![Evesham Almonry heritage centre - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Evesham_Almonry_heritage_centre_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1099849.jpg)
An almonry (Lat. ''eleemosynarium'', Fr. ''aumônerie'', Ger. ''Almosenhaus'') is the place or chamber where
alms
Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...
were distributed to the poor in
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
es or other ecclesiastical buildings.
The person designated to oversee the distribution was called an
almoner
An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '.
History
Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...
.
Examples in England
At
Worcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, in Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified ...
the alms are said to have been distributed on stone tables, on each side, within the great porch.
In some case, the duty to take in the poor and the sick was met by setting up an ''hospitium'' (inn) or ''spital'' (hospital) outside the gate in which about a dozen elderly or sick persons were maintained at the expense of the almoner, who had land allotted to his use from the monastery's estates. At
Reading Abbey
Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...
, the abbey's ''hospitium'', or dormitory for pilgrims, known as the Hospitium of St. John was founded in 1189. The abbey school, which was founded in 1125, moved into the hospitium in 1485 as the Royal Grammar School of King Henry VII.
In large monastic establishments, as at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
, it seems to have been a separate building of some importance, either joining the
gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mos ...
or near it, so that the establishment might be disturbed as little as possible.
Close to the sanctuary, and adjoining its western side, was the eleemosynary or almonry, where the alms of the abbey were daily doled out to the poor and needy. The almonry was a building, analogous to our more prosaic modern alms-houses, erected by King Henry VII and his mother, the Lady Margaret, to the glory of God, for twelve poor men and poor women.
[Thornbury, Walter. "Westminster Abbey: The sanctuary and almonry." Old and New London: Volume 3. London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, 1878. 483-491. British History Online. Web. 13 February 2018.]
/ref>
The almonry at Evesham was a separate building that was home to the almoner of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Mary and St. Ecgwine.
An almonry school was a medieval English monastic charity school
Charity schools, sometimes called blue coat schools, or simply the Blue School, were significant in the history of education in England. They were built and maintained in various parishes by the voluntary contributions of the inhabitants to ...
supported by a portion of the funds allocated to the almoner. The practice began in the early 14th century when a form of scholarship was established that provided attendance at the cathedral school, housing, and food for boys at least 10 years old who could sing and read. An almonry education could prepare boys for a variety of careers, as well as university.
The almonry at Old St Paul's Cathedral
Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul, ...
was built along the south wall of the nave, not far from the parish church of St Gregory. The choir master was also the almoner, and the almonry housed boy choristers. It also served as a playhouse, in which the boys performed.
At the Palace of Whitehall
The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. H ...
the office of the Royal Almonry was located in Middle Scotland Yard. The Hereditary Grand Almoner, a position instituted by Richard I, distributed alms on the occasion of a coronation. The duties of the High Almoner were more general and included visiting the sick, poor widows, and prisoners and reminding the king to bestow alms, especially on saints' days. Timbs, John. "Almonry, Royal", ''Curiosities of London'', D. Bogue, 1855, p. 4
/ref> A remnant of this custom may be found in the Royal Maundy
Royal Maundy is a religious service in the Church of England held on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. At the service, the British monarch or a royal official ceremonially distributes small silver coins known as "Maundy money" (legal ...
service.
References
{{reflist
Church architecture
Rooms