John Barstaple’s Almshouse

This almshouse charity, situated at the corner of Old Market Street and Midland Road, has been in existence for over six hundred years. It has, since 1836, been owned and managed by the Trustees of Bristol Charities (formerly Bristol Municipal Charities). It provides accommodation for 30 residents.

Although it has occupied the same site since its foundation in the fourteenth century, it has been rebuilt a number of times and the present building dates back to mid Victorian times.

 

The almshouse founder was John Barstaple, Bristol merchant, who was bailiff in 1379, sheriff in 1389 and mayor in 1395, 1401 and 1405; there are records of Barstaple’s involvement in the trade with Iceland.

John Barstaple founded the almshouse on the south side of Lawford’s Gate on 10 December 1395. The evidence for this date is a charter granted by King Richard II. Particulars of the Richard II charter have been lost but the contents are referred to in a further charter granted by Henry IV in 1408. This charter allowed John Barstaple to found a house of hospitality or alms, and a fraternity or guild. The two houses were separately incorporated and one priest was warden of the almshouse, whilst another priest served as warden of the guild. The guild probably maintained a “spital” or lodging house for travellers who entered the city by Lawford’s Gate.

Unusually, John Barstaple must have had concerns about the future of the almshouse as he took further steps to protect the foundation. In 1399 he obtained a letter from Pope Boniface IX inhibiting, under pain of excommunication, anyone interfering with his proposal to set up a hospital for the “sick poor”.

An extract from Millerd's 1673 plan of Bristol
© Bristol Museums and Art Gallery
  
Lawford’s (Lafford’s) Gate was situated at the far end of Old Market (the name is perpetuated in the nearby Lawford Street) and it formed one of the outer defences of the city, allowing access through the defensive bank and ditch. The road was the main access to Bath, and onto London. The Gate therefore witnessed the arrival of many monarchs and this often impacted on the almshouse.

The almshouse accounts of 1574 state that four shillings was spent on lime and hair, to make the building “fair against the Queen’s coming”. The Queen in question was Elizabeth I, and the Mayor and Council met her at the Gate before being escorted into the city. The Gate was removed in 1768, to widen the entrance to the city.

It was common to see almshouses built close to the City’s gates, with John Spicer establishing an almshouse by Temple Gate, mentioned in a deed dated 1393, and Richard Foster’s almshouse by Redcliff Gate. Just outside Lawford’s Gate stood St. Lawrence, the Lepers’ hospital. Founded by King John in the early thirteenth century, when he was Count of Mortain, a later charter provided royal protection to lepers, allowing them to seek alms “without molestation”.

John Barstaple’s almshouse provided twelve chambers and twelve gardens for six poor men and six poor women, together with a priest. The chapel built as part of the almshouse was dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity and St George. Hence the almshouse became known as Trinity Hospital. In late medieval times “hospitals” were foundations that served a number of purposes, including accommodation for the old or the infirm, or providing a school.

             

It is hard to imagine today but the area to the south of the almshouse was called the “Batch”, meaning mound or hillock, and at the time of its construction it was raised above the surrounding countryside, providing the residents with excellent views to the south.

As was often the case, later benefactors would add further endowments to ensure that the charity continued and in 1564 Master John Mathoes (Matthews) a draper, bequeathed a considerable estate to the foundation, including rent from properties in Corn Street, Baldwain Street and Broad Street. An interesting piece of litigation, which arose shortly after Bristol Charities took control in 1836, became known as “Codrington’s Gift”.

Francis Codrington had bequeathed, in 1572, £50 to be invested, and the income used to maintain bedding at the almshouse. 210 acres were purchased in Portishead and then leased to the Corporation of Bristol for 1,000 years. For 40 years the rent was used to assist Trinity Hospital but then unfortunately the income appears to have been overlooked and it was not until 225 years later that the Trustees of Bristol Charities, having assumed the administration of the charity, were able to rectify the position.

The hospital survived the Reformation but the earlier structure was replaced by a new building in 1738. That building was part demolished and rebuilt in 1857 - 8, for 12 residents; at a cost of £1,634.
In 1865 an addition was made for eight “inmates”, costing £2,688 and in 1874, land adjoining the almshouse was purchased at a cost of £1,600 and further additions were made throughout the latter half of the nineteen century culminating in the chapel being re-built in 1882. It was then referred to as the “New Trinity Almshouse”. Built to the design of architects Foster and Woods, the style is described as “Tudor Gothic”, with Burgundian details.

In the Chapel, which has been rebuilt three times, lies the memorial brasses bearing the effigies of John and Isabella. Under the figure of John Barstaple lies his “merchant’s mark”. The mark was originally used as a means of identifying their goods, and sealing legal documents. Later, as merchants became wealthy, they would often serve in place of a coat of arms. The earliest recorded document with John Barstaple’s merchant mark is a deed dated 10 June 1380. Below Isabella’s effigy is her coat of arms.

Barstaple’s wife, Isabella, probably founded the hospital, or almshouse, situated on the north side of Lawford’s Gate, known as Trinity Hospital North. Isabella was the daughter of Walter Derby, ship owner and five times mayor, who gave liberally to the rebuilding of St. Werburgh’s Church in 1385. Trinity Hospital North no longer operates as an almshouse and was sold to a Housing Association for redevelopment.

Almshouses are robust institutions that have served the needs of their residents for hundreds of years. But, as their history has shown, they have survived due to the fact that they have been prepared to change to meet future demands.