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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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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This was once the town's warehouse.
Tags: Faversham Kent
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The Maison Dieu (House of God) in Ospringe near Faversham was founded in 1235 by King Henry III and was run by the Knights Templar. It formed part of a hospital, royal lodge and almshouse and had a "Camera Regis" for the King's use when he was going to France by way of Dover. With the dissolution of the monasteries (by Henry VIII in 1516), it was given to St. John's-College, Cambridge. Countless crowned heads, English and European, stayed here overnight on their way to and from London and Dover.
Photo taken on 11 December 2010
Tags: Maison Dieu (Knights Templar Hospital of St. Mary) Ospringe Faversham
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