York Historic Environment Record

Agars Hospital - This hospital was founded by Thomas Agar, alderman of York, in 1631, and endowed with a rent charge of £20, payable out of an estates now belonging to Lord Middleton, situate at Birdsall, in the East Riding of the county of York. The hospital is a building containing six rooms under the same roof, with a loft over each room. There is a small piece of ground adjoining, used as a yard by the almspeople; and also another polt of ground adjoining, of omething less than half an acre, which lets at the rent of £4 4s. Of this sum £2 is reserved for repairs, the remainder, together with the annuity of £20 is shared among the six widows, for whose benefit this charity was established. Four persons have acted as trustees, and on the death of any of them a new trustee has been elected by the survivors. The present trustees are Messrs. Seth Agar, Charles Agar and ThomasAgar, who are of the founder's family, and Mr Hanson a relationof the family by marriage. Mr Seth Agar is the heir at law od the founder, and the acting trustee of the charity.

Taken from W. Simpkin and R. Marshall 1828. 'An Account of Public Charities in England and Wales: Abridged from the Reports of His Majesty's Commissioners on Charitable Foundations, with Notes and Comments, Volume 1' (London)


Agars Hospital. Founded by Alderman Thomas Agar, by will dated 7th May 1631, and augmented by the will of Beatrix Agar, widow, dated 18th August 1634, for six poor widows - two to be out of St Maurices parish, and two out of Belfreys parish.
The estate consists of two roods of land adjoining, let at the time of the Report, for four guineas per annum, and a rent charge of 20d per annum out of Lady Middleton's Hospital. The amount of the rent carge is divided amongst the widows, and they also receive 5s a piece out of the rent of the two roods of land. The residue isretained to fund repairs. No conveyance appears to have been made to the new trustees; but the hospital isunder the direction of Mr Seth Agar and Mr Charles Hansom, the former being of the founders family and the latter a relative.

Taken from G Lawton 1842. 'Collectio rerum ecclesiasticarum de Dioecesi Eboracensi, or, collections relative to churches and chapels within the diocese of York: To which are added collections relative to churches and chapels within the diocese of Ripon' (London)

THOMAS AGAR'S HOSPITAL, comprising three cottages in Monkgate, was established by the founder's will, made in 1631, (fn. 56) for the use of 6 poor widows, and was administered by the Agar family. In 1873 it was remarked that, patronage being in the hands of a Roman Catholic member of the family, all the inmates were consequently Roman Catholics. By the mid-19th century the building, originally badly planned, had become extremely dilapidated, and was twice certified by the corporation Medical Officer as unfit for habitation before it was finally closed in 1879. It was replaced by a pension charity for 6 poor widows and in 1956, 5 such pensioners each received £8.

'Charities', in A History of the County of York: the City of York, ed. P M Tillott (London, 1961), pp. 420-440.

The hospital is shown on the 1852 Ordnance Survey map of York and stood fronting on to Monkgate where Agar Street is now located. Agar Street is shown on Ordnance Survey Maps from the late 1880s.