Coningsby Hospital is a collection of

almshouses An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, Herefordshire. The site also contains a museum.

History

In 1614

Thomas Coningsby Sir Thomas Coningsby (9 October 1550-30 May 1625) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament, notable for his diary of military action in France in 1591. Birth Thomas Coningsby was the son and heir of Humphrey Coningsby, of Hampton Court, ...

converted what had originally been the conventual buildings of the Blackfriars Monastery and the preceptory of the

Knights of St John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headqu ...

to a hospital for old soldiers and serving men. The hospital consisted of 12 cottages on the site, a chapel, a refectory and offices. The chapel was restored in 1868. Coningsby made rules that required a chaplain to preach a sermon and march the pensioners to

Hereford Cathedral Hereford Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Hereford in Hereford, England. A place of worship has existed on the site of the present building since the 8th century or earlier. The present building was begun in 1079. S ...

every Sunday. Funds to support the pensioners and the working of the hospital came from a charge on the Hampton Court estate. The Coningsby pensioners wore a uniform of red coats leading to the legend that

Nell Gwynne Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

chose red coats for Chelsea Pensioners because she remembered the Coningsby pensioners from her childhood in Hereford. The communal living area was converted to a museum in the 1970s. During the work a skeleton was found at the site. Initially thought to be a monk of the Blackfriars, analysis of the bones in 2007 revealed the remains may have been that of a woman. The bones have remained on public display in its grave under the floor.

Current use

The Coningsbury's Hospital charity manages almhouses for ''"former members of HM's forces or for those who have undertaken substantial service for the local community within the counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire or Salop"''. The St John Medieval Museum and Coningsby Hospital is a popular visitor attraction.

References

{{coord, 52.060276, -2.714529, region:GB, display=title Almshouses in Herefordshire Buildings and structures in Herefordshire Residential buildings completed in the 17th century Grade II listed almshouses Grade II listed buildings in Herefordshire Buildings and structures in Hereford