Bedlam
The Priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem was established in 1247. At that time and for more than a hundred years, it was intended to serve as a centre for the collection of alms to support the Crusader Church and to link England to the Holy Land. It became known as Bethlem Hospital in the 14th century, and the first definitive record of care for the insane in the hospital is in 1403. In 1547 it was granted by Henry VIII to the City of London as a hospital for the mentally ill, and is now known as Bethlem Royal Hospital. Bethlem has often been corrupted to Bedlam.
