The Minute Books of Froxfield Almshouse 1715-1866

摘要

The Minute Books of the Froxfield Almshouse is the sixty sixth volume to be published by the Wiltshire Record Society, which aims to promote the publication of documentary sources for the history of Wiltshire. The almshouse itself was established by the duchess of Somerset in her will and was completed in 1695. It provided for up to 50 widows to be supported in their own houses with a pension. The widows were to be drawn from the wives of clergy in both the local counties and London and well as the wives of laymen in the local area. There were additions made to the building in both the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and it functions to this day as the Duchess of Somerset Hospital. What is most remarkable about this institution is that it has been able to survive and indeed flourish for more than three centuries throughout periods of substantial change. The duchess's will (extracts from which are included) demonstrates that she not only provided for the establishment of the almshouse, but also its future sustainability via incomes from a number of estates she built up specifically to support the charity. Her trustees and their many successors were able to successfully run and expand the almshouse and the estates that maintained it.