died out in England. 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. Elderly relatives of members were also offered accommodation at Burton in their retirement. Membership was not just restricted to the local gentry; it also boasted wealthy patrons such as Lady Margaret Beaufort, Sir Henry Stafford and Henry VII and also entire villages such as East and West Hagbourne, Berkshire and Tredington, Gloucestershire. It seems to have been a large business and agents were used to recruit new members in areas far away from the immediate vicinity of Burton. In 1422 the confraternity of Burton Lazars was granted the older Leper Hospital of the Hospital of the Holy Innocents, Lincoln A large number of seals have been found in various parts of England that belonged to the Confraternity of Burton St Lazarus. Demise 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. Remains 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. References External links Domesday Book entry for Burton William Page, "The Victoria history of the county of Leicester, Volume 2", A. Constable, 1954, p. 36 Historic England Archive information about the site of Burton Lazars Hospital Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem, Grand Priory of England and Wales Burton Lazars Welcomes Careful Drivers - Track by instrumental Post-Punk band, family of noise Villages in Leicestershire English medieval hospitals and almshouses Hospitals established in the 12th century Order of Saint Lazarus Leper hospitals