Dundee, Maison Dieu

In an undated charter (ascribable to 1390 x 1398 Robert III confirmed a grant made by Sir James Lindsay, a kinsman of the earls of Crawford, to the Trinitarians or 'Red friars' of a tenement in Dundee for the upholding of a hospital or Maison Dieu for the 'support of the brethren, and of infirm and sick old men therein'. The crown augmented this support of the Maison Dieu by the gift of the revenues of the church of Kettins (reserved for Berwick which was then in the hands of the English).1 Whether this Trinitarian hospital was ever established is uncertain. Maxwell argues that in 1557 one Margaret Fotheringham sought to be relieved of payment of an annual 'acclaimit to be uptaken out of her land be the brethren of Sanct Mathurine's Friary';2 it is not specified precisely that this friary was in Dundee, although it may have been.

For some time before the Reformation there was indeed an almshouse or hospital in Dundee under the supervision of the town council, who appointed the master and chaplain,3 but whether this foundation had any connection with the Trinitarian Maison Dieu is unclear. It sustained attack by the English in 1548,4 although its possessions were hidden. Restored in 1551,5 the almshouse was once more functioning and housing 'puir and sick men' in 1553.6

After the Reformation the almshouse or hospital continued, largely under the protection of the town council. Its remaining income proving insufficient, it was supported by various town rentals and endowments which had originally been destined for the Greyfriars and Blackfriars monasteries.7 By the end of the 16th century it had become dilapidated but its funds were sufficient to construct a new building.

NOTES

1. RMS, i, No 838.

2. Maxwell, Dundee (1891), 66.

3. Maxwell, Dundee, (1891), 66.

4. Ibid, 113.

5. Ibid, 66.

6. DDARC Burgh and Head Court Books, 3. 28 Sept 1550/21 Jan 1554. f 224.

7. Maxwell, Dundee, (1884), 224.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

After a fire in 1645 it was rebuilt c.1651 on the same site. Described in 1678 by Robert Edward of Murroes as a large and splendid hospital for old men (Lawson n.d. 94) this structure was of considerable size, and appears on Crawford's plans (1776 and 1793) as a long building of two storeys, with a transverse wing at either end, gable to the Nethergate, and a central spire. The hospital also appears on Slezer's view as a cluster of houses with a central tower. In 1754 it was modified to serve as a workhouse, and in 1757, it became a prison for French prisoners. It appears to have ceased to be used as a hospital c.1778 (Beatts, 1878, 217), but the date of demolition is not certain. It does not appear its entirety on Wood's plan (1821), but the Name Book (O.S ONB 1857, bk 34, 55) states that a small building on the south side of the Nethergate was all that remained of the town's hospital (then the central part of a cabinet maker's premises). This fragment is described as plain and three storeys in height - a description at variance with its two-storeyed appearance on Crawford's plan.

The supposed site is now occupied by a garage and by St Andrew's Roman Catholic Cathedral (150 Nethergate) which was built in 1835 and added to in 1920. The adjacent portion of Milns Buildings (148 Nethergate) occupies the remainder of the area. This, a building of three storyes and a basement erected between 1780 and 1790 (Crawford, 1793), has probably removed any depth of archaeological deposits on this frontage, and as both Milns Buildings (136-148 Nethergate) and St Andrews Church are listed buildings, it is unlikely that any future opportunities will occur to assess the survival of deposits unless it is possible to observe any future re-furbishment work at basement level. The back-land associated with this section of the Nethergate frontage, has been extensively built up as far as the former river shore (area NGR NO 4007 2990). This had remained as a garden area until between 1900 and 1921 (OS, 25", 1900-01, LIV, 9; OS, 25", 1921, LIV, 9), during which time it was progressively built up. Recent clearance of the site has taken place.

Information from ‘Historic Dundee: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1988).