| Name | Bridewell Hospital |
| Alt names | Bridewell Chapel | source: part of Bridewell Hospital | | Bethlehem Hospital | source: another institution of the same type also in City of London | | Bethlem | source: shortened form of above, sometimes given as "Bedlam" |
| Type | Neighborhood |
| Coordinates | 51.513°N 0.104°W |
| Located in | London (City of), London, England ( - 1864) |
- source: Family History Library Catalog
| NOTE: The article below is made up of excerpts from an article in Wikipedia. It has been transferred from London, England to London (City of), London, England. In its final form it should be a sub-article of the latter place. As will be seen under "What links here", there are sources of information dealing with occupants of both Bridewell and Bethlem (or Bethlehem).
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The Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals were two charitable foundations that were independently put into the charge of the City of London. They were brought under joint administration in 1557.
The Bridewell Hospital (#J)
In 1553, Edward VI gave Bridewell Palace to the City of London for the housing of homeless children and for the punishment of "disorderly women". The City took full possession in 1556 and turned the site into a prison, hospital and workrooms. The hospital had a chapel within its walls where baptisms and funerals could take place.
It was built on the banks of the Fleet River in the City of London between Fleet Street and the River Thames in an area today known as "Bridewell Court" off New Bridge Street. By 1556 part of it had become a jail known as Bridewell Prison. It was reinvented with lodgings and was closed in 1855 and the buildings demolished in 1863–1864. (From the Wikipedia article, Bridewell Palace)
The name "Bridewell" subsequently became a common name for a jail, used not only in England but in other English-speaking cities, including Chicago and New York.
For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Bridewell Palace.
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The Bethlehem Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital was founded in 1247 as the Priory of the New Order of our Lady of Bethlehem in the city of London during the reign of Henry III. It was established by the Bishop-elect of Bethlehem, the Italian Goffredo de Prefetti, following a donation of personal property by the London alderman and former sheriff, Simon FitzMary. The original location was in the parish of St Botolph, Bishopsgate's ward (in the eastern part of the City). In 1546 the Lord Mayor of London, Sir John Gresham, petitioned the crown to grant Bethlem to the city. This petition was partially successful and Henry VIII reluctantly ceded to the City of London "the custody, order and governance" of the hospital and of its "occupants and revenues". This charter came into effect in 1547. The crown retained possession of the hospital while its administration fell to the city authorities. Following a brief interval when it was placed under the management of the governors of Christ's Hospital, from 1557 Bethlem was administered by the governors of Bridewell.
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