Almshouses are charitable housing, usually for elderly people who can no longer work to pay rent. They were established in the 10th century in Britain to provide a place of residence for poor, old and distressed folk.
The first recorded almshouse was founded in York by King Athelstan, and the oldest still in existence is the Hospital of St. Cross in Winchester which was built in 1132. In the Middle Ages, the majority of European hospitals functioned as almshouses.
In Faversham, Almshouses for six widows were founded by Thomas Mendfield in 1614. In 1721, Thomas Napleton founded houses for six men. In 1840, Henry Wreight, a local solicitor and former Mayor of Faversham, gave a bequest which enabled the rebuilding of the almshouses on a grand scale. The work was completed in 1863.
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