Monument record 0192801000 - CHRIST'S HOSPITAL, MARKET SQUARE
Summary
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Map
Type and Period (2)
- ALMSHOUSE (16th Century to 19th Century - 1597 AD? to 1897 AD)
- BOUNDARY WALL (16th Century to 18th Century - 1500 AD? to 1799 AD?)
Description
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL (QUEEN ELIZABETH'S ALMSHOUSES); ON SITE OF ST LAURENCE'S LEPER HOSPITAL? RETURN OF 1666 MENTIONS HOSPITAL HOUSE, YARD, ORCHARD & CLOSE (B2).
FOUNDED 1597 (B2) OR 1598 (B5,B10).
FOUNDED TO PROVIDE A REFUGE FOR 36 MAIMED UNMARRIED SOLDIERS; IN 1666 IT HAD 2 GOVERNORS & SHELTERED 7 WOMEN (B5,B10).
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL IS AN OLD PLAIN, STONE BUILDING SITUATED IN MARKET HILL. IN THE WALL IS A STONE BEARING THE WORDS 'CHRIST'S HOSPITAL' [1872](B3).
REBUILT 1897 (B4).
NGR TO CHRIST'S HOSPITAL (B7).
Evaluation trial trenching by Network Archaeology in June 2012 and watching brief in June 2013 during groundworks for a rear extension idenfied the remains of a NE-SW aligned limestone boundary wall 0.5m wide, at least 15m long and surviving to a depth of at least 1m. The wall appeared to have gone out of use by the 18th century when it was buried by up to 1.1m of rubble and garden soils containing pottery, brick and tile. The wall may have been the rear property boundary to the 16th century almshouse. See report for detail (B9).
[SP 69693406] Christ's Hospital [NR] (B11).
An almshouse founded 1597, possibly on the site of a 13th c. hospital; it was rebuilt in 1897 but reset in the wall is an old stone inscribed 'Christs' Hospital (B4).
A completely 'modern' almhouse of six dwellings on two floors. The old tablet referred to is mounted in the main chimney stack (B13)
The Hospital of St Laurence founded before 1252 and dissolved after 1400 is said to have stood on this site (B5).
NRHE insert 2001 (B13).
This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.
Sources (10)
- <2>SBC26952 Bibliographic reference: George Lipscomb. 1847. The History and Antiquities of the County of Buckingham (Volume 2). Volume 2. p583.
- <3>SBC19727 Bibliographic reference: James Joseph Sheahan. 1862. History and Topography of Buckinghamshire. pp240, 246.
- <4>SBC20467 Bibliographic reference: Royal Commision on Historical Monuments. 1913. Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire. Volume 2. pp20,76.
- <5>SBC20460 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1905. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume I. Volume 1. pp307, 392.
- <7>SBC10398 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1959. OS 1959 6-INCH MAP (1:10560). 1:10,560.
- <9>SBC25280 Unpublished document: Network Archaeology. 2013. Christ's Almhouses, Buckingham: Archaeological Trench Evaluation and Watching Brief.
- <10>SBC20462 Bibliographic reference: William Page (ed). 1925. A History of Buckinghamshire (Victoria County History) Volume III. Volume 3. pp474, 486, 488.
- <11>SBC28674 Map: Ordnance Survey. 1959. OS 6" 1959.
- <12>SBC28669 Verbal communication: C F Wardale (Ordnance Survey Field Investigator). 1970. Field Investigators Comments - F1 CFW 12-MAY-70. OS70/F9/5.
- <13>SBC27441 Digital archive: Historic England. National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE).
Location
| Grid reference | SP 6966 3404 (point) NGR to Christ's Hospital |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BUCKINGHAM, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire |
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (2)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- Event - Intervention: Evaluation trial trenching at Christ's Hospital (Ref: CAB26) (EBC18220)
- Event - Intervention: Watching Brief at Christ's Hospital (Ref: CAB26) (EBC18221)
Record last edited
Dec 22 2025 10:49AM
