THE KNIGHTS OF LAZARUS
IN LONDON
St. GILES LONDON
This Hospital was founded in 1101 by Queen Matilda, Queen of Henry I, for the maintenance of Lepers.
Dugdales Monasticon Anglicanum (1655–1673) writes,
"The member of whom was to consist of forty, exclusive of a Chalpin, clerk and Messenger, to which were added in aftertimes, as the Hospital revenurs increased, several other officers, and also a certain number of matrons or sisters"
King Edward III in 1354, annexed St Giles as a Cell of Burton Lazars,
St Giles-in-the-Fields: Foundation
The hospital of St Giles-in-the-Fields was founded around 1101–1118 by Matilda of Scotland.
It was deliberately located:
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Outside the walls of London
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Along a major road west from the city
This position allowed the hospital to care for lepers while keeping them isolated from the urban population.
Land, Patronage & Ownership
St Giles was a royally supported institution from its foundation.
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Henry II of England granted lands and privileges, strengthening its endowment
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Wealthy Londoners and benefactors added further donations
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The hospital controlled:
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Around 8 acres immediately around the site
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Up to 45 acres across the parish before its dissolution
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In 1299, Edward I of England transferred the hospital to Burton Lazars, placing it under the control of the Order of St Lazarus.
What Was There?
St Giles was a large enclosed hospital complex, not just a single building.
Main Features
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Chapel (on the site of today’s church)
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Hospital wards (“spittle houses”) for patients
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Warden’s residence
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Gatehouse facing St Giles High Street
Supporting Landscape
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Gardens and orchards
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Farmland within the enclosure
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Livestock and agricultural buildings
Records show a working estate with horses, oxen, pigs, and poultry—indicating a self-sufficient institution.
Who Lived There?
The hospital community included:
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Lepers (patients) – the primary focus
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Lazar brothers – members of the Order
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Servants and caregivers
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Warden or Master – responsible for management
St Giles functioned as both a hospital and a religious house, where care and spiritual life were closely linked.
Decline and Dissolution
By the 14th century:
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Criticism arose over mismanagement and reduced care for lepers
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Disputes occurred between the Crown, the City of London, and the Order
In the 16th century:
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Leprosy declined in England
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The hospital’s role shifted toward general poor relief
Finally, in 1544, during the
Dissolution of the Monasteries,
St Giles and the Lazarite network were dissolved, and their lands taken by the Crown.
What Remains Today?
Although the medieval hospital has disappeared, its legacy survives:
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The present church of St Giles-in-the-Fields stands on the original chapel site
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The street layout reflects the former hospital boundary
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Historical records, charters, and surveys preserve details of the site
Why It Matters
St Giles-in-the-Fields provides a rare insight into:
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Medieval healthcare and disease management
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The role of religious orders in social welfare
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The connection between London and wider Crusader networks
Summary
The Knights of St Lazarus were not just crusaders—they were caretakers of the sick and marginalised.
At St Giles-in-the-Fields, their work created a self-contained hospital community on the edge of medieval London—now lost, but still traceable in the city’s landscape and history.
St. JAMES THE LESS LONDON
Historical Overview
The St James the Less Hospital was a medieval charitable institution established before 1189 on the western edge of Westminster. Founded as a hospital for women suffering from leprosy, it formed part of a wider network of religious houses dedicated to care, seclusion, and spiritual support.
Situated in open ground beyond the main settlement, the hospital occupied what was then a marginal landscape of fields and marshland—an appropriate setting for institutions designed to isolate infectious disease from the wider community.
Religious and Institutional Context
St James the Less belongs to the broader European tradition of “lazar houses,” institutions associated in purpose and ethos with the Order of Saint Lazarus, a religious order specialising in the care of lepers.
While the Westminster hospital shared this charitable function and spiritual framework, there is no firm evidence that it was directly administered by the Order. It was more likely an independent foundation under royal or ecclesiastical oversight, reflecting the widespread adoption of Lazarite models of care across medieval England.
Organisation and Daily Life
The hospital was governed by a master or warden, supported by clergy and sustained through landholdings and charitable income. It functioned both as:
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a place of medical care and long-term residence, and
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a religious community, structured around prayer and discipline
Its inclusion in the Valor Ecclesiasticus provides a final administrative record of its income and status on the eve of its suppression.
Dissolution and Royal Transformation
In 1531, during the early stages of Henry VIII’s reforms, the hospital was dissolved and its lands appropriated by the Crown. The buildings were demolished, and the site was redeveloped as St James's Palace, signalling a profound shift in function and meaning.
The surrounding lands were incorporated into a royal estate, later forming St James’s Park, which retains the historic name of the earlier institution.
The Site Today
No standing remains of the hospital survive. However, its former location lies beneath:
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St James’s Palace
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St James’s Park
Archaeological investigations have identified burials and structural remains, confirming the presence and extent of the medieval complex.
Significance
Although largely lost from view, St James the Less represents an important aspect of medieval London’s social and religious fabric. Its history illustrates:
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the provision of care for marginalised groups
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the influence of religious institutions on healthcare
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and the transformation of land use from charitable foundation to royal landscape
Today, the name “St James’s” endures as a quiet testament to this earlier phase of Westminster’s history.
FELTHAM
HOLBORN
LONDON
