St Mary the Virgin and St Mary Magdalene
A print of the Hospital of St Mary the Virgin, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1786. By this time, the Free Grammar School (later the Royal Grammar School) had moved into some of the hospital buildings.
The Hospital of St Mary the Virgin was founded in Norman times 'to serve God and the poor'. Medieval hospitals were concerned with the general care of the patient. They were run by charities, particularly religious organisations, and combined the functions of a hospital with those of an almshouse, a chapel and an inn. Another of Newcastle's first hospitals was St Mary Magdalene Hospital built at Barras Bridge in the twelfth century to feed, clothe and care for lepers.
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