THE KNIGHTS OF ST LAZARUS
IN NORTHAMPTON
The Order of St. Lazarus, known for its role in caring for those with leprosy (Hansen's Disease), is a historic order with a charitable focus. While not directly headquartered in Northamptonshire, the order did have establishments in the region.
STEPPINGTON HILL - (Catesby)
Steppington Hill, near Catesby (Northamptonshire), represents a minor but documented holding of the Order of Saint Lazarus in England.
Although no surviving charter records the original grant, the site is listed among Lazarite properties in the county, indicating that by the 12th–13th century the order held either land, rent, or tithe income here. As elsewhere in England, such holdings were typically small and derived from pious donations by local lords, most likely connected to the manor of Catesby.
Steppington Hill was not a Lazarite house or hospital. Instead, it formed part of the agricultural economy that sustained the order, with income generated from tenant-farmed land. This interest coexisted with the dominant local estate of Catesby Priory, reflecting the layered nature of medieval landholding.
The Lazarite connection ended with the Dissolution of the Monasteries, after which any rights at Steppington Hill passed into secular ownership.
No physical remains of the order survive on the site today; its significance lies in its role as part of the dispersed income network supporting the Lazarite order in medieval England.
THENFORD
Thenford and the Order of St Lazarus
The Northamptonshire village of Thenford had a small but significant medieval connection to the Order of Saint Lazarus, a religious order founded during the Crusades to care for lepers.
This link is recorded in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, which shows that the order received income from the village. The payment came not from land, but from the parish church of St Mary, as part of its “spiritualities” — income derived from tithes.
The arrangement most likely began in the 12th or 13th century, when a local lord granted a fixed annual pension from the church to the order. Such gifts were common, allowing patrons to support religious institutions while gaining spiritual benefits.
In practice:
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a local priest served the parish
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the church collected tithes
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a portion was paid to the Lazarites
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the income was managed remotely from Burton Lazars
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There is no evidence of a Lazarite hospital or community in Thenford itself—the connection was entirely financial.
Today, little remains of this link beyond historical records, but it shows how even a small village like Thenford was part of a wider medieval network, contributing to an international religious order through its parish church.
HASELBECH
The Gift of Haselbech
The connection between the Order and Haselbech began in the 12th century through aristocratic patronage.
A Norman landowner, William Burdett of Loseby, granted:
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the church of Haselbech (Northamptonshire)
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along with churches at Loseby and Galby
to the Order of St Lazarus.
This gift formed part of a wider pattern of donations made to support the Order’s work. These grants were later confirmed by royal authority, including King Henry II.
What the Order Owned at Haselbech
Once granted, the church at Haselbech became part of the Lazarite estate system. Their rights typically included:
The Church and Advowson. (The Order held the advowson—the legal right to appoint the parish priest.) and
The Rectory (Appropriated)
The church was appropriated to the Order, meaning:
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The Lazarites became the rector in law
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They received:
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tithes (main parish income)
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income from glebe land
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They appointed a vicar to serve the parish locall
This structure is reflected in later taxation records such as the Valor Ecclesiasticus, which records income from such appropriated churches.
In effect, Haselbech was part of the Order’s “spiritual revenue network”, helping fund Burton Lazars and its wider activities.
During the 12th to 14th centuries, Haselbech was a small rural manor village, with a Population likely under 150 and Around 20–30 houses with an Economy based on open-field farming
At its centre stood the parish church: of St Michael's Built mainly in the 13th–14th centuries
The Lazarites themselves did not live in the village. Instead, A vicar served the parish and Revenues were collected and sent to Burton Lazars
Dissolution and Aftermath
The English house of the Order survived longer than many monasteries but was eventually dissolved in 1544, when Burton Lazars was surrendered to the Crown.
After this, Haselbech’s rectory and advowson passed into secular or diocesan control
WALBEK LAZAR HOSPITAL (Northampton)
Little known of short history of leper hospital at Walbeck, Walbeck was situated in Kingsthorpe Hollow & took its name from stream there;
Walbeck Leper Hospital probably lies in Kingsthorpe Hollow; earliest known record of hospital is in first half of C13th when it is said to lie 'without North Gate of town'; not recorded after 1347
Hospital of Walbek was lazar house & situated by North Gate of Northampton; mention of only two C14th diocesan references granting indulgencies; name Walbek occurs in corporation deed of 1360
