Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1558-1639 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
0.15 linear metres (5 production units).
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
In 1293 Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and brother of King Edward I, constructed the Savoy Palace on land formerly belonging to the Count of Savoy. The palace was rebuilt at great expense by Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster, between 1345 and 1370; after which it was said to be the finest house in England. In 1381 the palace was attacked during the Peasant's Revolt; the rioters started a bonfire of the Duke's possessions and mistakenly threw a box of gunpowder onto the flames, thus destroying much of the Great Hall.
In 1505 Henry VII ordered the palace to be rebuilt and used as a hospital for the poor. The hospital held 100 beds and included three chapels, a large precinct and outbuildings. It was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a statue of him was positioned over the Stand gate. In 1570 complaints were made that Thomas Thurland, Master of the Hospital, used hospital money to maintain his relatives, rarely went to church, had sexual relations with hospital staff, and owed the hospital £2,500. The hospital never recovered from this mismanagement.
Houses in the hospital precinct were fashionable addresses for noblemen and highly ranked clergy. However, by the later 17th century these houses were occupied by businessmen, while the hospital was used for wounded servicemen, and barracks and a military prison were constructed. Some of the chapels and halls were converted for use by non-conformist religious groups such as French Protestants, Lutherans, Quakers and Calvinists.
The hospital was formally dissolved in 1702. In 1772, with most of the buildings in ruins, a dispute over ownership of the land was settled: the Crown took possession of the central part of the precinct, while the Duchy of Lancaster took the outer part and the Savoy chapel. The site was cleared in 1816-20 for the Waterloo Bridge approach road, Savoy Street and Lancaster Place. In 1864-70 Victoria Embankment and Gardens were made. The only remaining part of the hospital is the Savoy Chapel. The site is now occupied by the Savoy Hotel, the Savoy Theatre, Victoria Embankment and Gardens, and part of Somerset House.
Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).
Repository
Archival history
GB 0074 BRA/846 1558-1639 Collection 0.15 linear metres (5 production units). Various.
In 1293 Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and brother of King Edward I, constructed the Savoy Palace on land formerly belonging to the Count of Savoy. The palace was rebuilt at great expense by Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster, between 1345 and 1370; after which it was said to be the finest house in England. In 1381 the palace was attacked during the Peasant's Revolt; the rioters started a bonfire of the Duke's possessions and mistakenly threw a box of gunpowder onto the flames, thus destroying much of the Great Hall.
In 1505 Henry VII ordered the palace to be rebuilt and used as a hospital for the poor. The hospital held 100 beds and included three chapels, a large precinct and outbuildings. It was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a statue of him was positioned over the Stand gate. In 1570 complaints were made that Thomas Thurland, Master of the Hospital, used hospital money to maintain his relatives, rarely went to church, had sexual relations with hospital staff, and owed the hospital £2,500. The hospital never recovered from this mismanagement.
Houses in the hospital precinct were fashionable addresses for noblemen and highly ranked clergy. However, by the later 17th century these houses were occupied by businessmen, while the hospital was used for wounded servicemen, and barracks and a military prison were constructed. Some of the chapels and halls were converted for use by non-conformist religious groups such as French Protestants, Lutherans, Quakers and Calvinists.
The hospital was formally dissolved in 1702. In 1772, with most of the buildings in ruins, a dispute over ownership of the land was settled: the Crown took possession of the central part of the precinct, while the Duchy of Lancaster took the outer part and the Savoy chapel. The site was cleared in 1816-20 for the Waterloo Bridge approach road, Savoy Street and Lancaster Place. In 1864-70 Victoria Embankment and Gardens were made. The only remaining part of the hospital is the Savoy Chapel. The site is now occupied by the Savoy Hotel, the Savoy Theatre, Victoria Embankment and Gardens, and part of Somerset House.
Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).
Records deposited by the British Records Association in 1952.
Records of the Hospital of the Savoy, comprising grant of lands, bargain and sales, grant of annuity, and lease.
Records arranged in chronological order.
Available for general access.
Copyright to this collection rests with the City of London.
English
Fit.
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
Further records relating to the Savoy Hospital can be found at the Duchy of Lancaster Office and at the Wellcome Library.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Records prepared May to September 2011. Information sources Documents Deeds Title deeds Health services Medical institutions Property Property transfer People People by roles Property owners Hospitals Property ownership Civil law Right to property Property law Savoy Hospital , London Strand Westminster City of Westminster London England UK Western Europe Europe Civil and political rights Legal systems Law Human rights
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Records deposited by the British Records Association in 1952.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Records of the Hospital of the Savoy, comprising grant of lands, bargain and sales, grant of annuity, and lease.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Records arranged in chronological order.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Available for general access.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright to this collection rests with the City of London.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Further records relating to the Savoy Hospital can be found at the Duchy of Lancaster Office and at the Wellcome Library.
Finding aids
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English