ABSTRACT
The practice of assigning clergy to work in hospitals has been a part of life in England for a thousand years. This chapter explores the history of the chaplain's presence in hospitals in moments of crisis and critical change. The Savoy stands as one of a number of royal initiatives for ambitious public works which on the eve of Reformation retain chaplains at the heart of their operation. The provision of chaplains in the general hospitals and workhouse, and their exclusion from Bethlem, indicate the instrumental role of religious instruction for the poor. The hospitaller/chaplain is charged with giving religious instruction, with fitting religious texts to appropriate situations, and with paternal responsibility for the sick. Analysis of the prayers prescribed for use by the chaplain demonstrates the use of language and metaphysical beliefs to locate the sick-poor in a posture of both gratitude and obedience.
