A Brief History
The Hospital of God was founded by Robert de Stichell, the Bishop of Durham in 1273 to care for poor and elderly people.
King Henry III had obtained the Manor of Greatham
from Simon de Montfort following his defeat at the battle of Evesham
in 1265. Robert de Stichell then made and won a legal claim for
the land on the basis that as Crown Palatine he had the right
to all land plundered or gained within his royal franchise as
Bishop of Durham.
Having obtained possession of the Manor of Greatham
the
Bishop built the first Hospital - a place of shelter and hospitality
- for five priests and forty poor lay men. He installed a Master
to care for them and dedicated the Hospital to the Honour of God,
the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Cuthbert.
In 1353 it is recorded that the Master would grant to each Brethren
for life, seven white loaves and seven pitchers of ale weekly,
a "decent chamber" to live in, coal for heating and
candles.
The charity was refounded by King James I in 1610
and the assets of the charity were vested in a corporation known
as the Master and Brethren of the Hospital of God at Greatham,
which exists to this day.
Over the following centuries the Hospital went through
a number of episodes of dilapidation and rebuilding with various
buildings being erected and falling into disuse.
In
1761 a sister charity, the Dormer Parkhurst Almshouses, was founded
by the Master of the same name and for the first time women could
be cared for. This charity, at first separate, is now part of
the Hospital of God.
The present Brother House was built in 1804 and
now forms part of the present care home.
The charity is now governed by a board of eleven
Trustees on behalf of the corporation in accordance with the provisions
of the scheme of the Charity Commission dated 27th June 2002.
Trustees meet every two months and there are sub committees that
deal with finance, property, grant making and new buildings.
The Director is responsible for the day to day management
of the charity.
The charity still owns a significant amount of property
in the village of Greatham and over the years has invested in
many projects that have enhanced the local environment.
In addition to the care home the Hospital of God
has built 45 almshouses (homes for older people) in Greatham.
The Hospital of God is now embarking upon a major
redevelopment of its facilities at Greatham. This reflects a continuation
of the tradition of caring that has existed for the last 730 years
and will ensure that the charity is able to continue its work
in the future.
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