Community care: civic charitable institutions in the Kentish Cinque Ports, c.1300-c.1500

Journal article

Sweetinburgh, S. 2020. Community care: civic charitable institutions in the Kentish Cinque Ports, c.1300-c.1500. Archaeologia Cantiana. 141, pp. 183-198.
AuthorsSweetinburgh, S.
Abstract

In the late 14th and early 15th centuries there was pressure by Lollard and other reformers to replace moribund hospitals, which were viewed as ecclesiastical-run institutions, with new foundations under lay control to provide community care for the vulnerable. In some cases these new almshouses actively involved the local civic authorities. The evidence for such civic-controlled hospitals in Kent is especially good for the Cinque Ports, and these institutions pre-date the calls for reform in the reigns of Richard II and his successors. Moreover, the hospital records not only highlight matters relating to the foundation of such establishments but also their developing character during the 15th century and beyond.

KeywordsCharity; Medieval; Cinque Ports; Kent; Hospital; History
Year2020
JournalArchaeologia Cantiana
Journal citation141, pp. 183-198
PublisherKent Archaeological Society
ISSN0066-5894
Related URLhttps://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/ArchCant/Intro.htm
Publication dates
PrintJun 2020
Publication process dates
Accepted30 Nov 2019
Deposited15 Jan 2020
Accepted author manuscript
File Access Level
Open
Output statusIn press
Permalink -

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8q8y9/community-care-civic-charitable-institutions-in-the-kentish-cinque-ports-c-1300-c-1500

Download files

Accepted author manuscript
Commumity Care_ArchCant_2020.pdf
File access level: Open

  • 206
    total views
  • 72
    total downloads
  • 7
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

Rethinking the medieval pig in England: From woodland animal to bagpipe-playing sow
Sweetinburgh, S. 2025. Rethinking the medieval pig in England: From woodland animal to bagpipe-playing sow. in: Heath, D. (ed.) Skin and Bone, Wood and Stone
Starting a new life as artisans and traders in Ricardian and Henrician Canterbury (c.1400 and c.1500)
Sweetinburgh, S. 2022. Starting a new life as artisans and traders in Ricardian and Henrician Canterbury (c.1400 and c.1500). Archaeologia Cantiana. (143), pp. 33-50.
More continuity than change: Kent's Tudor almshouses
Sweetinburgh, S. 2021. More continuity than change: Kent's Tudor almshouses. Southern History.
Parish Clergy Wives in Elizabethan England, by Anne Thompson
Sweetinburgh, Sheila 2021. Parish Clergy Wives in Elizabethan England, by Anne Thompson. The English Historical Review. 136 (579), pp. 416-418. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/ceab038
"Ready for to go to the sea": maintaining fishing families in Late Medieval Hythe
Sweetinburgh, S. 2021. "Ready for to go to the sea": maintaining fishing families in Late Medieval Hythe. in: Edwards, E., Bligh, S. and Sweetinburgh, S. (ed.) Maritime Kent Through The Ages Woodbridge Boydell Press.
Religious women in the landscape: their roles in medieval Canterbury and its hinterland
Sweetinburgh, S. 2018. Religious women in the landscape: their roles in medieval Canterbury and its hinterland. in: Blud, V., Heath, D. and Klafter, J. (ed.) Gender: Places, Spaces and Thresholds London Institute of Historical Research. pp. 8-18
Fishermen and their families in late medieval and Tudor Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2018. Fishermen and their families in late medieval and Tudor Kent. in: Jowitt, C., Lambert, C. and Mentz, S. (ed.) The Routledge Research Companion to Marine and Maritime Worlds, 1400-1800: Oceans in Global History and Culture Routledge.
Neighbours across the religious divide: coping with difference in Henrician Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2018. Neighbours across the religious divide: coping with difference in Henrician Kent. in: Kane, B. and Sandall, S. (ed.) The Experience of Neighbourliness in Europe, c.1000-1600 Routledge.
'Writing the town in mid-fifteenth-century Sandwich: the contribution of John Serle, common clerk'
Sweetinburgh, S. 2018. 'Writing the town in mid-fifteenth-century Sandwich: the contribution of John Serle, common clerk'. in: Bartram, C. (ed.) Kentish Book Culture: Writing and reading in the Provinces 1400-1660 Peter Lang.
Shepsters, Hucksters and other Businesswomen: female involvement in Canterbury's fifteenth-century economy
Sweetinburgh, S. 2017. Shepsters, Hucksters and other Businesswomen: female involvement in Canterbury's fifteenth-century economy. Archaeologia Cantiana. 138, pp. 179-200.
Discord in the public arena: processes and meanings of the St Bartholomew's day festivities in early sixteenth-century Sandwich
Sweetinburgh, S. 2013. Discord in the public arena: processes and meanings of the St Bartholomew's day festivities in early sixteenth-century Sandwich. in: Sweetinburgh, S. (ed.) Negotiating the Political in Northern European Urban Society, c.1400-c.1600 Tempe, Arizona ACMRS and Brepols.
Clothing the naked in late medieval Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2004. Clothing the naked in late medieval Kent. in: Richardson, C. (ed.) Clothing Culture, 1300-1600 Aldershot Ashgate. pp. 109-121
Royal patrons and local benefactors: the experiences of the hospitals of St Mary at Ospringe and Dover in the thirteenth century
Sweetinburgh, S. 2007. Royal patrons and local benefactors: the experiences of the hospitals of St Mary at Ospringe and Dover in the thirteenth century. in: Jamroziak, E. and Burton, J. (ed.) Religious and Laity in Western Europe 1000-1400: Interaction, Negotiation, and Power Turnhout Brepols. pp. 111-129
Strategies of inheritance among Kentish fishing communities in the later Middle Ages
Sweetinburgh, S. 2006. Strategies of inheritance among Kentish fishing communities in the later Middle Ages. The History of the Family. 11 (2), pp. 93-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hisfam.2006.06.003
The poor, hospitals and charity in sixteenth-century Canterbury
Sweetinburgh, S. 2007. The poor, hospitals and charity in sixteenth-century Canterbury. in: Lutton, R. and Salter, E. (ed.) Pieties in Transition: Religious Practices and Experiences c.1400-1640 Aldershot Ashgate. pp. 59-73
Supporting the Canterbury hospitals: benefaction and the language of charity in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
Sweetinburgh, S. 2002. Supporting the Canterbury hospitals: benefaction and the language of charity in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Archaeologia Cantiana. 122, pp. 237-258.
Joining the sisters: female inmates in the late medieval hospitals of east Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2003. Joining the sisters: female inmates in the late medieval hospitals of east Kent. Archaeologia Cantiana. 123, pp. 17-40.
Wax, stone and iron: Dover's town defences in the later Middle Ages
Sweetinburgh, S. 2004. Wax, stone and iron: Dover's town defences in the later Middle Ages. Archaeologia Cantiana. 124, pp. 183-208.
The Archangel Gabriel's stone and other relics: William Haute's serach for salvation in fifteenth-century Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2006. The Archangel Gabriel's stone and other relics: William Haute's serach for salvation in fifteenth-century Kent. Archaeologia Cantiana. 126, pp. 311-330.
What's in a name? Exploring the use of 'Creature' as a Christian name in early modern Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. and Craig-Mair, V. 2014. What's in a name? Exploring the use of 'Creature' as a Christian name in early modern Kent. Archaeologia Cantiana. 135, pp. 209-222.
'My painted chamber' and other rooms: Stephen Hulkes and the history of Calico House, Newnham
Sweetinburgh, S. and Austin, R. 2010. 'My painted chamber' and other rooms: Stephen Hulkes and the history of Calico House, Newnham. Archaeologia Cantiana. 130, pp. 105-145.
The social structure of New Romney as revealed in the 1381 Poll Tax returns
Sweetinburgh, S. 2011. The social structure of New Romney as revealed in the 1381 Poll Tax returns. Archaeologia Cantiana. 131, pp. 1-22.
Eternal town servants: civic elections and the Stuppeny tombs of New Romney and Lydd
Sweetinburgh, S. 2009. Eternal town servants: civic elections and the Stuppeny tombs of New Romney and Lydd. in: Bruun, M. and Glaser, S. (ed.) Negotiating Heritage: Memories of the Middle Ages Turnhout Brepols. pp. 149-172
Remembering the dead at dinner-time
Sweetinburgh, S. 2010. Remembering the dead at dinner-time. in: Hamling, T. and Richardson, C. (ed.) Everyday Objects: Medieval and Early Modern Material Culture and its Meanings Aldershot Ashgate. pp. 257-266
Overcoming disaster? Farming practices on Christ Church Priory's marshland manors in the early 14th century
Sweetinburgh, S. 2010. Overcoming disaster? Farming practices on Christ Church Priory's marshland manors in the early 14th century. in: Waller, M., Edwards, E. and Barber, L. (ed.) Romney Marsh: Persistence and Change in a Coastal Lowland Sevenoaks Romney Marsh Research Trust. pp. 97-115
Hythe's butcher-graziers: townsmen in the late medieval English countryside
Sweetinburgh, S. 2011. Hythe's butcher-graziers: townsmen in the late medieval English countryside. in: Dyer, C., Hopper, A., Lord, E. and Tringham, N. (ed.) New Directions in Local History since Hoskins Hatfield University of Hertfordshire Press. pp. 98-113
Anglo-Saxon saints and a Norman archbishop: 'imaginative memory' and institutional identity at St Gregory's Priory, Canterbury
Sweetinburgh, S. 2012. Anglo-Saxon saints and a Norman archbishop: 'imaginative memory' and institutional identity at St Gregory's Priory, Canterbury. in: Burton, J. and Stober, K. (ed.) The Regular Canons in the Medieval British Isles Turnhout Brepols. pp. 19-40
Canterbury's martyred archbishop: the 'cult' of Simon Sudbury and relations between city and cathedral
Sweetinburgh, S. 2013. Canterbury's martyred archbishop: the 'cult' of Simon Sudbury and relations between city and cathedral. in: Penman, M. (ed.) Monuments and Monumentality across Medieval and Early Modern Europe Donington Shaun Tyas. pp. 199-211
To move the mind: scenes from Christ's life on Faversham's painted pillar
Sweetinburgh, S. 2014. To move the mind: scenes from Christ's life on Faversham's painted pillar. in: Kelly, S. and Perry, R. (ed.) Devotional Culture in Late Medieval England and Europe Turnhout Brepols. pp. 291-314
The economic impact of the Reformation on two Canterbury parishes
Sweetinburgh, S. 2015. The economic impact of the Reformation on two Canterbury parishes. in: Hitchman, V. and Foster, A. (ed.) Views from the Parish: Churchwardens' Accounts c.1500-c.1800 Newcastle Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 47-62
A tale of two mazers: negotiating relationships at Kentish medieval hospitals'
Sweetinburgh, S. 2015. A tale of two mazers: negotiating relationships at Kentish medieval hospitals'. Archaeologia Cantiana. 136.
Farming the Kentish marshlands: continuity and change in the late Middle Ages
Sweetinburgh, S. 2016. Farming the Kentish marshlands: continuity and change in the late Middle Ages. in: Bowen, J. and Brown, A. (ed.) Custom and Commercialisation in English Rural Society: Revisiting Tawney and Postan Hatfield University of Hertfordshire Press. pp. 73-95
Looking to the past: the St Thomas Pageant in early Tudor Canterbury
Sweetinburgh, S. 2016. Looking to the past: the St Thomas Pageant in early Tudor Canterbury. Archaeologia Cantiana. 137, pp. 163-184.
Those who marched with Faunt: reconstructing the Canterbury rebels of 1471
Sweetinburgh, S. 2017. Those who marched with Faunt: reconstructing the Canterbury rebels of 1471. Southern History: A Review of the History of Southern England. 39.
Placing the hospital: the production of St Lawrence's hospital registers in fifteenth-century Canterbury
Sweetinburgh, S. 2014. Placing the hospital: the production of St Lawrence's hospital registers in fifteenth-century Canterbury. in: Clark, L. (ed.) The Fifteenth Century XIII: Exploring the Evidence: Commemoration, Administration and the Economy Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 109-129
Pilgrimage in 'an Age of Plague': Seeking Canterbury's 'hooly blisful martir' in 1420 and 1470
Sweetinburgh, S. 2013. Pilgrimage in 'an Age of Plague': Seeking Canterbury's 'hooly blisful martir' in 1420 and 1470. in: Clark, L. and Rawcliffe, C. (ed.) The Fifteenth Century XII: Society in an Age of Plague Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 57-77
Caught in the cross-fire: patronage and institutional politics in late twelfth-century Canterbury
Sweetinburgh, S. 2011. Caught in the cross-fire: patronage and institutional politics in late twelfth-century Canterbury. in: Dalton, P., Insley, C. and Wilkinson, L. (ed.) Cathedrals, Communities and Conflict in the Anglo-Norman World Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 187-202
Kentish hospitals during the late Middle Ages
Sweetinburgh, S. 2010. Kentish hospitals during the late Middle Ages. in: Sweetinburgh, S. (ed.) Later Medieval Kent, 1220-1540 Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 111-136
Kentish towns: urban culture and the parish in later medieval Kent
Sweetinburgh, S. 2010. Kentish towns: urban culture and the parish in later medieval Kent. in: Sweetinburgh, S. (ed.) Later Medieval Kent, 1220-1540 Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 137-165
The Austin Friars in late medieval Canterbury: negotiating spaces
Sweetinburgh, S. 2008. The Austin Friars in late medieval Canterbury: negotiating spaces. in: Burton, J. and Stober, K. (ed.) Monasteries and Society in the British Isles in the Later Middle Ages Woodbridge Boydell Press. pp. 197-210
Mayor-making and other ceremonies: shared uses of sacred space among the Kentish Cinque Ports
Sweetinburgh, S. 2006. Mayor-making and other ceremonies: shared uses of sacred space among the Kentish Cinque Ports. in: Trio, P. and De Smet, M. (ed.) The Use and Abuse of Sacred Places in Late Medieval Towns Leuvan Leuven University Press. pp. 165-188
The role of the hospital in medieval England: gift-giving and the spiritual economy
Sweetinburgh, S. 2004. The role of the hospital in medieval England: gift-giving and the spiritual economy. Dublin Four Courts Press.