12 - Conclusion

Summary

The history of the English in Rome between 1362 and 1420 has turned out to be more than the history of English institutions in the city, although they supply information about Englishmen which the curial records do not. There was clearly an English presence in Rome which was not closely connected to the curia. The English in the upper echelons of the papal curia were still not very involved in the two hospices when the papacy returned from Constance but by then the institutions were already more clerical and destined to become almost wholly so.

The origin of the English foundations was lay initiative, based on the desire of merchants and artisans to have a centre for charity and prayer for their souls, including in some cases care in old age, which would also serve pilgrims. The founders seem to have resided in Rome because it looked like an expanding market where English enterprise might compete with the Italians. Both the pilgrim market and more general trade seem to have been the targets. As far as one can tell, this lay enterprise succeeded only until about 1404; until then several lay men played an important part in the hospices, the second of which was founded only in 1396.