Margaret de Lacy and the Hospital of Saint John at Aconbury, Herefordshire*

This chapter considers why Margaret gave her foundation to the Hospitallers, why dispute arose between the Order and its patron, and how Margaret succeeded in winning her case. The religious foundation which Margaret de Lacy built on the land granted to her by King John in Aconbury forest was a house for women. A women's house would have appeared less attractive to the Hospital of Saint John than a men's house, for the Order would not be able to call on the sisters to perform military duties in the Holy Land. The case also reveals the legal method.