Burton Lazars

Burton Lazars is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Burton and Dalby, in the Melton district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is 2 mile (3 km) south east of Melton Mowbray, having a population of c.450 in 2015. It is the site of the remains of the English headquarters of the military and hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus.

The village's name means 'farm/settlement with a fortification'. The name 'Lazars' derives from St Lazarus, and was added after the Leprosy Hospital was opened by the Order of Saint Lazarus in the 12th century. It was originally an Anglo Saxon village which was listed under the simple name of 'Burtone' at the time of William the Conqueror's Domesday Book in 1086. Before the conquest it was held by Leofric (the noble) son of Leofwin, but was given to Geoffrey of la Guerche once the Normans had taken control of England. It consisted of of meadow and two mills and had a population made up of 30 villagers, 27 smallholders, 4 slaves, 100 freemen, 2 priests and had a value of £23.5. Burton's name was changed to Burton St Lazarus when the Order of Saint Lazarus opened a Leper Hospital on a hill next to the village during the Crusades of the 12th century. The hospital became the Order's headquarters for the whole of its English estates and raised large amounts of money to fund the Order's activities (both military and hospitalary) in the Holy Land. The village's name quickly became abbreviated to Burton Lazars. The village has a natural sulphurous spring which was probably a major reason for the location of the hospital. A more recent attempt to use this for bathing was made in 1760 when a bath house was built but this did not achieve commercial success. The graves of the racing driver Eliot Zborowski and his son Louis Zborowski, also a racing driver, lie in the parish churchyard. In the early 1900s the village was famous for a steeplechase racecourse and grandstand just east of the village. In 1866 Burton Lazars became a parish in its own right, on 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished to form "Burton and Dalby". In 1931 the parish had a population of 197.

The hospital at Burton Lazars was founded between 1135 and 1138 and is thought to have been financed by subscriptions from throughout England. It was flourishing by 1146 when it started to found cells in other parts of the country to cope with the spread of leprosy brought back by soldiers and pilgrims returning from the crusades. Other early donors include Simon, Earl of Huntingdon and his wife Alice daughter of Gilbert de Gant, Earl of Lincoln who gave the churches of Great Hale, Heckington, and Threckingham; William Burdett of Loseby who gave the churches of Haselbech in Northamptonshire and Loseby and Galby in Leicestershire; William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby who gave Spondon in Derbyshire; and Henry de Lacy who gave the church of Castleford in Yorkshire. In 1180 King Henry II confirmed the above grants by charter The Master was responsible for managing its English estates and was involved in frequent territorial disputes. Methods of debt recovery employed by the Leicestershire gentry included kidnapping and theft and the Masters of Burton Lazars were not afraid to use such vigilante practices. The Order also saw internal conflict with two notable disputes between its brethren. The first concerned Nicholas de Dover who claimed to be Master of the Order in 1364, despite Geoffrey de Chaddesden already being recognised as master and not having resigned. Wealthy donations to the order were rewarded with membership and prayers for the souls of the donors and their families to help in their purification. A large number of seals have been found in various parts of England that belonged to the Confraternity of Burton St Lazarus.

The hospital survived the initial Dissolution of the Monasteries but was surrendered to the crown on 4 May 1544 when it was valued at £265 10s 2.5d. This figure places Burton St Lazars as being wealthier than other hospitals but not as prosperous as monasteries.

The hospital has become buried but its presence can still be seen today in the shape of earthworks and ponds. In 1913 the Marquis of Granby, later the 9th Duke of Rutland, began excavations and uncovered baking ovens and 100 clay tiles (now kept by the British Museum), some bearing the Coats of Arms of families such as the Ferrers, Astleys and Bassets who were patrons or members of the Hospital. The excavation was interrupted by the onset of war and so was not completed. Aerial photography and fieldwork have subsequently helped make more sense of the layout of the site but, as of yet, no further excavations have been made which would reveal more of its history.