About Almshouses

Alms

Alms is an archaic term for money or goods given to the poor as an act of virtue. It derives from the Greek word, eleēmosunē, meaning ‘pity’ or ‘mercy’, and is used freely in King James Bible (1611) (See Matt 6: 1-4); but the New English Bible (1961) prefers ‘act of charity’. Whilst promoting the welfare of the needy as a means of enhancing oneself spiritually is an axiom of Christian teaching, the concept predates Christianity, and indeed occurs in most other world religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.

Almshouses

In the past, just as ‘giving (or doing) alms’ was regarded as part of one’s religious duty, providing charitable housing – that is, almshouses – for the ‘deserving poor’ was seen by the ‘landed gentry’ as part of theirs. The first recorded example in Britain was founded in York during the tenth century by King Athelstan of England; and, fittingly, the current patron of the National Almshouses Association is HRH the Prince of Wales.

It could be argued that the welfare state has made almshouses redundant, and that the Trustees merely duplicate the work done by trained professionals in local authority housing departments. Indeed, finding residents who meet the specific criteria laid down in a charity’s Scheme is often a challenge for Trustees. However, the fact that there are 1,700 independent almshouse charities still operating in the UK, providing homes for over 35,000 people, suggests that this time-honoured good cause has much to commend it.