Aberdeen trades hospitals

[4] Similar incorporated trades associations are to be found in Elgin, Edinburgh, Irvine, Stirling, Dundee, Kirkcubright and Glasgow.

[9] The growth of incorporated trades organizations and merchant societies[10] offered an alternative of community care for members and their "relicks".

A reference to their life in the archives of Aberdeen Council records that they spent: " … their days in prayer, reading mortification conference and other suchlike Christian exercises.."[14] What is also known is that tensions grew between the Merchants and the Craftsmen or Tradesmen over entry to the Hospital.

The said day the provost, baillies, new and auld counsall, considering that divers persons his been admitted and received to the hospital of this burght in tymes bygane wha hes not been burgess of gild, express against the terms of the foundation of the hospital, be the whilk it is specially provided that none sail be admitted thereto except decayed brither of gild of this burght allenarlie.

Therefore to avoid the said abuse hereafter, and in respect that the rent of the said hospital is given and mortified thereto be the brither of gild of this burght, and be nane others, they enact and ordain that nane sail be admittet nor received to the said hospital in tyme cuming unless that they be burgesses of gild of this burght according to the tenor of the foundation thereof, excluding hereby all craftismen of this burght, extranears or utheris whatsomever from having ony place in the said hospital in tyme cuming except burgesses of gild allenarlie unless the foundation thereof be altered, and that livings be deited and mortifiet thereto be craftismen…..” Council Register, vol.

[18] In 1632/3, Dr. William Guild (1586–1657), endowed Trades Hospital in a Mortification and received confirmation from King Charles I dated 24 June 1633.

He was generous to the Incorporated Trades and gifted part of the land and buildings of the Trinity Monastery (See above) as a Meeting House and Hospital.

…ALSO, I ordain that in their own chapel a portion of the Word of God be read twice daily, and prayers offered up by a suitable reader (who shall have fifty merks paid him therefore yearly), to be properly chosen by the patron, which service shall be between nine and ten in the morning or forenoon, and between three and four in the evening or afternoon and whoever (except through sickness) shall be once absent, let him be admonished; if twice, punished by the director; and if thrice, removed from the hospital….

This position effectively controlled the Hospital, its "Bedesmen", their conditions of life and the offers of places to the Incorporated Trades members.

By the late seventeen hundreds, the hospital could not be sustained by the Incorporated Trades and eventually a "Decreet of Declarator"[25] was sought from the Court of Session in Edinburgh to allow the "Beidesmen" to be supported with stipends in the community.

it is not only inexpedient, but in so far as no person will accept of the foresaid Charitable Institutions on the conditions specified in the original Deeds of Mortification, It is impracticable literally to follow all the rules and regulations therein laid down….

[26] When the Hospital ceased to operate as a Care Home for residents, the meeting house Trinity Hall, continued to serve the Incorporated Trades as their headquarters.

[27] The Incorporated Trades moved Trinity Hall to Union Street (NJ 94013 06113) and then in 1965 to its current site at the end of Great Western Road Aberdeen.

(NJ 93195 05445) The Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen still look after the aged and "decayed" craftsmen by paying annuities to retired members, together with widows and family.

Dennison et al. suggest that " ".. (this initiative) .. helped to fill a void in female society in Aberdeen, which lacked any institutional focus since the nunneries closed…" The terms of the legacy, dated 26 May 1633, were explicit.

It is believed that the delay in founding the hospital was in part due to the Magistrates of Aberdeen spending money on their clothes and finery for the Coronation of Charles I at Holyrood in 1633.

book...”The hospital is described as follows: “” ane laith house of one story high of two couple lenth of ston and mud and the dyks to be helped …””On 11 November 1710, little progress appears to have been made.

However, the Deacon Court decided to seek out a Patron "" .. discreet gentleman of a pious lyfe and conversan .."" to ""..to oversee and manage all affairs relative thertoo .."".

[34] “... the Deacons and masters of the said Court that it would be very convenient and necessary for the Relicks of decayed Tradesmen if any feasible methods might be thought upon for building a hospital!

for them to live in .. ...”By 28 April 1711, progress had been made and a plan for the hospital had been drawn up and the relative contributions from the then five trades in Old Aberdeen appear to be secure.

“.. the said day it is statute and ordayned with consent of the haill court the work of the new hospitall in the Traids land shall be caried on with all dilligence to witt to build it thrie roume lenth, two storie heigh, to witt five foott and ane halff above the jest of ston work one of the thrie heigh roumes to be a little heigher then the rest with ane stone gavell and with two back and bosom chimleys therin and to be tylled above with thrie doors in the laich storie and two doores in wpper storie for which the haill fyve Traids ar to advance so much moe at first for carreing on the work..”By November of that year discussions started with regard to the allocation of rooms for the residents.

the said trades have built in the close of the aforesaid manse (Endowed by the Parson of Turriff) .. an hospital for ten poor widows, tradesmen's relicts, anno 1711.

There are now in it eight women, anno 1725, who get each of them quarterly twenty millings Scots from said trades, who likewise have appointed little hail-yards for them within said close.

Only two further entries suggest that while the hospital had been open in 1712 within fifty years disputes had broken out within the Trades and that finally, in 1792, a decision was made to sell the building.

“...their being a complaint made by the Boxmaster anent the weavers haveing applyed to the Magistrates in a matter anent placeing a woman in the hospitall contrary to the acts of the Court Which difference being laid before the Patron was settled by him But in order to prevent abuses for the future The Court unanimously agree that for the future there shall be no person received into the hospitall without calling a court of the Conveener Boxmaster and Deacons... ”Finally, on 5 May 1792, this entry is recorded: “... in a full meeting of the Trads of Old Aberdeen it was represented to the Trades that there was a proposall to the trads for celling the house belonging to them comenly called the Hospitle and being delibrated upon they came to the following resoulation that they would cell it for fifty pound sterling and impowrs the Convneer and Box Master to make the best bargain they cane with a desctirany power for the same....”There does not appears to be a full explanation of why the hospital was closed.