Hospital in Waterford City

Founded as the hospital of the Holy Ghost in 1545 and established within the church of the Franciscan friary (WA009-005032-). According to Ryland (1824, 189-93) it provided shelter for 60 paupers and continued as a charity into the 19th century. The hospital was constructed by building a wooden floor over the nave and S aisle of the friary church, and access was gained by inserting a doorway over the original W doorway of the church. Seven statues (six wooden and one alabaster) from the hospital were kept at the modern Holy Ghost hospital at Grace Dieu (Macleod 1947, 53-6). (Mooney 1964, 78-80; Lahert 1985a, 43-5; Bradley et al. 1989, vol. 2, 288-90) Bradley, J., Halpin, A. and King, H. (1989) Urban archaeology Survey of Waterford City and County, 2 vols. Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works. Lahert, R. (1985a) Some charitable institutions of old Waterford. Decies, No. 28, 43-53. MacLeod, C. (1947) Some late medieval wood sculptures in Ireland, JRSAI 77, 53-62. Mooney, Rev. C. (1964) The Franciscans in Waterford. JCHAS, vol. 69, 73-93, Ryland, Rev. R. H. (1824) The History, topography and antiquities of the county and city of Waterford. John Murray. London. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Waterford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 23 December 2008