Rahere (pronounced [ɹaˈhɪə(ɹ)]), or Raher or Raherius, was an Anglo-Norman priest and monk. He was a favourite of King Henry I and is most famous for having founded St Bartholomew's Priory and the Hospital of St Bartholomew in 1123.
Many of the details of Rahere's life have become confused, having been variously described as a cleric, a courtier, a minstrel and a jester, but undoubtedly Rahere existed and did many of the things in the legends about him. He may at different times in his life have been all of these.
Rahere is listed as a canon of St Paul's Cathedral in a document of 1115. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he fell ill and had a reputed vision of St Bartholomew, who directed him to establish a religious hospital.[1] Upon his return to England, he followed this calling and founded a priory at Smithfield in London, being installed as its prior, a position he held until his death. An ornate tomb in his memory can be found inside the Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great.
He is the subject of Rudyard Kipling's poem "Rahere", collected in Debits and Credits, as well as being a major figure in Kipling's story "The Tree of Justice", featuring in Rewards and Fairies. He is also a significant character in Rosemary Sutcliff's historical novel for children, The Witch's Brat (1970). It seems likely that Sutcliff was first introduced to Rahere by reading Kipling's Rewards and Fairies as a child and later chose him as a character for one of her own books: Kipling's works are a significant and openly acknowledged inspiration for Sutcliff.
Alan Gordon acknowledges Rahere in the Historical Notes to Thirteenth Night, the first book in his “Fools Guild” series of historical novels. (Not to be confused with the modern Fool's Guild.)
^Watson, Sethina (2006). "The Origins of the English Hospital". Transactions of the Royal Historical Society. 16. Cambridge University: 75–94. doi:10.1017/S0080440106000466. S2CID 143513725. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
Rahere (pronounced [ɹaˈhɪə(ɹ)]), or Raher or Raherius, was an Anglo-Norman priest and monk. He was a favourite of King Henry I and is most famous for having...
by John Watson Nicol, 1895, oil on canvas, 41 × 57 cm. (16.1 × 22.4 in.) Rahere, Bouffon de Henry I et de la Reine Matilda, début 1100. Chase William Merrit...
Christopher Rahere Webb (1886-1966) was an English stained glass designer. His unusual second name was derived from that of the founder of St Bartholomew's...
and aspiring actress Vivien Leigh, aged twenty in 1933, gave birth at the Rahere Nursing Home, then at number 8, to her first child. The north end of Welbeck...
Devil's Punch Bowl Electric Horror of Berkeley Square St. Frideswide Ghost of Rahere Gog and Magog, legendary giants and guardians of the City of London Hengest...
Gordon Rahere Hoare (18 April 1884 – 27 October 1973) was an English amateur footballer who was a member of the Great Britain team that won the gold medal...
– Trotula 1123 – St Bartholomew's Hospital founded by the court jester Rahere Augustine nuns originally cared for the patients. Mental patients were accepted...
English rule in Normandy. St Bartholomew's Hospital in London founded by Rahere. 1124 Henry I unsuccessfully invades the Kingdom of France, having defeated...
Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, commonly known as Barts, is founded by Rahere, a favourite courtier of King Henry I; it is now the oldest hospital in...
Abbey since January 1899 and now in progress, J. Catherall, Hexham, (1907) Rahere Yesterday and Today & His Priory Church of St. Bartholomew: Its Chequered...
to causing public disturbances. Granted by charter from King Henry I to Rahere to fund the Priory of St Bartholomew in 1133, the fair became London's most...
Milan, Siena, and other medieval big European cities. In 1120 a man named Rahere fell ill with malaria in Rome: he was taken care of by the monks of the...
1915 and Alfred Noel Garrod aged 28 in 1916. In 1919, his third son, Basil Rahere Garrod died, aged 21, in Cologne during the Spanish flu pandemic. Over the...
nonconforming minister, pastor at the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam Sir John Rahere Paget, 2nd Baronet (1848–1938), British barrister and author This disambiguation...
constantly on pilgrimage in England, is discovered by Henry I's jester, Rahere, and brought before the king. He dies at the moment his identity is recognised...
French nobleman (b. 1115) Matthew of Edessa (or Matteos), Armenian historian Rahere (or Raherius), Norman priest (approximate date) Reverter de La Guardia,...
(1910). Features both Henry I and Rahere. The King’s Minstrel (1925) by Ivy May Bolton. The title character is Rahere, depicted as "part jester, part priest...
on 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2022-07-22. A Little White Shadow (1889) Prior Rahere's Rose (1893) Poppy Garden (1894) A Lady of Olden Time (1896) Flight of the...
Garrod. Both were killed in action in WW I. Her third brother, Lt Basil Rahere died in France from Spanish influenza prior to demobilisation. It is rumoured...
include A Short History of the Bengal Club 1827–1927, a book by Sir Hugh Rahere Panckridge (Barrister-at-law and later judge of the Calcutta High Court);...
for further succession. Sir James Paget, 1st Baronet (1814–1899) Sir John Rahere Paget, 2nd Baronet (1848–1938) Sir James Francis Paget, 3rd Baronet (1890–1972)...
French nobleman (b. 1115) Matthew of Edessa (or Matteos), Armenian historian Rahere (or Raherius), Norman priest (approximate date) Reverter de La Guardia,...
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