Kepier Hospital
Kepier hospital is an institution that was honoured after Saint Giles. St. Giles was known as the saint for crippled and beggars. It was found in the year 1112.
It is a medieval hospital located in Durham, England. The Hospital was found at the Giles gate by the Bishop Flambard. Its main objective was to serve the poor and the needy requiring medical attention. The hospital building is built with wood and daubed structures. Flambard gifted a wide range of land which includes the Caldecotes manor, Durham’s Millburn and 15 villages that produced corn. Godric from Finchale was initially the doorkeeper for the hospital before he settled in Finchale and became famous.
William cumin and his men destroyed the hospital properties including the Caldecotes. The vice chancellor of Scotland claimed that he deserved to be the Durham Bishop so that he could prevent the advancement of the enemy battalion into Durham.
Building of Kepier
After the damages done by William Cumin, the hospital was rebuilt on the shores of river Wear in the year 1180 by the bishop Hugh Puiset along with 13 established brethrens who served 13 inmates, pilgrims and travelers. Puiset gave more lands for the hospital work including Clifton village, Weardale lead mines, peat bog in Newton and more corns in the Gillycorn village. Several steps were taken by the bishop to secure the finances of the hospital by granting the hospital a charter for creating a borough of Saint Giles that became the nucleus for today’s existing Giles gate. Many of the Burgesses drew inspiration from Cliftons and the Caldecotes.
Kepier used to be a place of political activities when Queen Isabella and King Edward were admitted in the hospital during their journeys to the north. The hospital was raided the Scots who captured a good part of Durham in the year 1325. The possessions of the hospital were also raided by the Scottish army.
Dissolution
The hospital underwent inspection in 1535 under the rule of Valor Ecclesiaticus supervision of monasteries passed by Henry VIII. This survey concluded that Kepier hospital was one of the richest in the whole diocese. The hospital devoted 25% of annual income as charity. Kepier had 4 choral chaplains, ten inmates, and gave away hospital doles to the poor people at the Giles gate. Henry passed the order of closing down Monastic institutes including Kepier that created a rebellion by the Grace pilgrimage. The head of the hospital gave full support to the bishop for fighting against the suppression of city hospitals. The lands of Kepier was gifted to William Paget whose was the Durham states secretary even though it was soon reverted back to the king and to the successors of lay owners.
Building Paths
The hospital is currently being used as the Parish church in Giles gate. The lay owners made considerable changes to the hospital plot by laying gardens and building a mansion that is being used as the church. The Giles gate moor exists as a footpath and a bridle way. The Kepier corn that was stored in Tithe barn was brought down in the year 1964.