The ruin of St. Leonard's Hospital
The ruins of St. Leonards Hospital only hint at the significance of the Hospital in medieval York.
Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, it was believed to be the largest medieval hospital in the north of England. The hospital also fed the poor and the condemned, providing meals for the prisoners in York Castle.
Remains of the hospital’s undercroft, next to York Central Library, can be accessed from the Museum Gardens, to the right of the Museum Street entrance, and contains some of the museum’s Roman and Medieval stonework collections.
The hospital was erected on the site of the former hospital St. Peters – founded by King Aethelstan – which was severely damaged in a fire in c.1100. It was closely associated with the Minster, sharing the same grounds because it was so large. It was a self-sufficient building until the Reformation (c.1522-1552) resulted in the religious aspects of hospitals being victimised and consequently St. Leonards was largely destroyed. This left York without a hospital from the time of Henry VIII to 1740.
Overall, the main function of a medieval hospital was to care for the sick, the poor, the old and the infirm. Nurses performed acts of care which included cleaning, feeding, clothing and housing the sick, however medieval men and women also had their spiritual health to contend with.
... --- Tripadvisor
The ruin of St. Leonard's Hospital
The ruins of St. Leonards Hospital only hint at the significance of the Hospital in medieval York.
Founded soon after the Norman Conquest, it was believed to be the largest medieval hospital in the north of England. The hospital also fed the poor and the condemned, providing meals for the prisoners in York Castle.
Remains of the hospital’s undercroft, next to York Central Library, can be accessed from the Museum Gardens, to the right of the Museum Street entrance, and contains some of the museum’s Roman and Medieval stonework collections.
The hospital was erected on the site of the former hospital St. Peters – founded by King Aethelstan – which was severely damaged in a fire in c.1100. It was closely associated with the Minster, sharing the same grounds because it was so large. It was a self-sufficient building until the Reformation (c.1522-1552) resulted in the religious aspects of hospitals being victimised and consequently St. Leonards was largely destroyed. This left York without a hospital from the time of Henry VIII to 1740.
Overall, the main function of a medieval hospital was to care for the sick, the poor, the old and the infirm. Nurses performed acts of care which included cleaning, feeding, clothing and housing the sick, however medieval men and women also had their spiritual health to contend with.
... --- Tripadvisor