The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene and the Archbishops of York, c. 1150–1335

Abstract

Although the hospital of St Mary Magdalene, Ripon, has sometimes been viewed as a hospital in decline by c. 1300, this was demonstrably not the case. A careful examination of the sources proves that the function of the hospital had been altered during the thirteenth century so that it cared mainly for corrodians and elderly priests instead of lepers. The hospital’s patrons, the archbishops of York, were responsible for this alteration and they supported it by increasing its resources. John le Waryner’s chantry foundation was not a response to the hospital’s ruin but an appreciation of its success and expression of his links to the archbishops. This article demonstrates the pitfalls of assuming that leper hospitals suffered decline before being refounded as other types of institutions. The article also highlights the patron’s agency in adapting hospitals. This approach to studying the hospital of St Mary Magdalene’s development reveals its significance in the town of Ripon and its place in the wider patterns of patronage and benefaction that affected English hospitals.