Great Hospital

The Great Hospital is a medieval hospital that has been serving the people of Norwich, Norfolk, England, since the 13th century. It is situated on a 7-acre site in a bend of the River Wensum to the north-east of Norwich Cathedral. Bishop Walter de Suffield founded Saint Giles's Hospital, as the hospital was originally known, in 1249. What make the hospital notable today are its history of continuous care, the range of existing medieval buildings on the hospital grounds , and the extensive archives that record the hospital's long history.

The original beneficiaries of the new hospital in 1249 were aged priests, poor scholars, and sick and hungry paupers. Clerics remained unmarried in this period, so they had no family to support them in old age. The poor scholars, boys selected on merit from local song schools, were to receive a daily meal during term times. This was to continue until the boy had achieved a good grasp of Latin. With this help, bright but poor boys were given the chance to train as choristers or even to enter the priesthood.

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