Sherburn Hospital (also known as Christ's Hospital in Sherburn) is a medieval

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

located in the

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

Sherburn House Sherburn House is a hamlet in County Durham, England. It is situated approximately south-east of Durham between Sherburn and Shincliffe Village. It is in the civil parish of Shincliffe. Sherburn House is the location of Sherburn Hospital S ...

to the southeast of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

The hospital was founded in 1181 by

Hugh de Puiset Hugh de Puiset ( c. 1125 – 3 March 1195) was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical ca ...

(Bishop Pudsey), to care for 65

leper Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage ...

s and dedicated to "our Lord, to the Blessed Virgin, to St. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha". Its statutes were amended at the request of Bishops Richard Kellaw and

Thomas Langley Thomas Langley ( – 20 November 1437) was an English prelate who held high ecclesiastical and political offices in the early to mid-15th century. He was Dean of York, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor of England to three kings, a ...

. The hospital was endowed with a range of lands, including Sherburn, Garmondsway Moor,

Ebchester Ebchester is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Consett and to the south east of Whittonstall. The village sits at the intersection of the A694, which runs from Consett to Swalwell, and the B6309, which connects ...

, Whitton, Raceby and Sheraton. Sherburn Hospital survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the associated closures of many hospitals (including nearby

Kepier Kepier is a location in the city of Durham, England in the parish of Belmont, close to Gilesgate and beside the River Wear. It is site of the medieval Hospital of St Giles at Kepier. The name derives from 'Kipe weir', meaning a weir with a fi ...

) and a new constitution was introduced by

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

in 1585 for the establishment of "The Master and Brethren of Christ's Hospital in Sherborne near Durham".

Ralph Lever Ralph Lever, D.D. was an English Anglican priest in the 16th century. He died between 1580 and 1585. Lever was educated at St John's College, Oxford, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1547-48, before receiving his doctorate from Cambridge Un ...

, canon of

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

, was master of the hospital at the time of his death.

George Stanley Faber George Stanley Faber (often written G. S. Faber; 25 October 1773 – 27 January 1854) was an Anglican theologian and prolific author. He was a typologist, who believed that all the world's myths were corrupted versions of the original st ...

became master of the hospital in 1832 and devoted much of his income to improving it. He died there in 1854 and was buried in its chapel. The hospital became very wealthy due to coal mining on its estates. As a result, a new regime was introduced in 1857 by the charity commissioners meaning: * Provision was made for the education of poor children resident in the townships of Sherburn House and Whitwell by setting money aside for the erection and maintenance of a school, and for grants to schools in

Gilesgate Gilesgate is a place in County Durham, England. It is situated east of the centre of Durham, England, Durham. It is also a ward of Durham with a total population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 8,074. Gilesgate was origina ...

Shadforth Shadforth is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated a few miles to the east of Durham. The historic centre of the village is designated a conservation area. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 2118. S ...

and

Shincliffe Shincliffe is a village and civil parish in County Durham, England. The parish population (according to the 2011 census) was 1,796. It is situated just over to the south-east of Durham city centre, on the A177 road to Stockton. Shincliffe is ...

, attended by children of miners or labourers living on Hospital estates. * The Master was to be a clergyman appointed by the Bishop and was to have the general supervision of the inmates and officers, subject to the overriding authority of the Governors. * The total number of Brethren was to be thirty: fifteen living in and fifteen living out. There was no longer any reference to the casual relief of wayfarers at the gate. * The construction of a hospital in the modern sense of the word was envisaged, the number of patients being initially limited to thirty-five, and the building was completed by 1863. For various reasons, admissions did not begin until 1872. * A dispensary, providing free medical treatment for the poor, was opened in part of the Master's house in 1858 and later in a special building. The average annual attendance soon exceeded 3,700. The chapel and the gatehouse are grade II*

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The hospital, as Sherburn House Charity, now provides residential care and sheltered housing for residents and former residents of the ancient diocese of Durham, and is a significant grant making body to individuals and local community groups, in line with the charity's objects.

References

External links

Durham City Council visitors guide to Sherburn Hospital
{{authority control 1181 establishments in England Hospitals established in the 12th century Hospitals in County Durham Grade II listed buildings in County Durham Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham English medieval hospitals and almshouses Grade II listed almshouses Grade II* listed almshouses Defunct hospitals in England

History

See also

References

External links