Sidbury

The name Sidbury means south of the borough or burh. Sidbury was a suburb that was developing outside the Saxon defences by the mid-900's, and excavations in the 1970's found back-yard rubbish pits containing pottery of the period. There was one parish church here and two chapels. The church of St Peter the Great (its site is now a surface car-park) was first mentioned in 969 A.D., when it was given by Bishop Oswald to its priest. The later city wall was built to enclose the church.

In the Middle Ages much of Sidbury was owned by St Wulfstan’s Hospital (the Commandery). Not a wealthy area, it was built up mainly with cottages, and areas away from the main street remained undeveloped. Somewhere in the area was Kingsmead, a site of judicial duels and public executions: its exact location is unknown.


St Wulfstan's Hospital

St Wulfstan's Hospital, later known as the Commandery, was probably founded around the year 1200 (long after Wulfstan's death) by one of the bishops of Worcester. Its chapel was much older: it was dedicated to the obscure Breton Saint Gudwal, and had probably been founded in the 950s. The earliest record of the hospital is an account of 1221, when a man blinded and castrated during a judicial duel was miraculously cured. Up until c.1250 the hospital was staffed by a community of both men and women, and was concerned with accommodating the infirm, and possibly ordinary travellers. Later, the community was predominantly male. Around 1300 the hospital was impoverished, though in later years it grew wealthy by looking after prosperous townspeople in their old age in return for a share of their property.

The site is now part of the Commandery Museum where the Worcester 1250 model was originally on display (for more information about the museum, click here.