EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL,
STROOD*
By A. 0. fuRRIS?N, B.A., F.S . .A.
NEW ARK Y AJ:tD, Strood, has long been known as the site of the hospital
founded by Bishop 9"ilbert de Glanville in 1193-indeed the name
'Newark' is a corruption of the 'new work' (novum opus) of the Bishop.
When, therefore, in the summer of 1966 the area was cleared of the
existing buildings, which were possibly of seventeenth-century date,
the Lower Medway Archreological Research Group undertook an
excavation at the suggestion of Mr. S. E. Rigold, M.A., F.S.A., with
the object of establishing, if possible, the plan of the building . .As
time was limited, a mechanical excavator was used to remove the later
floors and foundations which overlaid the medieval remains.
Permission for the excavation was given by the landowners,
Messrs. Second Covent Garden Property Co., and financial help was
given by the Ministry of Public Building and Works, the City of
Rochester and the Kent Archreological Society, to all of whom grateful
thanks are due. The work of the excavation was carried out by members
of the Lower Medway Arohreological Research Group and by boys
of Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, and my thanks are
due to them, and in particular to the following for their sustained
support: Mrs. P. Day, Miss M. Webster, Messrs. I. J. Bissett, R. E.
Couves-Clark, J. Cruse, D. Leech, H. V. Summerton and M. J. E.
Syddell. I am especially grateful to Mr. A. P. Detsicas, M.A., F.S..A., for
drawing Figures 3 and 4, Mr. R. G. Foord for undertaking much of the
photography and supplying the prints, Miss R. Powers of the SubDepartment
of Osteology, British Museum (Natural History}, for
supplying information on the human remains, and Mr. S. E. Rigold,
M.A., F.S.A., for reading through the original draft of this paper and
making many valuable suggestions. Above all, thanks are due to Messrs.
T. Ithell, B.Eng., and P. J. Tester, F.S.A., who not only undertook all
the survey work but gave invaluable help in every way throughout the
excavation. Mr. Tester was also responsible for Figures 1 and 2.
HISTORY
. The Hospital of the New Work of St. Mary was founded by Gilbert
de Glanville, Bishop of Rochester, and the foundation must date from.
* The Ministry of Publio Building and Works contributed to the cost of
printing this paper.
139
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
ll92-3, as he states in his foundation-charter that he had in mind the
restoration of Christianity in Jerusalem and the liberation of King
Richard.l He granted to it the churches of Aylesford, Halling, Strood
and St. Margaret's in Rochester and a liberal endowment from tithes
in the nearby villages.2 The foundation was confirmed by Richard I
in 1193, who, the following year, himself made it a grant of woodlands
in Malling, and again by Edward III in 1332. According to the original
constitution there was to be a Master, two priests, two deacons and two
sub-deacons.
From the start there was hostility between the Hospital and the
monks of Rochester Priorya who resented the diversion to it of what
had been part of their revenues. During the thirteenth century they
made several attempts to recover these, and in 1256 the church of
Aylesford was restored to them by a decision of Pope Alexander IV.
This hostility was the cause of what was virtually a pitched battle
in 'the Archyard' of the Hospital. An amusing account of this fracas,
which occurred in 1291, is given by Lambarde.4
The Hospital seems to have suffered during Simon de Montfort's
attack upon Rochester in 1264 as this was advanced, in 1277, as an
excuse6 when a complaint was lodged against the Master and Brethren
of failure to repair their portion of Rochester Bridge. Damage was said
to have been done to houses owned by the Hospital near the west end
of the Bridge, and to the Chapel.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries there seem increasingly
to have been abuses in the administration. In. 1320 Bishop Hamo de
Hethe visited the Hospital and subsequently in 1330 issued stringent
new rules to remedy the many defects that he found.6 He ordained
that henceforth the Master was to be appointed by the Bishop and
was to profess the rule of St. Benedict, as were the Brethren, whose
number was now reduced to four. In spite of this attempt at reform,
the condition of affairs in 1402 was such that the administration was
taken over by the Bishop who placed his own Registrar in charge7
and t,he same thing happened in 1443.8 Finally on 26t,h June, 1540, on
1 .Re!£istrum R?jfen,e, 631. The survivin&" d<0 :umen are arized in
J1.0.H. Kc-11t, Vol . u, 22S, nndm ostare transcribed m full m.RegS11trum .Rojfense,
631-52. All references to them are as given there .
1 There were also some temporal endowments, e.g. 1/6 of Knight's fee in
Aylesford (Arch. Oant., b:xx (1965), 3, n ote 7).
a Smetham, Henry, History of Strood (1S99), 13 0. Bishop Gilbert seems t-o have
been an anti-Benedictine, l ike h is oontmporary Archb ishop Baldwin .
' Lrunbarde, Perambulation (1676), 2 90-2.
' Inq. p.m . 5 Edw. I. No. 31.
• .Rtgistrum Rojfe11e, 637. These reforms must, in effect, have reduced the
Hospital t o the positi on of a cell of the Benedictine Priory of Rochester.
1 .Roch. Epis • .Reg., Vol. 2, fol. 176 d.
a Ibid., vol. 3, fol. 187 d.
140
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
the orders of Henry VIII, the last Master, John Wyldbore, surrendered
the Hospital and all its possessions to the Priory of Rochester and, in
1541, these became pa.rt of the endowments of the newly appointed
Dean and Chapter . .At that time its annual income is given as
£52 19s. l0½d.o
THE ExoAVATION'
Stratification. Fig. l shows a section across the east end of the
Chapel paraUel to the east wa.U and 4 ft. 6 in. from it. The lowest
level reached at about 5 ft. 6 in. below the present surface was a layer
of sandy yellow gravel of alluvial origin and was almost completely
waterlogged (16) . .A piece of a mortarium of third- or fourth-century
date was recovered from this . .Above it was a layer (15) of clayey earth
containing . much occupation material. Thls layer varied in colour
from grey to black and in depth from a mere 6 in. at the ea!lt end to
more than 2 ft. further west. The pottery from thls included fragments
of flanged bowls and is also suggestive of a third- or fourth-century
date. Layer 15 is interpreted as being domestic refuse derived from
buildings along the line of Watling Street some 75 ft. further south.
The walls of the Hospital had cut through layer 15 and into layer 16
to a considerable depth (beneath the floor of a cellar we found them
9 ft. below the modern surface and still above foundation level),
which suggests that the water-table must have been considerably
lower in the thirteenth century. The building debris and earliest floor
of the Hospital Chapel (layers 14 and 13) lay directly on top of the
Romano-British occupation material, so evidently the surface had
been levelled and any later material removed prior to the building
of the Hospital. In this earliest medioval layer were several complete
roofing-slates (Plate IV, B), measuring 6 in. by 10½ in., and with a
single peg-hole.
On top of the chalk-ffoor (13) was a mass of debris (II) containing
many architectural fragments as well as pieces of plaster, slate and both
floor- and roofing-tiles. A knife-blade and a bronze buckle (Fig. 6 A and
B), were also found. To thls a further layer (10) of similar rubble mixed
with lumps of chalk had been added and then several inches of brown
mortar (8) which formed the bedding for a tiled floor . .A few of these
tiles were found in situ at the west end of the chapel but most of the
sound ones had been removed at the time of the final destruction of
the building. The debris (7) of the second demolition which contained
a sixteenth-century Nuremberg jetton of Hans Schultes10 was covered
by a mass of grey clay containing roofing-tiles and clay pipes of c. 1640.11
• Valor Eccl 1. 1535, Hasted, iii. 536.
It I am indebted to Mr. H. Brand for this identification.
u Oswald type 4.
141
SOUTH NORTH
SCALE OF FEET
ACH & PJT 1966
FIG. 1. Section, across Pa.Th of East End of Chapel. 1. Modern concrete Floors. 2. Accumulation of modern Material.
3. Chalk Floor. 4. Domestic Refuse. 5. Grey Olay containing Tiles and seventeenth-century Tobacco Pipes. 6. Yard
Floor, composed of Clay and domestic Refuse. 7. Demolition Debris. 8. Brown Mortar. 9. Cldad Chalk. 10. Chalk
Floor. 11. Demolition Debris from Period I Building. 12. Soil with Tiles and Chalk. 13. Floor. 14. Debris
from Construction of Period I Walls. 15. Clay. 16. Waterlogged sandy Gravel containing Roman Pottery.
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL · STROOD
PLAN AS REVEALEQ BY PARTIAL EXCAVATION
H
a
--
A
----::
____ orav -v
CHAPEL
rn
t
o
,
:':::d"""'7
Y
L r----------- -, •:••I
blod
·-3
I'!
...
...
Pholo: R. G. Foord
A. East Wall of Hall, with inserted Partition.
B. Later Entrance to Hall.
PLATE Ill
l'holo: R. 0. Foord
PLATE IV
Plwl.o: R. G. Foord
A. The Grave.
B. Medieval Roof Slates.
Photo: P. J. Tester
PLATE V
Pfw/.o: P. J. Ttsl<'
A. Architectural Fragments.
Pholo: P . .J. Tt1ler
B. Window Jamb.
PLATE VI
Plwlo: P. J. Tuter
A. Capitals.
Phow: P. J. Tell.er
B. Bases.
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
foundation ran across the opening. In the west wall were two entrances
each 7 ft. 2 in. wide. These had been constructed of firestone ashlar
and in the better preserved southern entrance the hinge-pins survived
on both sides (Plate II, A), clearly indicating double-doors. TJ1ese
pins had been set 2 ft. from floor level and recessed 4 in. into the doorreba.
te. There was a 2-in. chamfer on the outside edges of the doorways
and a 2-in. bevel on the first projecting course of masonry. Along the
inside of the west wall was the footing, just under I ft. wide, of a stone
bench. This was interrupted by the doorways on each side of which
the bench terminated in a carefully squared ashlar block. Immediately
above this bench the wall surface was ragged indicating that the slabs
that formed the actual seat had been robbed (Plate II, B).
At a point roughly opposite-the apparent asymmetry may be
due to the fact that the arch was rebuilt in Phase II-the centre of
the Chapel archway the Hall was divided by a oross-wall. The wall,
which was 2 ft. 3 in. wide and -plastered on both sides, was only traced
for about 3 ft., but must originally have extended as far as the entrance
to the Chapel.
The walls of the Hall were of varying widths; the north being the
widest at 3 ft. 6 in., the east 3 ft. and the west, 2 ft. 6 in. At the northeast
corner there was quite a wide plinth clasping the corner and making
a foundation 5 ft. 7 in. square. If this were for a newel stairway, as
seems possible, it suggests an upper storey over at least part of the Hall.
Phase II. There was clear evidence that the original Chapel was
destroyed almost to ground level and rebuilt on the same ground plan.
Foundation material approximately I ft. thick was laid on top of the
stumps of the old walls and the new walls, 2 ft. 6 in. in width, built
upon this, although the alignment was not exact and in places the
earlier wall projected below the line of the later. The later wall was of a
different character from the earlier, being mostly of ragstone with
courses of roofing-tile, and the mortar was paler with much lime.
It also incorporated dressed and carved stone from the earlier building.
At the same time a new floor of plain tiles was laid on top of about
l ft. 6 in. of rubble containing numerous architectural fragments
(Plates V, A and VI). The collapse of the Ohapel also involved the east
wall of the Hall which was rebuilt at the same time. The wide plinth
of ragstone rubble added to the north-east corner of the Chapel probably
belongs to this period.
Phase III. In its final phase the Hall would seem to have been
converted int.o an ante-Chapel. It was shortened by the insertion of walls
which out off both ends, reducing its length to 29 ft. Plate III, A,
shows the vertical joint of this insertion. At the same time the original
two entrances were blocked with a ma.ss of rubble, mostly ohallc, set in
145
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
a red-brown mortar, the central dividing wall was demolished and a
new entrance made, of which the southern jamb and part of the
threshold survived (Plate III, B). This doorway was 5 ft. 4 in. in width
and the surviving jamb had a stopped chamfer on the outside. The
bench along the west wall was partially demolished and the floor of
the Hall raised by a build-up of rubble and brown mortar I ft. 4 in. in
height to the same level as that of the threshold of the new doorway.
No tiles belonging to this floor were found in situ, but numerous
fragments showed that these must have been similar to those forming
the first floor of the Chapel. On the outside of the entrance the foundations
of a wall 15 in. wide butted up against the west wall of the Hall
to the south. This may well indicate a porch, but this could not be
definitely established as the north side of the doorway had been
destroyed by an eighteenth-century pit, and further investigation to
the west was impossible because of a telephone cable.
The Grave. (Plate IV, A.) Into the floor of the Hall at the centre of
the archway leading into the Chapel a very well-made grave had been
sunk. It was constructed of yellow bricks, measuring 8½ in. by 4 in. by
2 in., backed by rubble, and the floor consisted of three rows of eight
glazed tiles, 7½ in. sq. The rounded head of the grave was made of
re-used pieces of firestone ashlar, one of which had formed part of a
moulding. The foot of the grave had been destroyed, presumably when
the slabs of the step leading into the Chapel were robbed, and the graveslab
was missing. The grave contained parts of two skeletons. One, the
primary interment, was intact e:x:cept for the small bones of the ft
and hands (see Appendix II), but the bones of the other were much
disturbed and may even have come from another grave, perhaps when
a lead coffin was emptied. A copper buckle (Fig. 6 C) was the only
object found in the filling of the grave.
The small rectangular building at the north-east corner of the Chapel
was probably domestic in purpose and post-Dissolution in date. Its
walls, which were 2 ft. 3 in. in width and plastered on both sides,
were constructed almost entirely of re-used stone.
DISCUSSION
There see.ms little doubt that the Phase I building represents
the original Chapel and Hall of Bishop Gilbert's foundation and the
surviving architectural fragments are quite consistent with an early
thirteenth-century date. In design the building, though much smaller,
has a close similarity to Lanfrano's Hospital of St . .John at Canterbury,15
and Fig. 3 shows the ground plans of the two buildings . compared.
Both had a. narrow aisle-less Hall at right angles to the Chapel and there
16 Arch. Jw1rn., lxxxvi (1930), 101-2.
146
ST. ..JOHN'S H • SPITAL - CANTERBURY.
Alta
Chap!
■ ■ ■
Hall
ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL - STROOD.
Attu P.J. Yul•r otJd W.H, GOfllrey.
FIG. s.
[facep.146
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
seems little doubt that the dividing ,vall at Strood was also intended to
ensure a proper separation of the male and female inmates while
allowing an uninterrupted view into the Chapel. There is no evidence,
however, that at Strood the Chapel itself was divided. It is perhaps
worth noting that Lanfranc's building had a stairway at the northeast
corner of the Hall and this could well have been the case at Strood,
implying a second storey over part, or all, of the building. It seems
quite probable that in both buildings the Hall range may have been
continued and at Strood there is some evidence that it extended as
far as the High Street. In a will dated 1444:16 there is a reference to a
cross that stood at 'a road junction which was next to the gate of the
·New Work in Strood' and which must clearly be the junction of High
Street and North Street (see Fig. 4).
It is tempting to equate the destruction of the Chapel at the
begim1ing of Phase II with the damage known to have been done to
it by Simon de Montfort in 1264. Several considerations, however,
make this improbable. Firstly, there was no sign of burning, which
one would have expected from war damage; secondly, at the northwest
corner, the Chapel wall was cracked right through, which is more
suggestive of structural collapse; and, thirdly, the character of the
Phase II wall seems later than the thirteenth century. Two pieces
of cut ragstone were found built into later walls and one of these,
which is clearly part of a window with a hole for an iron cross-bar and
a slot for the glazing (Plate V, B), can hardly be earlier than the late
fourteenth century. It is not, of course, certain that these belonged to
the Phase II Chapel, but it seems highly probable. On the whole, therefore,
it seems most likely that it was the thrust of the vaulted roof
which overthrew the walls combined, perhaps, with the instability
of the water-logged subsoil. At all events when the rebuilding took
place-possibly in the late fourteenth or fifteenth century-the
vaulted roof was not replaced and the north-east corner reinforced
with a massive buttress.
Phase III. How soon the rebuilding of the Chapel was followed by
the alterations to the Hall in Phase III cannot be definitely established,
but it would seem probable that the interval was short, or it may
even have been a single operation. Both the jambs of the new entrance
and the head of the grave were made of re-used firestone, which almost
certainly had been salvaged from the collapse of the Chapel and which
would not have remained available indefinitely. These alterations,
and particularly the construction of the grave in what had been livingquarters,
indicate that the Hall had by now ceased to perform its
original function and had become an ante-Chapel. It is not quite clear
10 !l'eatamenta Oantiana, West Kent, 75,
147
STROOD
I
. I
PSmreestuhametm Bieldoifn
-
.,-
Site of Gate
-----
, Bank P.II
20
-..._ - -- - - - - - - - - Iiigh street
____ _ - - -- -- - - - - - - - -
40
FIG. 4 •
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
whether the inserted walls were partitions, in which case it is difficult
to decide what was the funcion of the very narrow room at the north
end,. or whether they now formed the outside walls which would suggest
a very extensive remodelling of the whole building. On balance,
perhaps the former theory seems the more probable.
The presence of the grave is interesting. Both its central position
and its elaborate construction indicate that it was for someone of
importance; it seems possible that this may have been the person
responsible for the remodeJling of the building and that on his death
he was thus honoured as a second Founder. A close parallel is afforded
by the two brick tombs associated with the last phase of the Hospital
of New Romney, one of which Mr. S. E. Rigold, F.S.A., assigns to the
John Frauncey who re-founded the hospital in 1363,17 In this connection
it is perhaps permissible to offer a suggestion as to the identity of the
second Founder of Strood. In 1361 William of Basing was appointed
Master and, from 1367 until his death in 1383, he was constantly
employed as clerk of works for the royal castles and manors in Kent.
Such a man was clearly in a position to plan and execute such an extensive
reconstruction and would have had skilled masons at his command.18
Further, the brickwork of the tomb and the stone work of Phase II
of the Chapel are quite consistent with a late fourteenth-century date.
The known facts of the career of William of Basing and of his successor,
Thomas Bromelegh, who is also a possible candidate for similar reasons,
are given in Appendix I.
It remains to consider the rest of the buildings not covered by the
excavation and there is evidence that part of these may have survived
the Dissolution. In Fisher's Hiswry of Rochester, published in 1772,19
there is the following reference to the site: 'Behind the houses that now
occupy this spot are two arches of Caen stone, one of which appears
to have led from the Hospital to the Chapel. Some thick walls of that
part of the building ... are still remaining. There is also a low arched
doorway which leads from the Hospital to the orchard behind it.'
Furthr, in Smetham's History of Strood,20 published in 1899, the
author states that 'some 25 years ago .•. removed the last surviving
portion of this old Hospital' and refers to a sketch, now in Rochester
Museum, which shows the interior of a timbered building with tiebeam
and crown-post. This crown-post, which is also preserved in
Rochester Museum, is shown in Fig. 5. With regard to the first reference,
neither of the arches mentioned by Fisher can have been that between
17 S. E. Rigold, M.A., F.S.A., 'Two Kentish Hospitals re-examined', in Arch.
Cant., lxxix 1 (1964), 67; also Arch. Gant., lxxx (1966), 29. 8 I owe this reference to Mr. S. E. Rigold, F.S.A.
19 Fisher, HistOMJ and Antiquities of Rcohester, 1772, 246.
•0 Smetha.m, op. oit., 134.
149
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
the Hall and the Chapel as the remains of this were securely sealed
beneath a chalk floor of c. 1700. They could possibly have been the
entrances through the west wall of the Hall, though these were of
firestone, not Caen stone, or they may have belonged to some other
building altogether.
As for the timbered Hall shown in the sketch, a careful comparison
of the Ordnance Survey map of 1864: with that of 1897 shows only
one major building in the area which has disappeared during the period,
i.e. the rectangular structure shown as lying to the north-west of the
original Hall range (Fig. 4), and it would seem probable that this is to
I I
I
O 12 ins
______
Fm. 6. Crown-Post in Rochester :Museum. (Drawn by IiJ • .R. Swain.)
150
EXOAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
be identified with it. Now it is clear that the re-foundation of the
Hospital and the conversion of the original Hall into an ante-Chapel
did not mean that the Hospital ceased to function a.s a charitable
institution; indeed, as late as 1528, a. bequest was made to the Master
'to bye matteras, schets, and coverletts for his almes house for poor
people'.21 Some other building must therefore have been provided for
this purpose and this may reasonably be identified with the 'last
surviving portion' mentioned by Smetham, particularly as the crownpost
could well be of late fourteenth-century date. It seems not improbable,
therefore, that in its final phase the Hospital formed a
quadrangle (see Fig. 4), bounded on the east by the original Hall and
Chapel and on the north by the new 'almes house' with a gate opening
on to the High Street.
THE FINDS
1. Bun,nmG MATERL\LS
Stone
The freestone employed in the building was mainly Reigate stone
('firestone') from the Upper Greensand, and ragstone, no doubt
quarried in the Maidstone area. There were a few fragments of
Bethersden marble, probably from a grave-slab. Flints also formed a
constituent of the rubble foundations and walls.
Plaster
Quantities of this were found in the earlier demolition layer (Period
I). The surface was lime-washed white or pink, but there was no sign
of wall-paintings.
Floor-Tiles
Examples from the Chapel (Period II) averaged 5¼ in. X 5¼ in. X 1 in.
with bevelled edges so that the underside was 4¾ in. square. The material
was red clay with white slip and having green to brown glaze, much
eroded. Some were scored diagonally as though with the intention of
facilitating breakage.
Tiles from the floor of the grave (Period II) measured about
- 7½ in. X7¼ in. xl in., ofred cla.y covered on the upper face with green,
yellow or brown glaze. Two had perforations at the centre to allow
drainage of putrification liquids from the corpse.
None of the floor-tiles recovered in the excavation bore inlaid or
stamped decoration.
11 Teatame-nta Oantiana, West Kent, 77.
151
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
Roof-Tiles
Plain tiles of common type occurred in Periods I and II. The "Width
was 6½ in. a.nd they had two peg-holes. A few unstratified examples
were 7 ½ in. wide and at least 9½ in. long.
Slak.s
(Plate IV, B.) Examples of unused roof-slates found sealed under
material of Period I floor in Chapel. Grey slate which the Institute of
Geological Sciences considers may have had an origin in Devon or
Cornwall. Medieval use of West Country slates in south-east England
is well attested (see Sx. A.O., Vol. 103, and Arcli. Oant., lx:xxii (1967),
152). The Strood specimens had a single nail-hole and measured
5½-6 in. in "Width and 10½ in. in length. One had been cut to 6½ in. long.
Bricks
From the grave: sizes approximately 8½ in. x4½ in. xl¾ in. Colour
ranged from pink to yellow, and some had been vitrified in firing.
NOTES ON FRAGMENTS Oll' CARVED STONE AND
MOULDINGS
By P. J. TESTER, F.S.A.
1. (Plate VI, A, left.) Echinus of Early English capital with stiff-leaf
carving, height 9 in. The diameter of the shaft to which it was attached
was about 3½ in. Dowel-holes occur in both lower and upper ends, the
former being for the attachment of the separate moulded abacus, of
which no trace survives. The lower dowel secured the capital to the
top of the circular-sectioned shaft. One side of the capital is less
carefully :finished than the other, indicating that it was attached to
a shaft that was not free-standing. Its possible uses are, therefore:
(a) At the head of a vaulting-shaft, the abacus supporting the
springers of the vaulting ribs.
(b) On one of the shafts of a wall-arcade forming mural seats, as
in the Early English churches at Alkham, Cheriton, and Stone, near
Dartford.
(c) On a shaft set in the jamb of a window or doorway.
As regards date, the stiff foliage, based possibly on the clover-leaf,
seems to have come in during the last quarter of the twelfth century
and continued to at least the middle of the thirteenth, when it occurs
in Henry ID's work in Westminster Abbey, and also at Stone, near
Dartford. The Stone foliage appears to be a little more developed than
the Strood carving which I would place nearer the beginning of the
thirteenth century. From the Period I destruction. Material is firestone.
2. (Plate VI, A, right.) A similar fragment to the last, height 7 in.
·-152
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE- OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
It is not decorated on one side, showing that it was set against a.
wall, In the top is a dowel-hole for securing the abacus, and another
occurs in the lower end. Here the indications are that the shaft was
very slender, and seemingly not more than 2} in. in diameter.
The carving of the foliage is less graceful than in No. 1, and stylistically
it looks back to the Corinthianesque capita.ls popula1 in the late
twelfth century, as exemplified in William of Sens' work at Canterbury
soon after 117 5, rather than forward to the more flowing treatment of the
developed Early English style. There is no good reason, however, for
believing it to be otherwise than contemporary with No. 1. The material
is firestone, and it occurred in destruction debris from Period I.
3. (Plate VI, B, left.) Circular base, diameter 8½ in. It has the hollow
between the upper and lower rounds found in Early English work of
the first half of the thirteenth century. Francis Bonrl22 observed that this
'water-holding' base originated as early as c. 1150 and was still not
wholly discarded by 1260. Period I.
4. (Plate VI, B, right.) Circular base discovered in situ built into the
internal north-east angle of the Chapel at floor level and obviously
forming the base of a vaulting-shaft. Radius of the plinth is 4¾ in,
and the diameter of the seating for the shaft, which rose from inside
the upper round, was 4 in. The profile does not show the 'water-holding'
recess, but is clearly derived from the Classical Attic base, consisting
of two rounds separated by a hollow. This served as a model to twelfthand
thirteenth-century masons,23 and appears in a form almost identical
with that at Strood in the late-twelfth-century work in Canterbury
Cathedral quire. Firestone. Period I.
5. (Plate V, A, left.) Section of moulding consisting of two rounds
separated by a deep hollow occupied by the curiously-styled 'dog-tooth'
ornament. This was common from the late twelfth century to at least
the middle of the thirteenth. This piece of moulding had been re-used
as wall material in Period ll, but was undoubtedly derived from the
Period I chapel. Material is firestone.
6. (Plate V, A, right.) Early English moulding with pointed bowtel,
similar to an example from Haseley, Oxfordshire, figured by Parker24
and dated c. l 220. There the suite includes dog-tooth ornament.
A fragment of another similar moulding shows a pointed bowtel
between hollows. Both are of firestone.
7. (Plate V, B.) Part of ragstone window-jamb, external face, cha.mu
Bond, Fra.ncis, Gothic Architecture in England (1906), 449.
u Braun, Hugh, An Introduction to }jJnglish Medieval Architecture (1951),
270-1.
st Pa-rker, John H,, An Introduction t,o the Study of Gothic Architecture (1888),
114. · , · ,., , · . , · - · · · '. · · · · -
-10s
.EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL, STROOD
fered and with glazing-groove. Hole for insertion of bar of iron grille.
Found in post-medieval reconstruction at east end ofChapeland thought
to have come from Period II work.
Also from the Period I destruction layer, a block of chalk, roughly
shaped to a truncated pyramid-form with a hole, about { in. in diameter,
and l½ in. deep, at the apex. The base measures roughly 4¾ in. x4¼ in.
Of unknown use, but it is suggested that it might have been a crude
taper-holder, such as could have served the needs of a workman
employed on the building.
2. MET.AL 0BJEO'l'S
The bronze strap-end buckle and belt ornament shown in Fig. 6,
A and B, were found in the demolition debris of the first Chapel.
Both are decorated with rouletting, and the buckle was origins.Uy
gilded; it is very similar to the one shown as Plate LXXV, 6, in the
London Museum Medieval Catalogue, London, 1954.
The plain copper belt-buckle shown in Fig. 6, C, is from the grave
described above (Plate IV A) and was almost certainly associated with
skeleton no. 2.
,:
·I • ... ,, .. -:.
I
, "'•.
.. -........ . --.. -·:· ......
B
A
Fro. 6 (t). Bronze Belt Fittings. {Drawn by G. 0. E. Shaw.)
IM
S.CAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL,;STROOD
8. SA.LT-GLAZED POTTERY
By J. E. L. CAIGER
Fig. 7, A
Salt-glazed stoneware Bellarmine jug. 8¼ in. high. The mask broadly
conforms to Holmes's type VIII, with typical hour-glass-shaped mouth.
The coarsely moulded mask displays a most disagreeable expression,
the teeth being represented by stylized lines. The waist of the jug
bears a roughly applied oval medallion, 2! in. high. It is late in form
and consists of eight sprigs arranged in a petaloid. This medallion
is fairly common and together with its outer banding could be taken to
represent the Star and Garter motif. The base of the footring bears the
customary series of concentric circles indicating the method of parting
the vessel from the wheel. From its general characteristics, it appears
to be of Rhenish origin, probably manufactured at Frechen, in the
mid-seventeenth century. The body of the jug is of an even drab
brown colour with only a slightly mottled appearance. The handle is
missing but its lower terminal remains showing the usual lizard's tail
finish to the body. When found, the neck of the jug was sealed with
,-...
I
lnotto1.
A. B.
Fm. 7. Sa.It-glazed Stoneware. (Drawn by J. lJJ. L. Oaiger.)
155
EXCAVAl'IONS ON THE SI'l,'E OF ST. MARY'S·HOSPITAL,·STRpm
a cork, and judging by its contents had undoubtedly been used as 11,
witch-bottle.25 Although the c(mtents had become little more than a
small pile of rust, several iron pin heads, pieces of iron scale, one bent
rusted nail and a tiny fragment of cloth could be identified amongst the
residue. Several similarly prepared Bellarmine jugs have been found in
Kent in recent years.
Fig. 7, B
Large salt-glazed stoneware jug, 17¾ in. x 13 in. diameter, capable
of holding approximately four gallons of wine or other fluids. The body
of the jug is bulbous and bears a short neck reinforced with cordons.
The top half of the jug is of a mottled brown colour produced by
dipping the upper part of the vessel into an iron salt wash or slip
before firing. The lower pa.rt is of a natural buff colour and the demarcation
line between _oxide stain and the undipped portion is sharply
defined. The sturdy strap-handle bears three decorative finger indentations
where it joins the body of the jug and has the characteristic
twist in it so often to be noted on these jugs. Its general appearance
suggests it may have been made at Fulham in the early eighteenth
century.
.APPENDIX I
WILLIAM 011' BASING AND THOMAS BROMELEGH
In view of the fact that William of Basing and his successor were
clearly men of some importance in their day and of the strong possibility
that one or the other may have been, as suggested above, the second
Founder of the Hospital, it seems worth while to place the known facts
of their careers upon record.
William of Basing was appointed Master of the Hospital in 1361,26
and in May 1367, became controller and surveyor, with one Gilbert
Golding, of the works of Rochester Castle under Prior John of Hartlip,27
an appointment which was renewed the following year.28 In 1373 it
was evidently decided to group the Kentish castles and royal manors
together administratively, and in April of that year he was appointed,
at the wage of 12d. a day, 'chief mast£
