The Hospital of St John, in Spitalgate Lane, was founded by Henry I in 1133 for the care of the
destitute and sick so that they might pray for hissoul and those of his descendants. . It was endowed with one third of the tithe of the royal demesne of Cirencester and provided with a chaplain. In 1343 control was disputed between the townsmen and with the canons of the Abbey; Edward III found in the Abbey's favour and granted a charter to Abbot Hereward. After the Restoration the Hospital was allowed to continue - in 1546 it is recorded as having a master and six "poor folk". In the later 17th-century tenements were built for the residents which completely enclosed the arcades. In 1722 there
were 3 poor men and women each allowed 20d weekly. In 1792, the old tenement having fallen
into disrepair, it was decided to build six new cottages on the adjoining land. The service bell was still extant in the 19th century.
The surviving remains probably date from the late 12th century and comprise four bays of two arcades of a central hall. Excavations in 1971 and 1976 have identified the north and south walls of the hall, enabling a tentative reconstruction of the hospital's plan. The cottage to the east, rebuilt in 1821, may incorporate the foundations of a chapel built about 1420. It is not certain where the medieval almshouses were situated; Beecham shows the hospital hemmed in on both sides and mentions that access was via a medieval passage called the Paen. In 1792 new almshouses were built and in 1883 the tenements were cleared; the final house, built within the right-hand arcade, was finally demolished in 1968.
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| Photograph from the early 20th century |
British Listed Buildings - Hospital of St John, Cirencester
Gloucestershire Historic Environment Record
Entry in VCH