The Freelance History Writer is pleased to welcome back historian and author, Toni Mount on a blog tour for her new novel. Toni enjoys really getting a deep understanding of her characters, the lives they lived and the places they visited. For “The Colour of Sin”, her main characters were off on pilgrimage and that meant a lot of interesting places to research. Here, Toni talks about Eastbridge Pilgrims’ Hospital and how pilgrimage actually worked. Over to Toni Mount…
In order to research my new novel, The Colour of Sin, we visited Eastbridge Pilgrims’ Hospital in Canterbury. Dedicated to St Thomas Becket, this was a hospital in the medieval sense of the word: a place of hospitality rather than an infirmary for the sick. Today, it would probably be advertised as a bed-and-breakfast with optional supper.
My new story involves our hero, Sebastian Foxley – illuminator, artist and part-time sleuth – taking his family on a pilgrimage to visit the shrine of St Thomas Becket in the cathedral, leaving behind the familiar streets and dark alleyways of the City of London so a change of venue for him – and for me. I wanted to get a feeling of what it would be like for a fifteenth-century pilgrim, to attempt to see things and experience them as he would have done and at Eastbridge we had Angel Robson, a knowledgeable and friendly guide to show us around this medieval jewel of a building.
The hospital is within Westgate, the entrance to the city for travellers from London and the rest of England. It sits right on the King’s Bridge over the River Stour where it flows under Canterbury’s High Street. An area of renewed flooring has Perspex sections so you can see the fast-flowing water below and look down on the pigeons roosting on the timbers which are braced against the bridge to help support the building.
Unsurprisingly, the floors are liable to suffer from the damp and yet the hospital has been here since the 12th century. It was founded by a wealthy Canterbury merchant, Edward FitzOdbold, as a place for pilgrims to stay but this was not a charitable enterprise: it cost 4d to stay the night and have bed and board at a time when 6d was a decent daily wage for a skilled carpenter or blacksmith. Going on a pilgrimage was an expensive business involving payments at every stage.
It may have been founded as early as 1176 within a few years of Thomas Becket’s martyrdom in the cathedral but FitzOdbold is first recorded in 1190 as having set up the hospital some while before. Further funding came from Archbishop Hubert Walter in 1203. At the time, there were no rules about who could stay here or how they were to be treated.
Entry to the hospital is by means of three steps down through a low doorway into the entrance hall. No, this isn’t because medieval people were smaller than us today – Edward IV was 6ft 4inches – but because the level of the road outside has risen significantly over the centuries due to layer upon layer of resurfacing, re-building and the accumulation of detritus. That’s why archaeologists always have to dig down and ancient stuff gets buried.
Just to the left as we came through the main door is a chantry chapel of the 14th century. Here, a priest was employed to say prayers perpetually for whoever had paid for this service, and it was private; not open to the pilgrims. If they wished to pray or hear Divine Office, there was a chapel upstairs. We went down a few more steps directly in front of us, into the undercroft.
This was the pilgrims’ dormitory among the bays created by the stone vaulting of round Norman arches, dating to c.1190 and is the scene of the Prologue to The Colour of Sin. With a straw-strewn earth floor right beside the river which runs along the right-hand wall, it would have been chilly and damp here, even in summer. The arches along this wall are slightly pointed and it’s thought that one at least was open to the river, providing water, washing facilities and the lavatory arrangements for the pilgrims sleeping here.
A later statute says there are to be twelve beds provided with bedding to be attended to by ‘women upwards of forty’ years of age. But these beds may well have been occupied by a number of sleepers at any one time, even shared with strangers, all huddled together for warmth and fully dressed, not only to keep cosy but to ensure nobody filched your cloak, boots and belongings overnight. These older women were also to attend the sick, if any pilgrims were unwell, and administer medicines to them.
In fact, these reforms, put in place in the reign of Edward III by Archbishop John Stratford, suggest that weak and infirm pilgrims are to be given preference while healthy pilgrims are charged 4d and may only stay for one night, so by the 1350s Eastbridge was also a hospital in our sense of the word.
Back up to the entrance hall, we took a longer flight of steps up to the refectory where the pilgrims would eat. It’s believed that a now-blocked doorway once led to the kitchens. Ignoring the 1930s addition of a wooden minstrels’ gallery – who knows why? – it’s a large 12th century mural of Christ in Glory which dominates the chamber. The chamber has been altered and used to be two bays longer. The mural was re-discovered when a brick chimney and fireplace were demolished in 1879, revealing this hidden wonder behind.
Below the Glory were two smaller murals on the same wall: one of the ‘Last Supper’ – always a suitable topic to decorate a refectory – and one of King Henry II doing penance on his knees for the murder of Thomas Becket, to remind the pilgrims why they were here. Sadly, well-meaning ‘restorers’, in an attempt to preserve the paintings by applying a layer of shellac, actually removed the paint so only the top two-thirds of the Glory remain; the rest is lost along with the other images. However, a very good version of the Glory, sympathetically created, now adorns the wall behind the altar in the Pilgrims’ Chapel upstairs.
On the refectory wall, a board lists the names of the Masters of Eastbridge down the centuries to the recent incumbent, Brother Kevin. Many earlier holders of the appointment were archdeacons of the cathedral – the Archbishop of Canterbury being the man in charge – a few noted as ‘nephew to the archbishop’. Some names were familiar to me: Archdeacon Thomas Kemp in the 1440s became Bishop of London and was still bishop at the date in which my novel is set, 1480. Also at that time, the Master here at the hospital was Archdeacon John Bourchier. Thomas Bourchier was the Archbishop of Canterbury then and I wondered if John was his nephew, although the list doesn’t say so in his case. ‘John’ was a common name in the Bourchier family although I haven’t been able to identify Archdeacon John among them as yet.
A flight of six steps upwards takes us back upon ourselves to the chapel which is directly above the entrance hall. Here we can see Christ in Glory surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists as He ought to be in the refectory. This chapel used to be a school room after the pilgrims disappeared because of the Reformation and remained so for 200 years or more. The school survived until 1879. The chapel was then little used until its restoration by the Master in 1927.
The bell up in the roof lantern was once thought to be medieval but during restoration of the 14th-century roof timbers in the 1960s, it was discovered that the bell dated to the 17th century. The chapel is still a place of prayer for those who live in the six alms houses attached to Eastbridge Hospital, but it hasn’t been used because of Covid since 2020. Then, in September 2022, when all the bells were rung for the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, in celebration of her long life and devoted service, the bell-rope snapped. It is now tied in an unglamorous knot.
Also available is a visit to the Grey Friars’ peaceful garden behind the hospital with the river running through. When we were there in mid-October the garden was sprinkled with the blues of autumn crocuses and the pinks and whites of cyclamen. However, the Grey Friars was nothing to do with Eastbridge Hospital in the 15th century, so my hero couldn’t visit this secret solitude – or could he?
My thanks go to Angel Robson for a fascinating, inspiring and enjoyable tour.
More about The Colour of Sin
ISBN: 978-84-125953-8-3
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/colour_of_sin
Series Link: https://mybook.to/colour_of_series
Toni Mount’s Website: https://tonimount.co.uk/
The Colour of Sin
Come with Seb Foxley, Rose and their enigmatic friend Kit, a priest with a shadowy past, as they join a diverse group of pilgrims on what should be an uplifting spiritual journey to Canterbury Cathedral.
Beset by natural disasters and unexplained deaths, the dangers become apparent. Encountering outlaws and a fearsome black cat, every step is fraught with peril.
Amidst the chaos, Seb finds himself grappling with the mysteries surrounding him, as well as his own demons, while Rose’s reunion with her family sets off a chain of events with unforeseen consequences.
But the greatest threat lies in the shadows, where sinister forces unleash evil upon the unsuspecting pilgrims. In a world where trust is a scarce commodity and even allies may harbour dark intentions, Seb must uncover the truth and protect his fellow travellers.
Prepare to be enthralled by a tale of betrayal, intrigue and redemption as Seb Foxley races against time to unravel the malevolent secrets hidden within the heart of the pilgrimage. Who can you trust when even friends prove false?
Information about the Poster Giveaway
Want the chance to win a unique poster of The Colour of Sin by Toni Mount, the twelfth book in her Sebastian Foxley Medieval Murder Mystery series. You’ll be the only person in the world to have this full colour poster!
Competition Link: https://madeglobal.com/giveaways/the-colour-of-sin-promo-poster-giveaway/
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