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ALMONER (from See also: primitive sense, an officer in religious houses to whom belonged the management and distribution of the See also: alms of the See also: house
.
By the See also: ancient canons all monasteries were to spend at least a tenth See also: part of their income in alms to the poor, and all bishops were . required to keep almoners
.
Almoners, as distinct from chaplains, appear early as attached to the See also: court of the See also: kings of See also: France; but the title of See also: grand almoner of France first appears in the reign of See also: Charles VIII
.
He was an important court official whose duties comprised the superintendence of the
See also: Chapel Royal and all the religious ceremonies of the court
.
He was a director of the See also: great hospital for the See also: blind (Quinze-Vingts), and nominated the regius professors and readers in the See also: College de France
.
The office was revived by See also: Napoleon I., was abolished in 183o, and again created by Napoleon III.; it existed till 1890
.
In See also: England, the royal almonry still forms a part of the See also: sovereign's See also: household, the See also: officers being the hereditary grand almoner (the See also: marquess of Exeter), the See also: lord high almoner, the sub-almoner, and the secretary to the lord high almoner
.
The office of hereditary grand almoner is now merely titular
.
The lord high almoner is an ecclesiastical officer, usually a See also: bishop, who had the rights to the forfeiture of all deodands (q.v.) and the goods of a felo de se, for distribution among the poor
.
He had also, by virtue of an ancient See also: custom, the power of giving the first dish from the See also: king's table to whatever poor
See also: person he pleased, or, instead of it, alms in See also: money, which custom is kept up by the lord high almoner distributing as many See also: silver pennies as the sovereign has years of age to poor men and See also: women on Maundy See also: Thursday (q.v.)
.
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