Brothers in Alms - The Hospital of St Cross, Winchester
With so many places of historical interest to see in Winchester, it would be easy to miss this gem, especially as it’s a little way out of the city centre – and the name Hospital of St. Cross wouldn’t encourage too many people to find their way here either, but don’t go looking for the bus stop that will take you to the local A&E because the name is used in the medieval context of ‘hospitality’. You can get a bus to The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty if you wish, but a nicer way, if time permits, is to take the mile long footpath alongside the River Itchen known as Keats Walk.
John Keats lived in Winchester during the summer and autumn of 1819, and his daily walk through the water meadows to St Cross inspired the romantic poet to write the ode To Autumn, where he describes my favourite month in a way that only he could. If you want to follow the same path (and I don’t mean as a poet) then you can take the Weirs Walk alongside the river from the City Mill to Wolvesey Palace, and then follow the signs from there up College Walk to St Cross, and you can always catch the bus back into town if time’s running short.
Bishop Henri de Blois was another fan of the riverside walk, and it’s thanks to him that the Hospital of ‘Santa Crux’ exists. Grandson of William the Conqueror and half-brother of the incumbent King Stephen, he was Bishop of Winchester for more than forty years (1129-1171), and there’s a legend about how the hospital was founded.
True or not, it’s certainly plausible that while the young, wealthy and powerful man of the cloth was walking through the water meadows, he was stopped by a young girl with a pail of milk on her head and a baby in her arms. No doubt, like the rest of her community, life was an uphill struggle, and so she seized the opportunity to plead for the Bishop’s help in providing food for those that needed it the most. She may not have realised it at the time (if the story’s true of course), but she must have had a profound effect on Henri because it is said that she reminded him of the Virgin Mary.
William Cowper wrote that “God moves in a mysterious way” and that must have been the case when, after leaving the girl behind, the bishop happened upon the ruins of a religious house destroyed by the Danes – and it was there and then that he decided to set up a community to help the poor of Winchester.
Work started on building the hospital in 1132 and was completed four years later, making it the oldest continuously running charitable institution in Britain. Henri de Blois died on the 8th August 1171 and his body lies in Winchester Cathedral. I say his body, because some people believe his heart is in the benedictine abbey at Cluny where he was educated. The simple stone tomb in the choir of Winchester Cathedral was at first thought to be the final resting place of William II, but it’s now believed to be that of the man responsible for making the most impact on Wolvesey Palace and the founder of the Hospital of St Cross.
The aim of St Cross was to provide practical help for those in the most need: Initially, thirteen destitute men were chosen and given free food, clothing and accommodation, while at the same time, food was handed out to another hundred deserving souls.
Just because Henri de Blois was a man of integrity, it doesn’t mean to say that everyone followed in his honourable footsteps. Tithes were the main source of revenue to finance the project, and the hospital’s growing wealth started to attract the wrong sort of people, and that even included people Henri thought he could trust. In 1151, in an attempt to guarantee the hospital’s future financial security, he put St Cross into the hands of the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem. It wasn’t that they were completely dishonest, it’s just that they thought their cause protecting pilgrim routes to the Holy Land were more worthy of the funds than the residents of St Cross. Others were even less discreet. There was more than one bishop who installed close relatives as Masters of the hospital, who shall we say, were not against the idea of misappropriating the funds, but not all bishops and masters were untrustworthy, and one such person who was happy to put his hand in his cassock was Bishop Henry Beaufort.
Henry Beaufort was a member of the Plantagenet family and Lord Chancellor of England three times. In 1398 he became Bishop of Lincoln, and then in 1404, Bishop of Winchester, a position he held for 43 years. In 1426 he was elevated to Cardinal by Pope Martin V and was the pontiff’s representative in Germany, Hungary and Bohemia. What all this meant was that Cardinal Beaufort was a rich and powerful man in the world of both politics and religion.
His interest in St Cross came about later in life, when in 1443 he founded the Almshouse of Noble Poverty ‘for servants of the state of noble birth but now living in poverty’. Unfortunately, the funds for financing his addition to St Cross were curtailed by the Wars of the Roses and it wasn’t until 40 years after his death that his ambition was fully realised. He died in Wolvesey Palace in 1447 and is also buried in Winchester Cathedral.
From then on, the hospital’s fortunes wavered. It survived unscathed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but some Masters were more charitable to themselves than the inmates that they were supposed to be looking after. Thankfully, everything at St Cross seems to be straight up and above board these days.
Now that you know you don’t need an appointment to visit the Hospital of St Cross, you probably want to know what you can expect to find here. Entry is through the Outer Gate into the Outer Quadrangle, where on your left hand side, you’ll see the Old Brewhouse, site of the Hundred Men’s Hall (now used as a tearoom). This was where a hundred poor men of Winchester came for their dinner which consisted of ‘three quarts of small beer, a loaf of bread and two messes’. In modern parlance it equates to 6 pints of weak beer, a loaf of bread and two stews. The amount might seem quite considerable, but what they didn’t consume they were expected to take home to the family. Beer of course was safer to drink than water, and cheaper than milk.
Straight ahead is the 15th century Beaufort Tower where the Porter’s Lodge leads into the Inner Quadrangle. Access is gained by contributing an admission fee to help provide for the upkeep of the hospital and daily requirements of the 25 elderly Brothers that live here (current admission charge in Feb 2024 is £7.50 but there are concessions).
When you enter the Inner Quadrangle your eyes will be drawn towards the church and Brothers’ Quarters, but immediately to the right of the Beaufort Tower is the Brethren’s Hall which is accessed via a short flight of steps and stone porch.
The Brethren’s Hall was originally built as part of the Master’s lodging around 1340, and still looks practically the same as it did back then. Virtually all the original features are still here including the impressive roof timbers and the Musicians Gallery. The Master dined at his high table on a raised platform at one end of the hall, and in the centre is an open hearth where a charcoal fire was burnt to keep the place warm.
In the 16th century the Master moved out and the Brothers continued to use it as their refectory. These days, the meal arrangements are less formal, but three times a year a Gaudy lunch takes place which brings all the Brothers together for what can best be described as a convivial feast.
Beyond the hall is the kitchen which was in continuous use until the late 19th century. The 15th fireplace must have been well used over the years providing sustenance to the Brothers and the needy of Winchester, and I can’t help thinking that the Brethren’s Hall would make a good venue for holding medieval banquets.
Back outside, the Master’s Hall is located next door, but for obvious reasons, isn’t available for all and sundry to go poking their noses around – and neither for that matter are the Brothers’ Quarters which are in the building that stretches along the whole length of the western side of the Inner Quadrangle.
When the Brothers’ Quarters were constructed in the 15th century, the accommodation must have seemed quite luxurious to anyone lucky enough (or unlucky depending on which way you look at it) to be granted a home here. It might not seem quite like that nowadays, but the accommodation still includes a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and sitting room, and they also have a small communal dining room and common room where they can watch TV.
The accommodation caters for twenty five Brothers, seventeen of whom are from the original foundation and eight from the Order of Noble Poverty. If you see any of them wandering around, you can tell them apart by their gowns: The original foundation’s Brothers wear a black gown associated with the Knights Hospitaller and has a silver cross attatched to it, and those from the Order of Noble Poverty wear a red gown with a cardinal’s badge.
You would think that a place like this would have its own place of worship – and it has: Simon Jenkins, author of England’s Thousand Best Churches, describes it as a Norman Cathedral in miniature. I think that could be slightly misleading in a way because it’s quite a simple church really, but I can understand where he’s coming from. The church was built in the 12th/13th centuries and the style of architecture transitions from Norman to Gothic. This is the period when many of the great English cathedrals started to be built, and I have to confess that there’s something about Norman architecture that I really like.
The church has been in constant use ever since it was completed: The Knights of St John would have spent their last night praying here prior to their departure for the Holy Land, and it would have also been where pilgrims arrived on their way to Canterbury. Today the church is used by the Brothers as well as local parishioners for daily services.
Linking the church to the former Master’s lodging is the Ambulatory. Built for Master Robert Sherborne around 1500, it’s the hospital’s youngest building (!), and although it’s not quite certain what the top level was used for, there’s no doubt that it acted as a cloister at ground level.
The Ambulatory also separates the Inner Quadrangle from the delightful Master’s Garden, part of which is known as the Compton Garden.
Henry Compton was Master of St Cross from 1667-1675 before moving on to become Bishop of London. It might sound a bit strange to us now, but the Bishop’s diocese included America, and being a keen botanist, he imported plants from the New World into his garden at Fulham Palace, which incidentally, was the home of the Bishops of London right up until 1973.
The Compton Garden at St Cross remembers Henry Compton by carefully researching and sourcing plants that he introduced during his lifetime, but for most of us this is just an oasis of peace and tranquility – and the perfect place to end a tour of St Cross.
I can’t leave before mentioning the Wayfarer’s Dole. Henri de Blois was originally a monk from the Benedictine abbey of Cluny in Eastern France where it was traditional to hand out bread and wine to travellers, and so it’s not really surprising that he offered a similar gesture to pilgrims on their way to Canterbury and others who found their way to St Cross.
The Wayfarer’s Dole comprised of ‘a morsel of bread and a deer hors of beer’ – and the tradition still continues to this day. I suppose you should ask for it when you arrive but I didn’t, so I thought about trying my luck on the way out. The dole is dished out at the Porter’s Lodge if you have the nerve to ask for it, but whether the porter was busy or knew that I could survive without it I don’t know, but he seemed to have made himself scarce. After hanging around for what seemed like an age I thought discretion was the better part of valour and so I sloped off towards the Wykeham Arms instead where I knew I could get some real sustenance with a proper sandwich and a proper pint of beer.
POSTED – FEBRUARY 2024
Originally posted 2024-02-22 09:24:53.
Are you all ready to rumble? Let’s go!!
You obviously enjoyed researching and writing this one, Malc. In a long ago life I took a stroll through the water meadows but remember little else about Winchester. Which is a shame because it overflows with history and beautiful architecture.
You’re so right about Winchester Jo. Thanks for your lovely comment.
Fascinatingly steeped in history that you bring wonderfully to life.
Thank you Shey. Have I told you that you’re star? 😊
Lol, I ain’t really I just like learning about places and you have the knack of keeping a reader glued.
But you are ⭐
Well, Malc, I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and now really wish the place had been open when we were there a few years ago following your recommended route through Winchester. It’ looks to be one of those rare examples of a medieval complex that’s almost as it was when it was built, with the added attraction that it’s still being used for the same purpose. That’s a very attractive prospect for any medievalist. I love the foundation story, which may have a grain of truth in it, but it does show that Henri de Blois adhered the principles of Catholicism in helping the poor. He seems an all-round interesting character, because he fell out with both his brother Stephen during the civil war with Matilda, and defected to the latter for a while before rejoining Stephen and helping to get him crowned king of England. That does rather suggest he was a man of strong opinions who didn’t take things lying down and wasn’t afraid to switch his allegiances. I love piecing together the personalities of medieval people from what they left behind of themselves in their lives, writings and actions. 🙂
Talking of lying down, it’s very likely that if it is Henri’s body resting in that tomb in the cathedral – and it may very well be – his heart is indeed in Cluny. It was common practice for nobles when they died to, well, spread themselves thinly shall we say? They believed that if parts of them were buried in different centres of worship, then more prayers would be said for them by more of the clergy, thereby hastening their souls through purgatory and onward to the pearly gates.
As for the Hospital of St Cross itself, it looks exactly my kind of place, so that’s now an absolute ‘must’ next time we’re in that area. There aren’t many places that are still so wonderfully intact from the period and so little changed, and this looks to be one of the best. How lucky it was to escape the ravages of Oliver Cromwell and his cronies. I’d have to make sure I asked for the Wayfarer’s Dole at the porter’s lodge though, just to have that precious medieval experience! And as for holding a medieval banquet in the Brethren’s Hall – yes please! 😀
Thanks for your wonderful response to this post Alli. I can tell that it ticked a lot of the right boxes for you, and you’ve added to the story with your own observations, so a big thank you for that too.
I agree with you that Henri de Blois would be a great character to delve into, as would Henry Beaufort. There were so many shenanigans going on in those days with who supported who and for how long, much like another day in the House of Commons really. 😀
If you do ever manage to get back to Winchester and visit St Cross, perhaps you could put a request in the suggestion box to hold a medieval banquet, after all, it is already used for weddings and other private events 😋
Well if the hall is used for such events then it’d be a dreadful waste not to use if for a medieval banquet! What a setting! It’s even got the screens passage opposite the dais end, a standard arrangement in medieval castles. You’d easily believe you were at a castle banquet. I’d jump at the chance! 🙂
There are so many great characters from the middle ages, which is one of the big things that attracted me to the period in the first place. Love your comment about shenanigans going on back then – and now in parliament. Some things never change! 😉
You’re right of course, Malc, this post did tick all the boxes for me, and even a few more that I hadn’t even known were on the form! 😀
As you well know Alli, I post a lot of different things about a lot of different places. Unlike the Master at St Cross, I’m not a master of anything, but where medieval history is concerned you are definitely a master (if I’m still able to use that term) and I’m always pleased when I post something that ticks all your boxes 😅
That’s very kind, Malc, although I wouldn’t regard myself as a Master of anything much either (of course you can use the term! :-)). Perhaps I’m just a very enthusiastic student of all things medieval. Thanks for making my day though! 😀
The Queen of Medieval history then🫅
…Arise, sir Malc, valiant knight and esteemed ally. 🙂 Thank you. x
LOL ♞ Sorry, a chess piece is the best I can come up with 🙂
It’ll do for me! 🙂
Malc, I really enjoyed this post and think it may be One of your best. I visited Winchester Cathedral and saw Jane Austen’s grave. Would love to return to see this. Are you also a poet?
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this one Pat. Thank you – but me a poet? Hardly 😀
Bummer
😉
I’m intrigued Pat. Tell me more if you dare 😊
Was going to ask you to share to share a poem on my blog for National Poetry Month in April.
You know I like poetry, I’m just no poet. Can you elaborate on how you would like me to share it?
I’ve been asking a few blogger friends who are poets to write a poem or share a link to a poem on their blog. Sharing one favorite poem could work.
Let me know when it’s the right time to do it and I’ll see what I can do.
Let me start by saying, Malc, that this wonderful tribute to The Hospital of St. Cross at Winchester is a delight from the beginning to the very end! I share your interests, and have Simon Jenkins, “England’s Thousand Best Churches”, and your choice of today’s topic attracted my attention. I love, as always, your superbly drawn historical background,
and all the essential details which together with your professional photography, added to my appreciation of your essay. It is heartening to know that such help for the needy started so long ago. The very though that you were looking to sample the provided fare, made me smile, the meagre morsel of bread and a mug of something brown!
Of course, it was a bit more at the time of a great need! I loved the Master’s Garden, and the revolutionary idea behind it! The pathway walk and the poetry its inspired is of great interest as I wrote my Ode to Autumn under the influence of the immortal verses.
Thank you again, Malc, for your efforts to educate and entertain your readers!
Joanna
Thank you Joanna as always for your fabulous comments. It’s so heartwarming to get feedback like this as I know there are people like you who also appreciate places like this which are as much needed today as they’ve always been.
I agree with you, Malc, and you are more than welcome!
Joanna
🙏
It was an absolutely fascinating read. I appreciate all the interesting information you provided and the wonderful photos, especially the ones where you managed to capture the water and its reflections. I love images of water
Thank you Luisa. Your comments always lift my spirits and I’ve got plenty of photos with water reflections so I’ll try and remember that 🙏
That’s very kind of you, dearest Malc ❤️
😇
It was practically like being there ourselves!
Thank you so much. I really appreciate that 🙏😊
👍💐❤️
What a fascinating post Malc, accompanied by more of your lovely photos – I’ve just put myself a bit behind in my plans by reading this 😉 I love the Charter of Foundation and the story of Henri de Blois and the young girl even if it may not be true. It looks like a lovely place to visit but as I’m never likely to then thank you for showing me round 🙂
Thank you so much Eunice. I’m sorry I’ve held you up but pleased that you enjoyed reading it 🙏😊