Papers illustrative of the origin and early history of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea / Comp. in the Secretary's Office at that Institution.

  • Royal Hospital (Chelsea, London, England)
Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Papers illustrative of the origin and early history of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea / Comp. in the Secretary's Office at that Institution. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the Back Stairs), the former contributing 1,300/. (incorrectly described in some publications as 13,000/.), and the latter 1,000/., and that the design was supported by the frequent insertion in the London Gazette of paragraphs such as fC Since his Majesty “ hath been pleased to lay the first stone, the nobility have “ contributed largely”; and later, “ Great sums of money are “ being liberally contributed towards the erection of the hospital “ for maimed and decayed officers and soldiers,” yet funds from this source came in slowly, the total amount of all voluntary contributions, in addition to the two mentioned, being only Appendix No. 19. 2,374/., to which ihe king added a sum of 6,787/. 4s. 2%d., an unapplied balance of Secret Service Money. The design for the hospital having been entered on with such slender resources as these, it soon became necessary to devise new means of raising funds. This was a work of no little difficulty at a time when the House of Commons frequently refused supplies for the army, and had even passed a resolution declaring it illegal to raise money in anticipation of any grants to be made to the King. Recourse was had to the clergy, but the attempt failed, as appears by the following letters, one from the king to Archbishop Sancroft, and the other from the Archbishop of York, the originals of which are in the Bodleian Library. (No date, but may be taken as Oct. 1684.) Having often times wth great grief observ'd yt many of or loial subjects, who formerly took up arms for us, or roial father of blessed memory, to resist that torrent of prosperous rebellion, wctl at last overturn’d this monarchy, & Church, or who after- ward followed us into forain countries wn we were driven hence are now by old age, or wounds or other accidents befalling them in yt service, & disabling them for all other, reduc’d to so extreme poverty, yt some of them have been forc’d to beg bread. And farther foreseeing, yt in or guards & standing garrisons, & other of our forces, necessary to be kept on foot for the safety of or roial pson, & governm’t there will be many from time to time, who by reason of age, or sickness, or other disabilities will become unfitt to be continued in or seruice & pay & so unavoidably fall under the same miserable circumstances wth ye former : We therfore, out of a tender, & deep compassion of ye sad & deplorable condition of so many loial & brave men & being desirous (as much as in us lies) to remove this also among other discouragemts wcla else may hinder even men of courage from entring into this kind of service to ye Crown; have upon mature consideration of ye best means, & methods of attaining so good an end, resolv’d to found & erect at Chelsey (in a place very proper for such a design) a perpetual hospital; in wch more than 400 aged or otherwise disabled soldiers may at present, (& so successively ye same number for ever) be lodged & supplied wth ye necessary supports of life suitable to their respective conditions. In ye beginning & carrying on of wch so pious, & charitable a work we have of or own roial bounty already expended great sums of money, as by y° goodly fabrick & to yt purpose in great part erected is visible to all beholders.