| Summary : The chapel of the Hospital founded by Archbishop Thurstan (Archbishop 1114-40), with the chapel dating from shortly after the foundation. The south doorway is of 12th century date but otherwise the chapel is substantially 15th century in date. It is constructed of hammer-dressed limestone with a low-pitched roof hidden by the parapet. The interior has very good furnishings including a 15th century screen, meieval stone altar, medieval tesselated pavement, and a 17th century communion rail with turned balusters. The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene is slightly younger than that of St John, but this chapel is the only complete fragment of any of Ripon's medieval hospitals to survive from the time of its foundation. |
More information : [SE 317271278] St. Mary Magdalen's Chapel [G.T.]
[SE 31707180] St. Mary Magdalen's Hospital (Almshouses) [T.I.] (1)
St. Mary Magdalene's Hospital, Stammergate, was founded by Archbishop
Thurston (1114-41) for lepers. The chapel contains Norman work. (2)
Date of foundation - 1139 (3)
St. Mary Magdalen hospital was going to ruin in 1567. The
buildings except for the chapel, were rebuilt in 1674. (4)
Only the ancient chapel of the original buildings remains. (5)
The central medallion of the altar platform is formed of tesserae
(a), almost certainly Romano-British. (6)
St. Mary Magdalen's Chapel is still used for public worship. The
Almshouses are modern. GP's AO 62 101 1. (7)
St Mary Magdalene's chapel contains work from the 13th to 15th
century, and has a pre-Reformation stone altar slab. Grade 2. (8)
SE 3171 RIPON MAGDALEN'S ROAD (east side)
1/23
27.5.49 Chapel of the Hospital of St Mary
Magdalene [formerly listed as Hospital
of St Mary Magdalene, Stonebridgegate
(Chapel)]
I
Hospital founded by Archbishop Thurstan (Archbishop 1114-40),
and the chapel must date from shortly after the foundation. South
doorway C12. Otherwise substantially C15. Hammer-dressed limestone.
Low-pitched roof with parapets; finial on east gable; bellcote on
west gable. Low side window on south site. Four-light
Perpendicular east window.
Interior has very good furnishings, including C15 screen,
mediaeval stone altar, mediaeval tesselated pavement, and C17
communion rail with turned balusters.
History. The Hospital of St Mary Magdalene is slightly younger
than that of St John, but this chapel is the only complete fragment
of any of Ripon's mediaeval hospitals to survive from the time of
its foundation. It had sisters and a priest, whose duties were to
feed and shelter lepers, maintain blind priests born in Ripon, and
give alms to the poor.
In 1544-45 it was re-organised as an almshouse by Archbishop Lee; and when James I re-founded the college in 1604 its mastership (together with that of St John) was annexed to the new foundation as a perpetual gift. From the late C17 the masterships of the 2 hospitals were amalgamated in the office of Dean of Ripon.
As a result of the Charity Commissioners' Report of 1820, the
2 hospitals' estates were re-organised in 1864, enabling the
premises to be rebuilt.
The Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535) reveals that the master (Marmaduke
Bradley) had a "mansion house", garden and orchard. The Charity
Commissioners in 1820 describe apartments for 6 sisters and a
chapel across the street. There is no mention of the hospital
buildings in either case, but it is known that there had been a
separate leper house, demolished shortly before 1352 for lack
of patients. (9)
SE 317 718. St Mary Magdalen's Chapel. Scheduled No NY/110. (10)
SE 3173 7177. St Mary Magdalen's Chapel. Descheduled. (11)
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