Monument record MLI30493 - St Leonard's Hospital, Grantham
Summary
Site of a medieval hospital at Grantham, dedicated to St Leonard.
Type and Period (3)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
The hospital by the 'Spittlegate' of Grantham was in existence in the 15th century. Wardens were appointed to the custody of it until 1500, with the first warden resigning in 1428. {1}{2}{3}
Grantham had one medieval hospital, at Spittlegate on the road out of Grantham to the south-east. It is poorly documented, its foundation date is not known and it even has some uncertainties surrounding its dedication. The first unambiguous reference to the hospital is dated to 1272/3. It is recorded as the hospital of St Margaret in 1327/8 but this is probably an error and it is otherwise consistently named as the Hospital of St Leonard. The site was rediscovered in 1857 when some 42 burials were uncovered including a burial in a stone coffin. The burials were discovered during groundworks prior to the building of two tenements. In June of 1991, further burials were uncovered during building work and a rapid excavation took place. The skeletal remains of 49 clearly identified individuals were recorded and removed. The human remains were the subject of an osteological report and showed that the cemetery was a mixed one with men, women and children. Three individuals showed evidence of having had leprosy. {4}{5}{6}{7}
Sources/Archives (7)
- <1> SLI2344 Index: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey Card Index. SK 93 SW: 15.
- <2> SLI1104 Bibliographic Reference: William Page (ed). 1906. The Victoria County History: Lincolnshire - Volume 2. -.
- <3> SLI902 Bibliographic Reference: D. Knowles and R.N. Hadcock. 1953. Medieval Religious Houses: England and Wales - First Edition. -.
- <4> SLI16937 Report: Heritage Lincolnshire. 1991. London Road, Grantham. HL site code: GLR91.
- <5> SLI16938 Archive: Heritage Lincolnshire. 1991. London Road, Grantham. LCNCC 1994.83.
- <6> SLI15951 Article in Monograph: Glyn Coppack, Dale Trimble, Anne Boyle and Elisabeth Craig. 2011. 'Spittlegate: The medieval hospital' in The Making of Grantham the Medieval Town. chapter.8, pp.109-36.
- <7> SLI6117 Article in Serial: Dale Trimble, Sue Unsworth and Tony Hurley. 1991. 'Excavation of a Medieval Hospital Cemetery in Grantham' in Lincolnshire Past and Present. no.5, pp.10-1.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 9177 3519 (86m by 106m) Estimated from Sources |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | GRANTHAM, SOUTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Sep 2 2021 10:56AM
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