was constructed using brick construction which was then a relatively new method (brick was usually used as an infill for timber-framed buildings). Indeed the structure is one of only two 17th century brick buildings in Newcastle-Upon Tyne, the other being nearby Alderman Fenwick’s House in Pilgrim Street. To be allocated a room one had to meet the committee’s criteria and once were admitted one had to abide by the master’s rules. It remained in use until 1937 when the new Hospital was built at Spital Towers. Strict rules governed the "inmates" including being locked in their rooms at 9pm and having their doors unlocked again at 6am. There were no children allowed and the inmates were instructed to attend church each week and take the sacrament
. Each year the residents would have been given a free suit of clothing, a measure of coal and if the charity allowed it some pocket money (Alms
).
The first master of the house was a man named Thomas Lewen, a merchant by trade. The master's seal had a cross engraved on it and bore the words "Sigillum Hospitalis Sancti Jesu in Novo Castro." The original allowance for the inmates of the hospital was 20 shillings per 'quarterly' while the master would get 30 shillings. On January 2, 1752, the council decreed that forty 'fothers' of coal be given to the hospital annually and, on December 18, 1769, the master was required to be paid £8, and each inmate sister £6 per annum. By the early 19th century this allowance had increased to £13 for each inmate per annum, four fother
s of 'best Benwell' coals as well as providing clothing. In addition to this the inmates were required to see the Mayor at the Guildhall once each quarter where grievances would be heard. The inmates could also receive money from charities and this was often called escutcheon money.
In 1705 the inmates of the Newcastle House of Correction were commissioned to produce 'purple and grey cloth' for the uniforms of the widows of the Holy Jesus Hospital.
There is an inscription in Latin on the front on the building. Roughly translated it reads;
"Hospital for poor people by the expense of the citizens and leaders of Newcastle upon Tyne in the year of salvation 1683. Built by Timothy Robson, Mayor, John Squire Sheriff, but now only remains the three of Faith Hope and Charity, and the greatest of these is Charity."
In 1646 the council allowed the Barber Surgeons to build their hall just east of the site: this agreement was given on the 15th March 1647. In 1648 the plot of land was leased to the barber surgeons on condition that they constructed their hall within two years and that part of the site was to be laid out as a garden for medicinal herbs. A second hall built in 1730 disappeared under the railway viaduct in the 1840s. The most aged claimants were preferred for placements at the Hospital and on the 22nd of March, 1779, the Mayor and common council of Newcastle ordered that several candidates produce certificates to prove their respective ages, to be filed in the town-clerk's office.
While the modern site is heavily enclosed by modern constructions, particularly Swan House roundabout, Mackenzie, in 1827, portrays a much more open space:
A Soup Kitchen was built in 1880, replacing the Police Station which adjoined the hospital on the west side, by public subscription and dispensed soup to the ‘deserving poor’ until 1891. The soup was not free: it cost half a pence per pint. People who had donated each had a number of tickets which they could give to those people who they believed qualified for the ration. The deserving poor in Victorian times were those unable to work during the winter months. Those individuals classed as undeserving were those whose poverty was deemed to be caused by indolence and alcoholism
.
A recent article has suggested that the soup provided by the Kitchen was highly nutritious.
The kitchen was open from December to March, seven days a week, weather permitting. Advertisements were placed in local newspapers such as the Daily Chronicle and The Journal and Courant to solicit donations for the kitchen. The donations were used to pay the kitchen staff and buy the provisions for the soup. The names of prominent contributors were also listed in those newspapers and annual receipts and expenditures were also published in the press. The kitchen was run by a committee of prominent townsmen including Thomas Pumphrey, Henry E Armstrong, James Joicey and the banker Thomas Hodgkin.
Lynn Redhead, customer services administrator at the Holy Jesus Hospital has described what the kitchen would have looked like in the following way:
"People wanting soup came in through an 18-inch wide brick-lined corridor one at a time to be served from troughs. Six copper boilers were on the first floor of the building with storage below where raw materials were weighed to be hoisted up. They were making 100 gallons of soup at a time, that’s 800 people all queuing at the back of the building."
In 1881 the committee from the Discharged Prisoner’s Aid Society asked to use the building when it was not in use for discharged female convicts from the prison at Carliol Square (1828–1925) to do laundry work and the Society continued to use it for this purpose until the turn of the century. Between 1882-1883 City Road was built over the front lawn of the Hospital.
From 1893 the building was leased to pork butcher F.G Thompson who made alterations to the building presumably to separate his business from the laundry and ex-convicts. Urwins Chemical Factory operated on the site from 1913 producing industrial and domestic chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as filing first aid boxes until 1961 when they moved to Stepney bank in Ouseburn
. In 1937 the Council decided that the hospital was no longer fit to house people because of the stench caused by acid manufacture. Therefore a new Hospital was built at Spital Tougues. Some of the building's original fixtures were moved to the new site at this time.
. The tower of the hospital had the Alnwick Armoury and the Shotley Bridge
Sword makers displays on the first and second floors. The Shotley Bridge Sword makers were sword makers and knifemakers from Solingen
, Germany who settled in Shotley Bridge, Durham, in 1690. The soup kitchen was mainly used as a Victorian schoolroom where children were dressed and taught as Victorian children would have been. There were also audio-visual presentations that illustrated the Tyne Flood of 1771 and the Great Fire of 1854. Part of the museum was devoted to the Northumberland Hussars
and the 15th and 19th Regiments of the King's Royal Hussars. The museum's location combined with the city’s underpasses and roads system made access to the museum difficult and it was little visited.
In 1993 the Museum closed and all artifacts were taken to the Discovery Museum on Blandford Street. These included the effigy of a knight from the 15th Century that was found next to the sacristy wall outside the Tower.
and the Tyne and Wear Partnership. The project been running since 1987 in the east end of Newcastle working with young people from 12-25 and with the over 50s, taking them out to the countryside. The National Trust needed a central office to expand their work into other inner city areas, so a 25 year lease was negotiated with the council. The new museum on the site features touch screens and 3D models to help teach people about the site's history of helping the townspeople. In the book The Remains of Distant Times: Archaeology and the National Trust, Priscilla Boniface criticizes what she believes to be the National Trust's lack of interest in operating in urban environments but praises the Inner City Project as a step towards rectifying this. She wrote "Its occasional ventures - such as the Newcastle Inner City Project...by their frequent mention in National Trust communications, merely serve to underline how few of their type the Trust has to call on for report." She argues that although the aim of introducing town dwellers to the countryside is "laudable", the "respectful and serious suggestion might be made, though, that a person or person's might be usefully employed also with the objective of raising National Trust people's understanding of and confidence in their ability to visit and enjoy, or at least encounter, the city." However, Collins and Kay cite research suggesting that the scheme has been effective in promoting "social inclusion". They note, however, that the project has been limited by the funds made available to it.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the care of the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
.
The site of the hospital has been in use for 700 years helping the townspeople, and this history is explained by the museum currently on the site. There was an Augustinian Friary on the site from the thirteenth century, then a 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....
or almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
for housing retired freemen, then a soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
in the nineteenth century, before the site acquired its current function as a museum. The museum also serves as the basis of the Inner City Project of the National Trust. The Inner City Project takes people of ages 12–25 and over 50 out to the countryside in order to increase appreciation of the city's natural surroundings.
The building is of architectural interest because it still retains architectural elements from many previous centuries, including a thirteenth century sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
wall and 16th century fortifications connected with the King's Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
. It is also one of only two intact 17th century brick buildings that survive in the city, the other being Alderman Fenwick's House.
Augustinian Friary (1291–1539)
In the 13th Century, Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
had a population of around 4,000; and it was difficult for the four parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es to care for the needs of such a large population. The priests were expected to be educators, doctors and counsellors; as well as meet the spiritual needs of their parishioners. Therefore, in 1291 land was gifted by William Baron of Wark on Tweed
Wark on Tweed
Wark on Tweed is a village in the English county of Northumberland. It lies about south west of Berwick-upon-Tweed...
to found an Augustinian Friary on the land on which the museum now stands.
Pope Alexander IV
Pope Alexander IV was Pope from 1254 until his death.Born as Rinaldo di Jenne, in Jenne , he was, on his mother's side, a member of the de' Conti di Segni family, the counts of Segni, like Pope Innocent III and Pope Gregory IX...
first congregated into a single body in 1256. The Order spread to France and then to England after being invited by Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester was son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal. On his father's death, when he became Earl of Gloucester , he was entrusted first to the guardianship of Hubert de Burgh. On Hubert's fall, his guardianship was...
to found Clare Priory
Clare Priory
Clare Priory is a modern English house of the Augustinian order, established 1248 near Clare Castle on the banks of the River Stour in Suffolk. It was one of the first English monastic houses suppressed in 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the Irish Augustinian Friars purchased...
in Suffolk, by the River Stour
River Stour, Suffolk
The River Stour is a river in East Anglia, England. It is 76 km long and forms most of the county boundary between Suffolk to the north, and Essex to the south. It rises in eastern Cambridgeshire, passes to the east of Haverhill, through Cavendish, Sudbury and the Dedham Vale, and joins the...
. On 3 September 1249 de Clare was able to get a writ of protection for the Friars from the King. The brethren were clothed in black and observed the rule of St Augustine of Hippo. Augustianian Friars had been in England since 1250 and they helped by preaching and healing in the community.
The Friary was also used as a lodgings house because it was on one of the main roads North. On the day that King Edward I passed through Newcastle in December 1299 the brethren each received three shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s and four pence (3s. 4d). In 1306 the King also granted the monastery additional lands to enlarge the burial ground
Burial Ground
Burial Ground is the ninth studio album by Swedish death metal band Grave, released in June 2010.-Track listing:# "Liberation" - 3:40# "Semblance In Black" - 7:50# "Dismembered Mind" - 6:10# "Ridden With Belief" - 7:57# "Conquerer" - 4:44...
. 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...
directed the bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
s of the city to issue a proclamation against dumping waste near the site. Apparently some local people threw "excrements, filth, and garbage, in a certain way that led near to the house of the Austin Friars, to their great annoyance and peril."
It is possible that the site was used by English Kings before its later use as a temporary seat for the Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
after the 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...
. Henry Bourne, an 18th century historian of Newcastle Upon Tyne wrote of the site: "the Kings of England since the Conquest, kept house in it, whence they came with an Army Royal against Scotland, and since the Suppression of the Monasteries, made a Magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
and Store-house for the North Parts."
Bourne also suggests that the use of the site as a religious centre might predate the Friary. He wrote "the same authority tells us also, that there was an ancient Religious House founded by the Kings of Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and that several of them were buried here; but it cannot be true that they built any Thing for the St Austin Fryers, for they came not into England 'till long after the Conquest, in the year 1252."
Dissolution of the Monasteries (1539)
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
, Andrew Kell. The Monks and Nuns were pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
ed and the friars received gratuities. Some took jobs as chantry priests or accommodation in Parish Livings. Those nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s who were of good birth returned to their families. The bells, lead plate and vestments were turned over to the crown. Most of the building and lands were sold to the lesser gentry, new nobility, and town merchants or to borough corporations. At the time of the Dissolution there was a prior, ten Friars and three novice
Novice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
s.
In 1537 Thomas Cromwell was asked if the Austin Friary site could be left intact after the dissolution, to be used as Northern headquarters of the King's Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
when it was not sitting at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. It was rarely used for this purpose (Elizabeth I decreed that the council spend 20 days a year there). It appears that in 1551 the site was granted to John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
"as parcel of Tynemouth Monastery." In 1553, Richard Benson occurs as keeper of this house for the crown for a fee of 40s per annum. In the map of the City by John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
in 1610, the site appears as 'Kings Manour.' It was much dilapidated by 1595. During the confused period of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
it passed into the hands of the Corporation. The area became known as Kings Manor which was a short lived counterpart to the famous King’s Manor at York. Military drills were performed by the townspeople at an area called the artillery ground. All that remains of the Friary is part of the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
wall though a model in the interpretation room gives a possible layout of some of the Friary buildings.
The Tower
Union of the Crowns
The Union of the Crowns was the accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England, and the consequential unification of Scotland and England under one monarch. The Union of Crowns followed the death of James' unmarried and childless first cousin twice removed, Queen Elizabeth I of...
but the exact date is not known. It was probably constructed as a strong room to store munitions or provide a secure location if the city walls were breached. This turned the ground floor room into a lock up where troublesome citizens would be thrown until they came before the law to be punished. Much about the tower has changed. The wall to the right of the door is 13th Century while the dividing wall including the door is 18th Century.
Private ownership (1605–1646)
In 1605 the tower and Friary buildings were given by James I of EnglandJames I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
to George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor...
. In that same year Home was also made a Knight of the Garter and received his Earldom of Dunbar. Bourne quotes one of his sources as saying, "a Scot did beg it (the Hospital) of King James; after that took the lead off it and sold it; but it was cast away before it came to its market." Also in that year Home consolidated all the lands given to him into a free Earldom, Lordship of Parliament and Barony of Dunbar. The site was one of many Home acquired under the patronage of the king including the Manor and Castle of Norlan
Norham Castle
Norham Castle is a partly ruined castle in Northumberland, England, overlooking the River Tweed, on the border between England and Scotland. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument...
and the Castle of St Andrews
St Andrews Castle
St Andrew's Castle is a picturesque ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing at the site since the times of Bishop Roger...
. Home died in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, London, in 1611 without a male heir and thus his Earldom and Barony became extinct. A Captain Dykes became the next owner of the land. Bourne wrote 'He (George Home) sold also some stones to Sir Peter Riddel, who with them built the south end of his fine house; but now it belongs to Captain Dykes, and his posterity hath no right.' The site disappears from the historical record until 1646 when it is recorded as being owned by the council.
The Hospital (1646–1825)
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
. Each year the residents would have been given a free suit of clothing, a measure of coal and if the charity allowed it some pocket money (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...
).
Fother
Fother is an old unit originally a cart-load , but through transference became a measurement for a quantity of lead. It was defined in different ways at different places and times, being about equal to a ton or somewhat more....
s of 'best Benwell' coals as well as providing clothing. In addition to this the inmates were required to see the Mayor at the Guildhall once each quarter where grievances would be heard. The inmates could also receive money from charities and this was often called escutcheon money.
In 1705 the inmates of the Newcastle House of Correction were commissioned to produce 'purple and grey cloth' for the uniforms of the widows of the Holy Jesus Hospital.
There is an inscription in Latin on the front on the building. Roughly translated it reads;
"Hospital for poor people by the expense of the citizens and leaders of Newcastle upon Tyne in the year of salvation 1683. Built by Timothy Robson, Mayor, John Squire Sheriff, but now only remains the three of Faith Hope and Charity, and the greatest of these is Charity."
In 1646 the council allowed the Barber Surgeons to build their hall just east of the site: this agreement was given on the 15th March 1647. In 1648 the plot of land was leased to the barber surgeons on condition that they constructed their hall within two years and that part of the site was to be laid out as a garden for medicinal herbs. A second hall built in 1730 disappeared under the railway viaduct in the 1840s. The most aged claimants were preferred for placements at the Hospital and on the 22nd of March, 1779, the Mayor and common council of Newcastle ordered that several candidates produce certificates to prove their respective ages, to be filed in the town-clerk's office.
Nineteenth century
A Soup Kitchen was built in 1880, replacing the Police Station which adjoined the hospital on the west side, by public subscription and dispensed soup to the ‘deserving poor’ until 1891. The soup was not free: it cost half a pence per pint. People who had donated each had a number of tickets which they could give to those people who they believed qualified for the ration. The deserving poor in Victorian times were those unable to work during the winter months. Those individuals classed as undeserving were those whose poverty was deemed to be caused by indolence and alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
.
A recent article has suggested that the soup provided by the Kitchen was highly nutritious.
The kitchen was open from December to March, seven days a week, weather permitting. Advertisements were placed in local newspapers such as the Daily Chronicle and The Journal and Courant to solicit donations for the kitchen. The donations were used to pay the kitchen staff and buy the provisions for the soup. The names of prominent contributors were also listed in those newspapers and annual receipts and expenditures were also published in the press. The kitchen was run by a committee of prominent townsmen including Thomas Pumphrey, Henry E Armstrong, James Joicey and the banker Thomas Hodgkin.
Lynn Redhead, customer services administrator at the Holy Jesus Hospital has described what the kitchen would have looked like in the following way:
"People wanting soup came in through an 18-inch wide brick-lined corridor one at a time to be served from troughs. Six copper boilers were on the first floor of the building with storage below where raw materials were weighed to be hoisted up. They were making 100 gallons of soup at a time, that’s 800 people all queuing at the back of the building."
In 1881 the committee from the Discharged Prisoner’s Aid Society asked to use the building when it was not in use for discharged female convicts from the prison at Carliol Square (1828–1925) to do laundry work and the Society continued to use it for this purpose until the turn of the century. Between 1882-1883 City Road was built over the front lawn of the Hospital.
From 1893 the building was leased to pork butcher F.G Thompson who made alterations to the building presumably to separate his business from the laundry and ex-convicts. Urwins Chemical Factory operated on the site from 1913 producing industrial and domestic chemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as filing first aid boxes until 1961 when they moved to Stepney bank in Ouseburn
Ouseburn
The Ouseburn is a river which flows through Newcastle upon Tyne into the River Tyne. The river gives its name to the Ouseburn electoral ward....
. In 1937 the Council decided that the hospital was no longer fit to house people because of the stench caused by acid manufacture. Therefore a new Hospital was built at Spital Tougues. Some of the building's original fixtures were moved to the new site at this time.
The Peoples Kitchen
The 19th century soup kitchen inspired 'The People's Kitchen,' a 20th century charity organization dedicated to helping Newcastle's homeless. The Peoples Kitchen was founded by 76 year old Alison Kay who was moved to help the homeless after finding an unidentified man dead under a bush in Newcastle. First she held a "friendship picnic" attended by four homeless men in which she delivered flasks of tea and sandwiches prepared in her own kitchen. Then, after liasing with the Police and Social Services she inaugurated The Peoples Kitchen. After occupying temporary premises in Blenheim Street The peoples hospital moved its headquarters to Bath Lane, Newcastle, in 1997 and distributes clothing and equipment to the homeless.The First Museum (1950–1993)
In late 1960s the Museum Board was looking to have more museums in Newcastle and thought the Holy Jesus Hospital could be used. The fact that the building had stood empty for decades meant that the condition of the building had suffered greatly. The restoration cost £67,000, the money coming from the John George Joicey bequest and a new roof was needed. During the restoration some of the original fabric of the building such as door frames, doors and walls on the top floor were lost. In 1970 John George Joicey Museum opened. During this time the soup kitchens were joined to the Holy Jesus Hospital. The first floor rooms were used for teaching the history of Newcastle from the Roman period to the present date. There were period rooms illustrating living styles from the early Stuart to late Victorian periods. Much of the collection was donated by bequest by John George Joicey, a Gateshead businessman and owner of the mining company James Joicey & Co. ltd, and after whom the museum was named. Joicey was also a prominent donor to the Laing Art GalleryLaing Art Gallery
The Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne, England is located on New Bridge Street. It was opened in 1904 and is now managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In front of the gallery is the Blue Carpet.The gallery holds oil paintings,...
. The tower of the hospital had the Alnwick Armoury and the Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge
Shotley Bridge is a village in the Derwent Valley, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. Shotley Bridge was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry.The origins of swordmaking here dated from 1691...
Sword makers displays on the first and second floors. The Shotley Bridge Sword makers were sword makers and knifemakers from Solingen
Solingen
Solingen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and with a 2009 population of 161,366 is the second largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany who settled in Shotley Bridge, Durham, in 1690. The soup kitchen was mainly used as a Victorian schoolroom where children were dressed and taught as Victorian children would have been. There were also audio-visual presentations that illustrated the Tyne Flood of 1771 and the Great Fire of 1854. Part of the museum was devoted to the Northumberland Hussars
Northumberland Hussars
The Northumberland Hussars is a Squadron of The Queen's Own Yeomanry is an armoured Squadron of the British Territorial Army. It is part of a Formation Reconnaissance Regiment, equipped with the FV107 Scimitar and FV103 Spartan type armoured reconnaissance vehicles...
and the 15th and 19th Regiments of the King's Royal Hussars. The museum's location combined with the city’s underpasses and roads system made access to the museum difficult and it was little visited.
In 1993 the Museum closed and all artifacts were taken to the Discovery Museum on Blandford Street. These included the effigy of a knight from the 15th Century that was found next to the sacristy wall outside the Tower.
The Inner City Project and the new Museum (2000)
The Holy Jesus Hospital has been the centre of the National Trust’s Inner City Project. By August 2004 £800,000 had been spent on renovating the building. Funds for the restoration of the site came from the Heritage Lottery FundHeritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
and the Tyne and Wear Partnership. The project been running since 1987 in the east end of Newcastle working with young people from 12-25 and with the over 50s, taking them out to the countryside. The National Trust needed a central office to expand their work into other inner city areas, so a 25 year lease was negotiated with the council. The new museum on the site features touch screens and 3D models to help teach people about the site's history of helping the townspeople. In the book The Remains of Distant Times: Archaeology and the National Trust, Priscilla Boniface criticizes what she believes to be the National Trust's lack of interest in operating in urban environments but praises the Inner City Project as a step towards rectifying this. She wrote "Its occasional ventures - such as the Newcastle Inner City Project...by their frequent mention in National Trust communications, merely serve to underline how few of their type the Trust has to call on for report." She argues that although the aim of introducing town dwellers to the countryside is "laudable", the "respectful and serious suggestion might be made, though, that a person or person's might be usefully employed also with the objective of raising National Trust people's understanding of and confidence in their ability to visit and enjoy, or at least encounter, the city." However, Collins and Kay cite research suggesting that the scheme has been effective in promoting "social inclusion". They note, however, that the project has been limited by the funds made available to it.
Notable Visitors to the Site
- Princess Margaret TudorMargaret TudorMargaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
– daughter of Henry VII spent four days there in 1503 on her journey north to marry James IV of ScotlandJames IV of ScotlandJames IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
(who died in 1513 at the Battle of Flodden). - Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
stayed there in 1560. As a result £67 was spent on materials and repairs: the walls were re-pointed, roof lead re-laid, gutters and broken windows repaired, a chimney rebuilt, dining chamber on the Great Hall enlarged, two doors cut through a wall and the construction of a new stone window. Materials purchased included 4000 bricks and a considerable amount of glass from HartlepoolHartlepoolHartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
. Norfolk was imprisoned just nine years later by Elizabeth I for plotting to marry Mary, Queen of Scots. - Eric XIV of SwedenEric XIV of Sweden-Family and descendants:Eric XIV had several relationships before his marriage. With Agda Persdotter he had four daughters:#Margareta Eriksdotter , married 1592 to Olov Simonsson, vicar of Horn....
visited in 1561 for which the Great Hall was whitewashed and hung with borrowed tapestries for his visit.
See also
- AugustiniansAugustiniansThe term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
- Dissolution of the MonasteriesDissolution of the MonasteriesThe 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...
- Council of the NorthCouncil of the NorthThe Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
- Blackfriars, NewcastleBlackfriars, NewcastleBlackfriars is a restored 13th-century friary in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is in the city centre, close to the city's Chinatown.-Early history:...
- National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- Discovery Museum
- Eric XIV of SwedenEric XIV of Sweden-Family and descendants:Eric XIV had several relationships before his marriage. With Agda Persdotter he had four daughters:#Margareta Eriksdotter , married 1592 to Olov Simonsson, vicar of Horn....
- George Home, 1st Earl of DunbarGeorge Home, 1st Earl of DunbarGeorge Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor...
- Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
- Princess Margaret Tudor
- History of Newcastle upon TyneHistory of Newcastle upon TyneThe history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Saxons and the Danes amongst others. Originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius, the name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England...