Sandes Hospital

The local newspaper, The Westmoreland Gazette, is for the most part, a community

Newspaper, as Cumbria opens its gates a little wider to the outside world this is slowly becoming something of diminishing responsibility.

One of my favorite parts of the paper is its 'Nostalgia' page, testimony from some of our older residents of life in Kendal from another era, a regular spot for Arthur Nicholls, historian and vice chairman of Kendal Civic Society, that brings the reader a small insight into notes of historical folk lore and history, it is this which I bring today and hopefully on other days.

BYGONE DAYS by Arthur Nicholls

A constant stream of pedestrians passes the gatehouse of Sandes Hospital in Highgate each day without thinking of looking inside. there under the archway is the insignificant, black painted Poor Box. The hospital was not a medical establishment but one providing hospitality.

In 1659 Thomas Sandes, a wealthy wool trader, endowed the hospital for the benefit of eight poor widows aged 52 and upward who were, or had been, workers in wool and were of good reputation. 52 was then a good age for a working woman.

In return for a free cottage and a shilling a week, the women had to work, carding, spinning and weaving raw Kendal cottons supplied by Thomas. The requirement to work ended in 1852 when the cottages were turned into almshouses.

They received security in their declining years but little else. they were not allowed to marry or receive male visitors and to some extent depended on the charity of others through the Poor Box.

In the yard behind were their small cottages and a chapel. A school and library were originally housed in the gatehouse before the school moved into a building at the end of the yard and became the Blue-coat School.

It was an honour to be elected for a place in the school, which merged with the Grammar School in 1889.

End of News piece.

Blue coat schools originated in Tudor times,

Thomas Sandes was also Mayor of Kendal in 1647

The coat of arms above the entrance to the Alms houses was divised by Thomas Sandes and was an amalgam of the Shearman Dyers Arms and those of the Sandes (Sandys) family, neither of which he was entitled to use.

the coat of arms shows a swag of woollen cloth which surmounts the shield and the initials TSK refer to Thomas and Katherine Sandes, the date of 1659 was probably when construction of the Hospital began.

Dr Briggs, a clergyman of Kendal, reorganised the Kendal Blue Coat School so as to include a day school of industry for the children of the poor of his town. this was probably around 1786 and based on the success of Haygarth's work in Chester Blue coat school.

The Blue coat school was for the education of forty boys, who were tought the art of carding and weaving, and thirty girls, being children of the inhabitants of Kendal; the hospital as a residence of eight poor widows six from Kendal, one from Skelsmergh and the other from Strickland and all to be nominated by the mayor and aldermen as trustees of the charity; the 'inmates' receive the weekly sum of five shillings (25p) each and a provision was made for a schoolmaster to read prayers to the widows twice a day, to teach poor children preparatory to their entering the free-school

The founder also bequeathed a library to the Blue coat school.

The original gatehouse still stands and has not changed a great deal and is currently a Tea Room, set in the wall remains the original black metal poor box (foto above), the alms houses are still in the yard behind (foto above) and still home elderly folk.

the houses were rebuilt in 1852 by Miles Thompson. in 1886 the school merged with Kendal Grammar School which was succeeded in 1980 by the now Kirkbie Kendal School, whole trustees still own the property.

Another post of interest, entitled 'IN THIS WEEK' highlites of the past, 100 years, 50 years and 25 years ago, People of the past that were, or are, associated with Cumbria and 'The Past in Numbers, in this weeks Gazette it is 10p - The cost of a parking space at Kendal's £200,000 multi-storey car park when it opened in April 1972, currently amidst the constant public outcry over the lack of parking spaces in Kendal, it is more likely to be in the pounds rather than Pence.