Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals Processional Staff,
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.
Bridewell Prison and Hospital was established in a former royal palace in 1553 with two purposes: the punishment of the disorderly poor and housing of homeless children in the City of London. Located on the banks of the Fleet River in the City, it was both the first house of correction in the country and a major charitable institution (reflecting the early modern definition of a "hospital").
Designated a royal hospital by Henry VIII, Bethlem Hospital has moved several times over the centuries. It was based in Moorfields and then at St George's Fields, Southwark (in what is now the Imperial War Museum).
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