It often fell on religious orders to care for those who suffered from the condition, usually housing them in fairly remote spots outside of towns and villages where their patients could live and be treated in peace.

One such religious order was the Gilbertine Order at Clattercote Priory a few miles North of Banbury, which served as a leper hospital for the area.

There were little or no medical treatments available for leprosy during this period, so the emphasis at leper hospitals of this sort was on eating a wholesome and varied diet, as well as prayer and the benefits of physical work such as farming. This work allowed the patients to help subsidise their treatment, and sustained the priory as a whole.

Cleanliness was believed to be very important for the treatment of leprosy, and the patients at leper hospitals would be regularly bathed. At Clattercote this took place in a pool that was for a long time known locally as 'Leper's Pool'. The pool was on the site of what is now Clattercote Reservoir, a short distance to the South West of Clattercote.

By the 14th century, leprosy had become less common in England and fear of it had been supplanted by a greater threat: the Black Death.

Clattercote Priory ceased to be a hospital for lepers and became a regular Gilbertine Priory. During the 16th century, the priory fell victim to the dissolution of the monasteries. Its buildings fell into disrepair and were pulled down and a manor house was later built on the site. The buildings that can be seen today mostly date from the 17th century.