The Hospital of St Mary Magdalen was established on the downs to the east of Winchester before 1148. The hospital survived the reformation unscathed due to its status, but suffered damage during the Civil War and following the removal of its inmates to temporary quarters in Winchester, the site was used to house Dutch prisoners of war in the late C17. The remaining buildings were demolished in 1788 when materials from the various buildings were reused in several locations in Winchester. The west door from the hospital chapel now forms the west door of the Roman Catholic Church in Jewry Street, Winchester.
The site has been the subject of a number of archaeological investigations and documentary research, including Time Team and Winchester Museums Service Archaeology Section in October 2000. The precinct wall, chapel, master’s house and a row of almshouses were located and a number of burials were also located. The investigations confirmed that the foundations of the buildings and precinct wall survive well despite arable cultivation and also confirmed that 18th century depictions of the site are remarkably accurate. The site is now the subject of a multi-disciplinary research project by the University of Winchester (2007>).
| <1> | SWC263 - Monograph: Barlow, F., Biddle, M. et al. 1976. Winchester in the early Middle Ages: an edition and discussion of the Winton Domesday. p.90, 263, 328-9, 491. |
| <2> | SWC5092 - Newspaper: Hampshire Chronicle. 10th July 1948. 11/11/1950. |
| <3> | SWC4782 - Unclassified source: Vestusta Monumenta (Soc Ant) 3. |
| <4> | SWC4609 - Monograph: 1900-1912. The Victoria County History of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Vol.2 p.197. |
| <5> | SWC2770 - Monograph: Knowles, D and Hadcock, R, N. 1971. Medieval Religious Houses in England and Wales. p.319. |
| <7> | SWC28 - Unpublished document: GSB Prospection. 2000. Geophysical Report 2000/102: St Mary Magdalen, Winchester. |
| <8> | SWC5011 - Document: Winchester Museums Service. Winchester Museums Service Files. History File 1936 & CF2. |
| <9> | SWC3000 - Index: Winchester Museums Service. 1974-. Old SMR Cards. Chilcomb 2073, 2475. |
| <10> | SWC4968 - Article in serial: Winchester Museums Service. 2001. Alresford Road, Winchester. Archaeology in Hampshire: Annual Report for 2000. p.43-4. |
| <11> | SWC6 - Graphic material: Various. Winchester Museum Service Photographic and Art Archive. WINCM: A 599; 738-40; 1384. |
| <12> | SWC5349 - Unpublished document: Gilkes, O. 1990. The Leper Hospital of St Mary Magdalen, A Review. |
| <13> | SWC4996 - Unpublished document: HER Backup Files. Time Team non planning project file. |
| <14> | SWC5350 - Unpublished document: Williams, M. 2006. St Mary Magdalen Hospital, Winchester: An Archaeological Evaluation by Time Team (DRAFT). |
| <15> | SWC5423 - Unclassified source: University of Winchester. 2011?. Summary Report: St Mary Magdalen, Winchester 2008-2010. |
| <16> | SWC5495 - Article in serial: Roffey, S. 2012. Medieval Leper Hospitals in England: An Archaeological Perspective. Medieval Archaeology. 56. |
| <17> | SWC5496 - Article in serial: Roffey, S and Tucker, K. 2012. A contextual study of the medieval hospital and cemetery of St Mary Magdalen, Winchester. International Journal of Paleopathology. |