The Master

"As Master I encourage you to find out about the Lord Leycester Hospital! It is at the top of the list of the most important medieval buildings in England, and is internationally of huge significance and architectural value.

Thanks to our many sponsors and donors, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, we are currently undergoing a capital works project to repair the fabric of our building and also to improve our offering to heritage visitors. We want to be able to offer something for everyone when they visit our remarkable site.

When it is all finished in the Summer of 2023 we hope to welcome you to take a step into centuries of history in the middle of historic Warwick for a cherished and intriguing experience in our medieval treasure and home to heroes for 450 years!"

Dr Heidi L Meyer BSc MSc LLD (Hon)

Dr Heidi L Meyer LLD (Hon) BA MSc

The current Master is Dr. Heidi L Meyer LLD (Hon), MSc, BSC who is a former British Amy officer and first female to be appointed. The first Master of the Hospital, Reverend Ralph Griffiths IPP, was installed by Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester – his job was to oversee the management of the foundation and the Brethren. Since then the Lord Leycester has had thirty three Masters in the job! The most famous Master is the Reverend Thomas Cartwright who was the leader of the Puritan movement during the Elizabethan era – and a well known revolutionary! Up until World War 2, the Masters were clergymen but thereafter they had to have served in the military.

Previous Masters

Reverend Ralph Griffiths IPP 1571
Reverend Thomas Cartwright BD 1585
Reverend Simon Buttrys 1603
Reverend Edward Lord 1605
Reverend Samuel Burton 1616
Reverend Jem Rice 1635
Reverend Timothy White 1650
Reverend Thomas Glover 1661
Reverend Samuel Jemmet 1671
Reverend Samuel Lydiate 1713
Reverend James Mashbourne 1726

Reverend William Burman 1728
Reverend Charles Gore MA 1741
Reverend Edward Tait DD 1743
Reverend Charles Scottowe BD 1750
Reverend George Lillington 1767
Reverend John Kendall MA 1794
Reverend Henry Berners Shelley MA 1844
Reverend Thomas Cochrane 1863
Reverend Phillip Sidney Harris MA 1867
Reverend Herbert Hill MA 1884
Reverend George Morley MA 1893

Reverend Henry Toovey MA 1901
Reverend Frederick Page MA Hon CF 1922
Reverend James Cropper 1937
Reverend John Johnson MA 1938
Reverend John Frankland MA DSc 1943
Rear Admiral Stuart Pears CBE Royal Navy 1958
Captain Charles Terence Bethune Royal Navy 1966
Captain Hugh Edward Lee DSC Royal Navy 1968
Captain Dermot Ian Rhodes Royal Navy 1992
Lt Col Gerald Lesinski Grenadier Guards 2004