The hospital of St John the Baptist, Dublin c. 1188-1539 : a historical and prosopographical analysis

Abstract

The hospital of St John the Baptist was founded c. 1188 by Ailred Palmer and his wife. The hospital was located in the western suburb of medieval Dublin, an area which had seen much expansion and development following the settlement of the city by the English, beginning in 1170. The hospital was of the order of the Fratres Cruciferi, canons regular who followed the rule of St Augustine. It was the first known foundation of this kind in Ireland, though the origins and spread of this order throughout Europe are somewhat obscure. In many ways it was a foundation of its time, a hospital for the sick and poor, located outside the city walls and run by the Augustinians. As much as its experiences in its early years mirrored those of other similar institutions, so too did its demise. It was closed in 1539 as part of the sweeping changes brought about by Henry VIII’s policy of dissolution.