Corporation of London

Saint Bartholomew's Hospital was founded in 1123 but was closed during the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1544, following a petition from Londoners concerned that there was no longer any provision for the poor and sick, King Henry VIII re-established the hospital and placed it under the control of the City of London as one of the five 'Royal Hospitals'. The Common Council taxed the inhabitants of the City for the maintenance of the hospital. In addition, the City paid an annuity of 500 marks to the hospital, which was not discontinued until 1912. The hospital was legally called the 'House of the Poore in West Smithfield in the suburbs of the City of London of Henry VIII's Foundation' but has always been referred to as St Bartholomew's or 'Barts'. It officially became known as St. Bartholomew's Hospital on the foundation of the National Health Service in 1948. It is now part of the Barts and The London NHS Trust, having averted a Government attempt to close it in 1993-1994.