Hospitals in medieval Scotland

Almshouse; bede house;[a] chantry; God's house; infirmary; spital; Domus hopitalis Sancti Spiritus (Latin); Gasthuis (German); Godshuis (Dut); Hôpital (Fr); Hôtel-Dieu (French); Krankenhaus (German); Maison dieu (French); ospedale (Italian); Sjukhus (Swedish); xenodochium (Greek).

To begin with the causes for the building of hospitals across Europe and in Great Britain can be found in the Western Catholic Church's teaching related to Charity and Piety together that of Purgatory.

In Great Britain, it was not until the Reformation in the sixteenth century that civic authorities had to face poverty, ageing and a revised approach to charity and piety by the churches.

[26][27] Hall (2006)[28] includes, in Aberdeenshire, the Hospital at Kincardine O’Neil (NO 59211 99644) which served the dual purpose of a Hospice and a Hostel for Travellers[29] – see adjacent map.

To the west of Kincardine O’Neil the Capel Mounth, a Drovers' road led past Loch Muick and an eighteenth-century ruined hospital or traveller's inn.

....to “the sheallings called hospital haugh” allied to Braichlay, at the foot of the Glen, in 1709 (Instrument of Sasine In Favour of Isaac Fullerton, 1709, Invercauld Papers); and a sub-tack of 1754 which required the sub-tacksman to re-roof “the house in Spittall” (Sub-tack, Lewis Mackenzie to Donald Glass, 1754, Invercauld Papers).

In its Notes on archaeological work at Glen Muick RCAHMS repeats a claim made by Sheila Sedgwick that: “....

However, there is a charter from 1195x1197 that concerns: ...Matthew, bishop of Aberdeen, for Michael the clerk; at the presentation of Prior Gilbert de Vere and the rest of the Hospitallers in England, he has given and granted the churches of Glenmuick (ABD), and has canonically instituted him as parson in those churches, rendering to the house of the Hospitallers 9 marks...” .

[39] On balance there is sufficient circumstantial evidence regarding the Hospital to believe that it did serve some function for those who travelled on the Capel Mounth route.

It is generally believed locally that “spit(t)al” is a corruption of the Gaelic word meaning - '.. narrow pass between the hills ..' and is not associated with a hospital.

J. Cuthbert Hadden (1910) says: “.. the Knights Hospitallers had a station here and performed such services as are now discharged by the Monks of St Bernard on the Alps...”[40] [41] This authors also suggests that during the 16th century, it was a shelter for "belated travellers" avoiding bands of wolves.

There is an interesting charter from Muriel de Rothes, daughter of Peter de Pollock, in 1232, part of which reads in translation: “ ... know all men present and to come, I have given and granted and by this my charter have confirmed the Hospital of Saint Nicholas ... to serve the maintenance of the poor ...”[45] An ancient Drove road, going north-east from Tomintoul approaches the Spey near Craigellachie about 6 miles from Boat O'Brig.

The hospital of St Nicholas, erected close to the bridge, and endowed for the reception of travellers, is now probably no longer to be traced.

pIII) Additional evidence for the use of the Hospital of St Nicholas is provided by Shaw, L and J. F. S. Gordon in The History of the Province of Moray.

[46]”...At the beginning of the 13th century, Muriel de Pollock, daughter of Peter de Pollock, heiress of Rothes, bequeathed her estate of Inverorkil, or Inverlochtie, where a bridge was first built by her, for an Hospital to God, the blessed Virgin Mary, and S. Nicholas (the patron Saint of all who travel by water) for the reception of poor travellers.

The wooden bridge existed at the Reformation, but having fallen into neglect and disrepair it was swept away by the Spey, and its place was supplied by a ferryboat, whence the spot was termed " Boat o' Brig."

The RCAHMS records the evidence as: “ ... Soutra Hospital is said to have been founded by Malcolm IV in 1164, for lodging travellers, but the foundation was probably somewhat earlier.

In 1236, specific mention is made that the rule of St Augustine shall be observed, and it is called the house or hospital of the Holy Trinity.

The translation of Canon 23 of the Third Council of the Lateran makes it clear that "charity in exclusion" was the policy of the Bishops: “...we decree, in accordance with apostolic charity, that wherever so many are gathered together under a common way of life that they are able to establish a church for themselves with a cemetery and rejoice in their own priest... let them take care, however, not to harm in any way the parochial rights of established churches.

Not only was it looked upon as a divine punishment, but at all times the Hebrews believed it to be contagious and hereditary,[52] hence it was considered as a cause of defilement and involved exclusion from the community.

In his seminal work on leprosy, Sir James Simpson writes: "...laws were enacted by Princes and Courts to arrest (lepsosy’s) diffusion, the Pope issued.

In the foundation charter Alexander Comyn, 2nd Earl of Buchan writes: “...nouerit uniuersitas vestra nos diuine caritatis intuitu et pro salute anime nostre et Isabelle comitisse sponse nostre et pro animabus antecessorum nostrorum et successorum nostrorum dedisse concessisse et hac presenti carta confirmasse sex pauperibus prebendariis apud nouum burgum in Buchane ... “ Translated: “... (be it) known to all of you that we divine the sake of charity and for the salvation of our soul, and Isabella countess of our spouse, and for the souls of our ancestors and of our successors, have given, granted and by this present charter have confirmed to the six to the poor prebendaries with the new burgh and their successors in the same place for the sake of alms in the Buchan... “ [59] The wording of the charter is typical for a hospital set up as a "chantry" to house priests to say prayers for the dead, in this case Alexander and Elizabeth (Isabella) de Quincy, his wife.

Before the Scottish Reformation most hospitals would have been ordered on a religious regime, and as a result the term "bedesman" was self-evident in common parlance.

There is evidence that in the nineteenth century, this "hospital" served elderly men in a similar fashion to the bedehouse in Old Aberdeen.

)Also: "The Bede-House is still standing in the village of Rathven, and was very lately repaired: two of the six bede-men, who are still maintained on the establishment, at present live in the house.

The Bedehouse in Tarves (NJ 87491 30824) founded by William Forbes of Tolquhon in 1684 is post Scottish Reformation but the term "bedesmen" was used for 4 resident men for many years.

It was claimed that: “...in return for food clothing a stipend and lodging the poor men had to attend the local church to pray for the founder’s soul..."[62][63]This reference to Bedesmen saying prayers for the dead has to be considered very carefully.

In Illustrations of the Topography and Antiquities of the Shires of Aberdeen (p. 330) the description of the parish of Tarves claims: "…here is a hospital (hard by the church) founded by William Forbes of Tolquhon for four poor men who were to eat and lye here and to have each a peck of meal and three shillings a penny and two-sixths of a penny, Scots, weekly: also, some malt, peats etc.

It is impossible to put a religious boundary around the period of hospital building as the social values developed pre-Reformation were continued for at least hundred years after 1559.

The foundation of sub-monastic bede houses highlights the importance of prayers for the dead and a belief in Purgatory in the pre-Reformation Catholic Church.