7.5.3 Hospital and Poorhouses

A wide variety of religious institutions and individuals cared for the poor and sick in medieval Scotland, with hospitals established from the 12th century onwards. While medieval hospitals were sometimes intended to provide shelter to travellers, most in Perth and Kinross seem to have primarily supported poor, diseased or otherwise vulnerable people. Perth had an especially high concentration of hospitals, although these institutions were also established at Dunkeld (MPK5441), Portmoak (MPK9859), Scone (MPK11829) and Scotlandwell (MPK8536) (D Hall 2006b).

A gazetteer of sites has been created as a result of the research on Scottish medieval hospitals (Hall and Cachart 1997). However, more work remains to be done. None of the sites in Perth and Kinross have been extensively excavated. Indeed, the precise location of several hospitals in the region remains a matter of debate. For example, while Perth’s leper hospital is known to have been at Potterhill in the Bridgend area, the actual site has not yet been identified (MPK9856; Bowler and Perry 2004, 24). As hospitals were often on the fringes of medieval settlements, some of these sites may well become targeted for development – potentially providing valuable opportunities for archaeological investigation. Further interdisciplinary study of the relationship between hospitals and their surrounding communities, including connections with urban authorities and other ecclesiastical institutions, could also be of interest. Because of the role hospitals played in caring for the poor and infirm they have the potential to provide an important window into the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals in medieval Scotland, who are typically under-represented in written sources from the period.

Research Priorities

Research Questions