Monument record MDO45167 - St John the Baptists Hospital, Shaftesbury

Site of St John the Baptists Hospital. It was dependent on Shaftesbury Abbey and was founded before 1223 and dissolved circa 1547. The founder and date of founding are both unknown. The hospital and its land were both sold in 1549. No visible trace of the building remains.

The hospital of St. John the Baptist was dependent on Shaftesbury Abbey (ST 82 SE 4). It was founded before 1223 and dissolved c.1547, when its income was £4, the inmates being a priest and five poor men. <3>

The founder, and the date at which the hospital of St. John the Baptist was founded, are both unknown. Tanner mentions a patent of 1342. The building is called a free chapel or hospital in 1450, and the Sarum Registers list the names of twenty wardens. The name of the last incumbent occurs in 1543, and in the Chantry Roll of 1547 the hospital is valued at #4. p.a. It was designed for five poor men, who lived on the alms of the town.

The building stood in St. Martin's parish, at the junction of Hert, Crope and Shetwell Lanes. (Hert, now Angel Lane; Crope, now Cop Street Lane, Shetwell, now Shotter's Lane).

The hospital and its lands were sold for £136.11.4d in 1549.

The earliest notice of the hospital occurs in 1223, when Henry III directed the forest bailiff to allow the prior of the hospital, tree for the repairs of his house. <1-2>

ST 86472301. The site is occupied by a wide pavement in front of the post office and a modern cross roads.

No visible trace of the building remains. <4>

<1> Hutchins, J, 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 3. 3rd edition, 38-9 (Monograph). SDO11486.

<1.1> Tanner, 1744, Tanners Notitia Monastica, 110 (Monograph). SWX1326.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1908, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1908, 51, E A Fry (Serial). SDO19.

<2.1> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Sales of Chantries Vol 68 403 & file of 1457 (Unpublished document). SWX999.

<3> Knowles, David and Hadcock, R Neville, 1953, Medieval religious houses: England and Wales, 305 (Monograph). SDO19110.

<3.1> Pugh, R B (ed), 1968, The Victoria history of the county of Dorset 3 1968 - Domesday Survey, 103-4 (Monograph). SWX2915.

<4> Edwards, D W, Field Investigator's Comments DE, F1 DE 30-JAN-56 (Unpublished document). SDO18341.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206435 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jun 27 2023 2:58PM