The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-12 00:00:00

ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.

Aide!'Man LAiVRENCE presented to the Court a
tn,,reoria: from it committee representing the ves-
tries and boards of gwitdians of parishes en the
south side of the Thames, appointed for the pur-
pose of taking such measures as may be necessary
for preventing the removal of Si.. Thomas's Hospi-
tal from the vicinity. They stated that,—

"The Charing-cross Railway Company having pur-
chased and obtained possession of the site of St. Thomas's
Hospital, an Act has been passed (the 25th and 26th of
Victoria, cap. 4) for the removal of the said hospital to
another site, and that the said hospital is now temporarily
situated at the Surrey-gardens, St. Mary, Newington.
That the said hospital was on its original foundation de-
livered over by charter (the sth and 7th of Edward VI.)
to the mayor, commonalty, and citizens of London, and was
named the House of the Poor in Southwark, to be situated
in London or Southwark for poor, sick, infirm, wayfaring
people. That in certain memoranda, references, and
documents relating to the Royal Hospitals of the city
of London, printed in 1836, under the direction
of your hon. Court, the trust is repeatedly and dis-
tinctly recognized "as for the poor of this city," as " for
the relief and aid of the poor within the city of London
and borough of Southwark," as "an hospital belong-
ing to the city of London and borough of Southwark," and
" that this was according to the godly intent, will, and pur-
pose of the founders." That in an Act (22 George 111., c.
77) the Lord Mayor and aldermeo; together with 12 other
gentlemen, elected by and from your hey.. Council, were for
the time being and for ever after appointed Governors of
St. Thomas's Hospital, and that, in fact, 33 of the governors
of the said hospital, about one-sixth of the whole body, are
members of your hon. Court, and are so because the said
hospital is a Royal Hospital, founded by and at the cost of
the citizens of London. That there is great reason to fear
that the said hospital may be removed entirely out of Lon-
don; and that at a small meeting of the governors lately
held, it was resolved to secure a space of ground so large
that it cannot be obtained within a reasonable distance of
London or Southwark. That the medical staff of the said
hospital have twice publicly advised and protested against
the removal of the said hospital away from the population
accustomed to use it ; and that, although, in their opinion,
it would not be now objectionable, but, on the contrary,
beneficial to remove the hospital to another and more open
space not far off and equally central for the population, yet
that it would be highly objectionable and would, indeed,
subvert the intentions of the founders if the said hospital
would be removed to a distance ; and that such is
also the opinion of you memorialists. That in 1631
the Lord Mayor counted 16,880 persons in Southwark,
and that now Southwark and the neighbouring parishes,
all of which are obliged to avail themselves largely of the
aid of this hospital, contain more than half a million per-
sons, the great majority of whom are poor hardworking
people. Your memorialists feel that to remove a great charity
from the neighbourhood of the poor it has for three cora-
turies aided, .and which expends among the poor £30,000
annually—soon to become, by the falling in of leases, pro-
bably as much atiXso,ooo annually—would be a great grie-
vance, and, indeed, considering the rights and usages of
centuries past, a great wrong also. Your memorialists there-
fore earnestly and respectfully pray that your honourable
Court will use all your influence, so that the new St.
Thomas's Hospital may in its new situation be not less cen-
tral and not less convenient to the poor than the site occu-
pied by the former hospital. On behalf of the said commit-
tee, which is constituted as follows :—Fer the vestry of St.
George the Martyr, Mr. Wm. Rendle ; for the guardians of
ditto, Mr. Thos. Park ; for the vestry of Bermondsey, Mr.
Wm. Darnell; for the guardians of ditto, Mr. John Harris;
for the vestry of Newington, Mr. H. R. Silvester ; for the
guardians of ditto, Mr. B. Evans ; for the vestry of Cam-
berwell, Mr. Denny; for the guardians of ditto, Mr. G. S.
Freeman ; for the vestry of Lambeth, Mr. J. W. Stratton ;
for the guardians of ditto, Mr. M. Goddard ; for the vestry
of Rotherhithe, Mr. J. W. Barrett; for the guardians of
ditto, Mr. E. G. Dannell ; for the vestry of St. Saviour's,
Mr. J. E. Newsom.

" WM. RENDLE, Chairman."

Alderman LAWRENCE earnestly recommended
the subject to the consideration of the Court.
There was, he said, no doubt that the hospital
was originally established for the benefit of the
poor of the cap of London and Southwark.
The petitioners only asked tliat the new building
should be at a convenient distance and easily acces-
sible. He reminded the Court that the tendency of
improved means of locomotion had been to leave the
great majority of the poor in the old centres of
population ; the rich were gradually moving away,
and the people who remained were becoming poorer
and poorer. (Hear, hear.) The inhabitants of the
southern parishes regarded with great alarm the
prospect of this valuable institution being removed
to a distance. It was absolutely necessary that such
an institution should be located in a district where
the population was most dense and was likely to
remain so from local causes, where injuries to life
and limb were of most frequent occurrence, and
where it could be conveniently accessible to people
desirous of comforting their poor afflicted relations.
(Hear, hear.) To show the extent to which the:dis-
trict of Southwark was inhabited by poor people,
he said the poor-rate in the parish of St. George
the Martyr was 4s. ld. in the pound; in Christ-
church, 3s. 10d. ; in St. Saviour and Liberty
of the Clink, 3s. 11d. ; and in St. Olave,
3s. 2d. He might add, in comparison with
Lancashire and Cheshire, that that was the normal
state of things in the Borough. There was much
in the argument that such an institution should be
in an open neighbourhood, surrounded with green
fields, but nothing in comparison with other con-
siderations. The true policy, as it appeared
to him, was that the hospital should be
brought to the people, and not the people
to the hospital. (Cheers.) The inhabitants of Loa-
don would suffer a grievous wrong if the institution
were removed to an inconvenient distance ; and it
would be an unpardonable supineness in them, the
Common Council, who had an over-ruling power in
the matter, to lend themselves to such a course.
Later in the day Mr. Deputy ELLIOTT, pursuant
to notice, brought forward a motion on the subject.
He urged the Court, which had so powerful a voice
in the matter, to express an opinion upon it, with-
out delay. The uniformity of opinion on this ques-
tion among professional bodies, and among the pub-
lie at large, was so marked that, if the Court would
say " Aye" to the resolution he was about to move,
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acres of land, on which to erect a new hospital,
some six or eight miles from the metropolis. He
moved that—" Whereas St. Thomas's Hospital was
originally founded at the cost of the Mayor, com-
monalty, and citizens of the city of London, in whose
management it was invested by royal charter, and
did so continue for two centuries ; and whereas,
by a subsequent Act of Parliament, the Corporation
is still required to take part in the government of the
hospital, by apr °luting 38 members of its own body
to act as governors on its behalf, this Court deems it
needful at the present time to declare its opinion that
having regard to the local duties for which the great
charity of St. Thomas's Hospital was originally
founded, chartered, and endowed, and which have
been fulfilled for three centuries, the new hospital
ought, as far as circumstances permit, to be built in
a situation no less central than that which the for-
mer hospital occupied." (Cheers.)
Dr. ABRAHAM seconded the resolution, and was
proceeding to speak to it, but the feeling of the
Court was so unanimous in its favour and so im-
patient for expression that he desisted.
The resolution was then put and carried with
acclamation ; and on the motion of Mr. De Jersey,
the Town-clerk was instructed to forward a copy of
lit, bearing his official signature, to the hospital
authorities.

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