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  • Almshouses

    I'm considering exploring this as a new route of info. My 4x great grandmother was one of 6 ladies in Gift Lane Alms Houses, West Ham, on both the 1881 and 1891 census.

    I have found a little bit of info on the net about the almshouses she was in:

    "Roger Harris, by will dated 1633, devised two copyhold cottages in Little (later Gift) Lane for the use of the poor. In 1834 these were being maintained by the parish as poorhouses. They were rebuilt by subscription in 1853, as a single house with six living rooms, the balance of the subscription, £39, being invested as an endowment for the alms-houses.

    In 1899 the upkeep of the buildings was being met by the vicar, mainly from parochial funds. There were six alms-women, usually from All Saints' parish, each receiving 2s. 6d. a week from the guardians of West Ham union, and gifts of bread and cash out of All Saints' share of the Distributive Charities. Harris's alms-houses were under the control of the vicar and churchwardens of All Saints' until a scheme of 1932 placed them under the trustees of the United Non-Ecclesiastical Charities"



    Has anyone any experience of researching ancestors in alms houses? By that it looks confusing as to who exactly was in charge, looks like they were administered by both the poor law union, in the same way as the workhouses, but also to some extent by the local church authorities as well. Would detailed records likely be kept, and if so where would I begin to start searching for them?

  • #2
    First port of call would probably be the relevant records office. No idea what the United Non-Ecclesiastical Charities were though!

    My gt x 3 grandfather Robert Chowns spent over 20 years in an almshouse in Stoke Poges. I looked on The Times Online archive and found a report by some inspectors which gave useful information about how they had a chapel, allotments to grow their own vegetables, 1/- a week to spend on meat and a new pair of shoes every year!
    ~ with love from Little Nell~
    Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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    • #3
      hi,

      as to where the records would be kept, I'd say a RO. firstly I would try Local History Centres/Societies and see if they have ANY info/history about them.

      I know that the local Almshouses in my town of birth were built by a well known gentleman for colliers, and are still there now. Alot of local history can and often does yield alot of things. You could also try the local library.. they might have some info.

      sorry I couldnt be of more help
      Julie
      They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

      .......I find dead people

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      • #4
        She had died long before they were took over by the Non-ecclesiatical thingy in the 1930's. I'm thinking there may be records of the West Ham Union, at the records office, presumably Essex, which cover the weekly payments made to the women, but the actual day to day running of the almshouses, and who went in them looks like was in the hands of the local church, West Ham All Saints. I'm wondering whether these would have been deposited at the RO, or still with the church. Maybe I should write to them? Mind you that's assuming they kept the records at all!

        Funnily enough Nell, Stoke Poges isn't far from me, there's some really nice little almshouses round this way.
        Last edited by Richard; 23-03-09, 21:34.

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        • #5
          Hi dark secretz, I did try Newham Archives and Local Studies Library a while back, been told they were really helpful, just asking for any basic info on the almshouses, but they never answered the email! Might be worth trying again though..

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          • #6
            My local Almshouses were built in the 1500s and have recently been restored, as being of local historical interest (they've painted them pink, for some reason!).

            My understanding is that they were endowed by some charitable chappie back in the 1500s and were administered by the Church which is a few hundred yards away.

            During the years of the Union Poor Law,they were still administered by the church, but the Union topped up any shortfall in the running costs (not much).

            With the advent of the Welfare State, they were allowed to fall into disuse and dilapidation - no one NEEDED to live there anymore and the original bequest was all but gone. They now give "five good and pious widows of the parish" a pound at Xmas! (by a variation of the original bequest).

            OC

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            • #7
              Thanks OC.

              That seems to be the case here. The Almshouses are still there (though rebuilt), viewed them on Google Street Maps, and the local Church West Ham All Saints, is directly next to it to the East, it must be their vicar referred to who dealt with the day to day running of the institution, and presumably too admissions. The 2 shillings 6 pence they recieved to live on per week, from the poor law union, then topped up what they were recieving.

              I would think, in theory, since West Ham had a fairly large population at that time, 100,000 plus and rapidly growing, and there were only six places in this almshouse, there must have been some sort of admissions process, to decide who should get a place, and, fingers crossed, records left from this. Out of interest what route would you take, do you think I should write to the church (they have a registers look up section on their website..though still under construction, so might be receptive to family history enquiries) or should the R.O be first port of call?

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              • #8
                Richard

                I found the almshouses records in my LOCAL (town) family history archives, although as I live in a semi-rural area which has an unusually common interest in local history, this might be happychance rather than general practice.

                The admission criterion was usually - and I think this is probably general - some locally worthy and pious person, not necessarily absolutely dirt poor, but seen by the church and congregation as being deserving of a place in the almshouse.

                An example - a schoolmaster, a sexton, a "poor blind curate", several widows of local minor businessmen, but always, always "A pious member of the congregation".

                OC

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                • #9
                  Thanks O.C, she was the widow of a docker, he died within 12 months of the family moving to West Ham. She bought up five children on her own working as a wet nurse for local wealthy families. I assume she must have been a fairly pious church goer too then!

                  Just reading a different section on their website (West Ham All Saints) and it says all their records pre 1970's have been depostied with the Essex Records Office, so looks like writing to them would be a dead end.

                  I had a look at the online Catalogue on SEAX, and the description is thus:

                  Parish records of All Saints, WEST HAM: Baptisms, 1653-1882; Marriages, 1653-1900; Burials, 1653-1854 and Banns, 1769-1973 (62 vols) and other records (see attached schedule).

                  The collection is held over 52 boxes though! Tantalising the collection contains 'other records' but the schedule referred to is not online, so no way of knowing whether they do containt the admin records of the almshouses.

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