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Wikipedia / Royal Almonry

The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor.

The Lord High Almoner is usually a diocesan bishop or high cleric of the Church of England. There is also an hereditary Grand Almoner, an office dating from 1685 and vested in the person of the Marquess of Exeter, but this is not an office of the Royal Almonry and he has no role to play. The actual work of the office is undertaken by the Sub-Almoner (currently Paul Wright), who is also the Deputy Clerk of the Closet of the Ecclesiastical Household, Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal, and Domestic Chaplain at Buckingham Palace.

There are in addition a Secretary, and Assistant Secretary, both offices of which are shared with other Royal Household appointments. There are also half a dozen wandsmen.

Duties

In the 13th century, the Lord High Almoner was responsible for giving alms from the royal household to the poor. Today, the Almonry is responsible for the arrangements for the Royal Maundy service, which is held annually every Maundy Thursday. The royal service was traditionally given at Westminster Abbey until the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, when the service rotated among various British cathedrals. The service includes various elements, including the Yeomen of the Guard and six wandsmen who act as ushers. At the service, the sovereign traditionally gives purses of coins ("Maundy Money") to a man and a woman for every year of the sovereign's age. If the sovereign is infirm, then he or she may be represented by a different member of the royal family; for example, in 2022, Charles, Prince of Wales represented the 95-year-old Elizabeth at the service.

Until 1737, the Lord High Almoner personally washed the feet of Maundy recipients.

Lord High Almoners

  1. Henry III (1216)

  2. John Leukenor, Knight Templar

  3. 1233: Brother John and Brother Geoffrey (to 1239)

  4. 1255–unknown: Simon of Offam

  5. 1256–unknown: John of Colchester

  6. 1257: John the Chaplain

  7. Edward I (1272)

  8. Friar Ralph

  9. c.1280–1307: Master Henry of Blunsdon

  10. Edward II (1307)

  11. c.1323: Adam de Brome

  12. Edward III (1327)

  13. c.1340: Philip Weston

  14. Thomas Hatfield (Bishop of Durham, 1345)

  15. Richard II (1377)

  16. 1383: William Walsham

  17. Henry IV (1399)

  18. 1399: Robert Eslakby

  19. ? –1413 Earl of Cambridge

  20. Henry V (1413)

  21. 1413–unknown: James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley

  22. Henry VI (1422)

  23. 142n–unknown: John Snell

  24. ?–1432: John De la Bere (later Bishop of St David's, 1447)

  25. 1432–1438: Robert Felton

  26. 1438–unknown: Henry Sever, Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral

  27. Edward IV (1461)

  28. 1461–?1466: Thomas Wilford

  29. ?1466–1468: Thomas Bonyfaunt

  30. 1468–1476: John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells and, until 1478, Archdeacon of Essex

  31. 1471: Alexander Legh

  32. 1476–1483: Thomas Danet

  33. 1483: Walter Felde

  34. Richard III (1483)

  35. 1483-1485 John Taillour

  36. Henry VII (1485)

  37. 1485–1495: Christopher Urswick

  38. 1495-1497: Richard FitzJames

  39. 1497–unknown: Richard Mayew, Bishop of Hereford (died 1516)

  40. unknown: Christopher Bainbridge

  41. 28 January 1507 - 1509: John Ednam (Edenham)

  42. unknown–1509: Thomas Hobbes, Dean of Exeter.

  43. Henry VIII (1509); Edward VI (1547); Mary I (1553)

  44. 1509–1514: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (etc.)

  45. 1514–unknown: Richard Rawlins, Archdeacon of Huntingdon (later Bishop of St David's), 1523) (died 1528)

  46. 1521–unknown: John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln (died 1547)

  47. 1523–unknown: Edward Lee (later Archbishop of York, 1531)

  48. 1530–unknown: John Stokesley, Bishop of London (died 1539)

  49. c.1532–1537: Edward Foxe, Bishop of Hereford, 1535

  50. 1537–>1555: Nicholas Heath, Bishop of Rochester (died 1578)

  51. Elizabeth I (1558)

  52. 1559–1561: William Bill, Master of Trinity

  53. 1561–1572: Edmund Guest, Bishop of Rochester.

  54. 1576–unknown: John Piers, Bishop of Salisbury, later Archbishop of York. {died 1594)

  55. 29 March 1572 – 1591: Edmund Freke, Bishop of Worcester

  56. 1591–1594: Richard Fletcher, Bishop of Bristol

  57. 1595–unknown: Anthony Watson, Bishop of Chichester (died 1605)

  58. James I (1603)

  59. 1605–1626: Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Chichester, then of Ely

  60. 1619–unknown: George Montaigne (or Mountain), Bishop of London (etc.) (died 1628)

  61. Charles I (1625)

  62. 1626: Francis White, Bishop of Carlisle, then Bishop of Norwich and Bishop of Ely (died 1638)

  63. 1632–unknown: Walter Curle, Prelate of the Garter and Bishop of Winchester (died 1647)

  64. Commonwealth (1649-1660)

  65. Charles II (1660)

  66. 1660–1662: Brian Duppa, Bishop of Winchester

  67. 1662–1675: Humphrey Henchman, Bishop of Salisbury, then Bishop of London

  68. 1675–1684: John Dolben, Bishop of Rochester

  69. James II (1685)

  70. 1684–1687: Francis Turner, Bishop of Ely

  71. 1687: John Leyburn, Vicar Apostolic of England

  72. 1687–1689: Cardinal Philip Howard

  73. William III (1689); Anne (1702)

  74. 1689–1703: William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph, then of Lichfield and Coventry, then of Worcester

  75. 1703–1714: John Sharp, Archbishop of York

  76. George I (1714); George II (1727)

  77. 1714–1715: George Smalridge, Bishop of Bristol

  78. 1715–1716: William Wake, Bishop of Lincoln

  79. 1716–1718: William Nicolson, Bishop of Carlisle

  80. 1718–1723: Richard Willis, Bishop of Gloucester

  81. 1723–1743: Lancelot Blackburne, Archbishop of York

  82. 1743–1748: Thomas Sherlock, Bishop of Salisbury

  83. 1748–1757: Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York

  84. 1757–1761: John Gilbert, Archbishop of York

  85. George III (1760); George IV (1820); William IV (1830); Victoria (1837)

  86. 1761–1777: Robert Hay Drummond, Archbishop of York

  87. 1777–1808: William Markham, Archbishop of York

  88. 1808–1847: Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York

  89. 1847–1870: Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, then of Winchester

  90. 1870–1882: Gerald Wellesley, Dean of Windsor

  91. 1882–1906: Lord Alwyne Compton, Bishop of Ely

  92. Edward VII (1901); George V (1910)

  93. 1906–1933: Joseph Armitage Robinson, Dean of Westminster, then of Wells

  94. Edward VIII (1936); George VI (1936); Elizabeth II (1952); Charles III (2022)

  95. 1933–1945: Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury

  96. 1946–1953: Edward Woods, Bishop of Lichfield

  97. 1953–1970: Michael Gresford Jones, Bishop of St Albans

  98. 1970–1988: David Say, Bishop of Rochester

  99. 1988–1997: John Taylor, Bishop of St Albans

  100. 1997–2013: Nigel McCulloch, Bishop of Manchester

  101. 2013–2024: John Inge, Bishop of Worcester

  102. 2024–present: Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich

References

Sources