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. The current holder of the office is the Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend John Inge.^[1] 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, 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.

The Almonry is responsible to the Keeper of the Privy Purse for the arrangements for the annual Maundy service.

Lord High Almoners

• unknown–1509: Thomas Hobbes, Dean of Exeter.^[2]
• 1509–unknown: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York (etc.)
• 1559–1561: William Bill, Master of Trinity
• 1561–1572: Edmund Gheast, Bishop of Salisbury.
• 1576–unknown: John Piers, Bishop of Salisbury, later Archbishop of York.
• 1595–unknown: Anthony Watson, Bishop of Chichester
• 1605–1626: Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Chichester, then of Ely
• 1619–unknown: George Montaigne (or Mountain), Bishop of London (etc.)
• 1660–1662: Brian Duppa, Bishop of Winchester
• 1662–1675: Humphrey Henchman, Bishop of Salisbury, then of London
• 1675–1684: John Dolben, Bishop of Rochester
• 1684–1687: Francis Turner, Bishop of Ely
• 1687: John Leyburn, Vicar Apostolic of England
• 1687–1689: The Hon Cardinal Philip Howard
• 1689–1703: William Lloyd, Bishop of St Asaph, then of Lichfield and Coventry, then of Worcester
• 1703–1714: John Sharp, Archbishop of York
• 1714–1715: George Smalridge, Bishop of Bristol
• 1715–1716: William Wake, Bishop of Lincoln
• 1716–1718: William Nicolson, Bishop of Carlisle
• 1718–1723: Richard Willis,^[3] Bishop of Gloucester
• 1723–1743: Lancelot Blackburne,^[4] Archbishop of York
• 1743–1748: Thomas Sherlock, Bishop of Salisbury
• 1748–1757: Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York
• 1757–1761: John Gilbert, Archbishop of York
• 1761–1777: The Hon Robert Hay Drummond, Archbishop of York
• 1777–1808: William Markham, Archbishop of York
• 1808–1847: The Hon Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt, Archbishop of York
• 1847–1870: Samuel Wilberforce,^[5] Bishop of Oxford, then of Winchester
• 1870–1882: The Hon Gerald Wellesley,^[6] Dean of Windsor
• 1882–1906: Lord Alwyne Compton,^[7] Bishop of Ely
• 1906–1933: Joseph Armitage Robinson,^[8] Dean of Westminster, then of Wells
• 1933–1945: Cosmo Gordon Lang,^[9] Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1946–1953: Edward Woods,^[10] Bishop of Lichfield
• 1953–1970: Edward Jones,^[11] Bishop of St Albans
• 1970–1988: David Say,^[12] Bishop of Rochester
• 1988–1997: John Taylor,^[13] Bishop of St Albans
• 1997–2013: Nigel McCulloch,^[14] Bishop of Manchester
• 2013–date: John Inge,^[1] Bishop of Worcester

References

1. The London Gazette: no. 60427. p. 3313. 20 February 2013.
2. Starkey, D (2008) Henry: Virtuous Prince, page 365
3. The London Gazette: no. 5638. p. 2. 29 April 1718.
4. The London Gazette: no. 6214. p. 1. 5 November 1723.
5. The London Gazette: no. 20797. p. 4255. 23 November 1847.
6. The London Gazette: no. 23620. p. 2787. 31 May 1870.
7. The London Gazette: no. 25168. p. 5106. 17 November 1882.
8. The London Gazette: no. 27914. p. 3464. 18 May 1906.
9. The London Gazette: no. 33978. p. 6011. 15 September 1933.
10. The London Gazette: no. 37516. p. 1583. 29 March 1946.
11. The London Gazette: no. 39798. p. 1443. 13 March 1953.
12. The London Gazette: no. 45208. p. 10989. 8 October 1970.
13. The London Gazette: no. 513880. p. 7207. 22 June 1988.
14. The London Gazette: no. 54807. p. 6967. 16 June 1997.

• "The Royal Almonry". Diocese of Manchester. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
• Bucholz, R. O. (2006). "The Chapel Royal: Lord Almoners and Sub-Almoners". Court Officers, 1660–1837. Office-Holders in Modern Britain. Volume 11. British History Online. pp. 245–247. Retrieved 28 November 2010.