The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter;
the present incumbent is the Rev. John Franey, M.A. Minor Canon of the
Cathedral.
+The Grange.+
The premises adjoining the church-yard on the west stand on part of
the ground formerly occupied by "The Grange" of the monastery, and the
house is stated to have been at one time the residence of the
Protector, Cromwell. The "Sextry Barn," one of the largest in the
county, perhaps in the kingdom, stood here, and is stated to have been
291 ft. 6 in. long, and 39 ft. 5 in. wide, inside; it was built about
the middle of the thirteenth century, and taken down in 1842, and the
space once occupied by the monastic "farm-yard" is now covered by
modern buildings, part of which at least, are used for as good
purposes; on one part excellent and commodious National Schools for
both boys and girls have been erected, and on another a series of
substantial and comfortable Almshouses for aged men and women,
inhabitants of Ely.
+St. John's Hospital.+
The site of this hospital is a few hundred yards further west; the
remains of it are very scanty, but sufficient to show that the
buildings were of an early age, although not enough to enable us to
give an opinion as to their form or extent; what is left has been
converted into use as farm buildings, one portion near the dwelling
house, and another a short distance from it. There were formerly two
hospitals in Ely, this dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and another
to St. Mary Magdelene, the site of which is now unknown. According to
Mr. Bentham, the revenues of the two were united, and the communities
associated by Bishop Northwold about A.D. 1240, by whose ordinance the
united hospital was to consist of thirteen chaplains and brethren, who
were to have a common refectory and dormitory, and to wear an uniform
habit, and be under the immediate government of the Sacrist of Ely. It
seems that this was not, like other hospitals of the kind, dissolved
by Henry VIII., for it was held under the mastership of Edward Leedes,
the second prebendary of the eighth stall, who was also chancellor of
the diocese under Bishop Goodrich, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; he
was at the same time chaplain to Archbishop Parker, and Master of
Clare Hall, Cambridge; he afterwards obtained from the queen a grant
of the hospital, and with the consent of Bishop Cox, he surrendered
the whole site and possession to his college; his grant to the college
was confirmed by the Dean and Chapter in 1562, and the property is now
in the hands of the Master, Fellows, and Scholars of Clare College,
Cambridge.
APPENDIX I.
THE CATHEDRAL ORGAN.
The following brief account of this fine instrument, furnished by the
Rev. the Precentor, may be interesting to many:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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