This was the original foundation.  It was not a Charity; it was a Religious House with a definite duty—­to pray for the souls of two children; it had no other charitable objects than belong to any religious foundation—­viz., the giving of alms to the poor, nor was it intended as a church for the people; in those days there were no people outside the Tower, save the inhabitants of a few scattered cottages along the river Wall, and the farmhouses of Steban Heath.  It was simply founded for the benefit of two little princes’ souls.  One refrains from asking what was done for the little paupers’ souls in those days.

The Prior and Canons of Holy Trinity without Aldgate continued to exercise some authority over the Hospital, but apparently—­the subject only interests the ecclesiastical historian—­against the protests and grumblings of the St. Katherine’s Society.  It was, however, formally handed over to them, a hundred and forty years later, by Henry the Third.  After his death, Queen Eleanor, for some reason, now dimly intelligible, wanted to get the Hospital into her own hands.  The Bishop of London took it away from the Priory and transferred it to her.  Then, perhaps with the view of preventing any subsequent claim by the Priory, she declared the Hospital dissolved.

Here ends the first chapter in the history of the Hospital.  The foundation for the souls of the two princes existed no longer—­the children, no doubt, having been long since sung out of Purgatory.  Queen Eleanor, however, immediately refounded it.  The Hospital was, as before, to consist of a Master, three Brothers, three Sisters, and bedeswomen.  It was also provided that six poor scholars were to be fed and clothed—­not educated, The Queen further provided that on November the 16th of every year twelve pence each should be given to the poor scholars, and the same amount to twenty-four poor persons; and that on November the 20th, the anniversary of the King’s death, one thousand poor men should receive one halfpenny each.  Here is the first introduction of a charity.  The Hospital is no longer an ecclesiastical foundation only; it maintains scholars and gives substantial alms.  Who received these alms?  Of course the people in the neighbourhood—­if there were no inhabitants in the Precinct, the poor of Portsoken Ward.  In either case the charity would be local—­a point of the greatest importance.  Queen Eleanor also continued her predecessor’s rule that the patronage of the Hospital should remain in the hands of the Queens of England for ever; when there was no Queen, then in the hands of the Queen Dowager; failing in her, in those of the King.  This rule still obtains.  The Queen appoints the Master, Brothers, and Sisters of the House of Shams in Regent’s Park, just as her predecessors appointed those of St. Katherine’s by the Tower.