Downloaded from http://bjo.bmj.com/ on July 12, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
ANNOTATION
525
ANNOTATION
Ophthalmic Disabilities among the Clergy in
Mediaeval Times
The following abstract and notes are taken from the publications
of the Cantilupe Society, which society was formed about twenty
years ago with the object of transcribing and publishing the
Registers of the Bishops of Hereford. They throw some light on
ophthalmic disabilities in mediaeval times and may be of interest
to our readers.
September 6, 1322. Adam', to his well beloved in Christ, Robert,
Vicar of Fownhope, greeting. The works of Charity and the
importance of your conversation and other virtuous gifts with which
God, in his infinite mercy, has blessed.you, demand that we should
gratify you as much as we are able, the Lord being our helper. If
you wish to resign the present vicarage which you hold; with our
diocesan authority, by these presents, we grant indulgence that
notwithstanding the defect which is very apparent in the pupil of
one of your eyes, you may be admitted to any other vicarage in our
diocese if it is canonically offered to you, and instituted in the same.
In witness whereof, etc., Dated at Prestbury, VIth day of September,
A.D. MCCCXXII.
In the Register of Thomas Spofford2, under date 26 August, 1429,
John Delew receives a dispensation that he may be ordained in
spite of a defect (macula) which he has in his right eye.
In the Register of Charles Bothe3, dated 29 March, 1521, occurs
a dispensation to Walter Winnall to all the Holy orders in spite of a
clouding (nebula) of the left eye.
Whether it was common form or not for a parson with any
corporeal defect to have to obtain a dispensation from the Bishop
of his diocese in order to take a post in the diocese, we do not
know; or whether this occurred solely on the Welsh Marches.
The Bishops of Hereford would appear to have had liberal ideas in
ophthalmological matters.
In the case of the two latter parsons the defect is clearly stated,
and was probably the result of a previous corneal ulcer of severe
type. It is not easy to offer a solution in the first case, but we
would suggest a coloboma of the iris as a possible condition.
1
Adam Orleton, Bishop of Hereford, A.D. 1310-1327.
2 Thomas Spofford, Bishop of Hereford, A.D. 1421-1448.
3
Charles Booth, Bishop of Hereford, A.D. 1516-1535.
Downloaded from http://bjo.bmj.com/ on July 12, 2017 - Published by group.bmj.com
Ophthalmic Disabilities
among the Clergy in
Mediaeval Times
Br J Ophthalmol 1930 14: 525
doi: 10.1136/bjo.14.10.525
Updated information and services can
be found at:
http://bjo.bmj.com/content/14/10/525.
citation
These include:
Email alerting
service
Receive free email alerts when new
articles cite this article. Sign up in the
box at the top right corner of the online
article.
Notes
To request permissions go to:
http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions
To order reprints go to:
http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform
To subscribe to BMJ go to:
http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/