Sherborne Almshouse Archive

D/SHA

Sherborne Almshouse Archive

1318 - 1951

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACCOUNTS

Accounts of master and sub-master of Almshouse

Treasurers' accounts for Town Stock

ADMINISTRATION OF THE ALMSHOUSE

Work and duties of Officials, including minutes of meetings

Inmates of the Almshouse

CHARITIES

Schools

Agnes Boughton's charity

Simon Whetcombe's charity

Robert Avoke's charity

Clothing charities

Crowns charity

The Town Stock

Nicholas Wynniffe's charity

Hereford charity

Miscellaneous charities

MANORIAL

Proceedings of the court of the Almshouse

Copies of court roll of manor of Almshouse

Newland manor

Halmote court of Sherbourne

West Bexington manor

DEEDS

Sherborne: The Almshouses foundation charters

Acreman Street and Lower Acreman Street

The Baley

Castleton

Cheap Street

Cheap Street and Hound Street

Cheap St., George Yard, Hound St., Long St., Westbury

Church Lane

Church Lane and Newland

Churchyard

The Green

Half Moon Street

Hound Street

Hyle Farm

Lodborne or Duck Street

Long Street

Long Street and Castleton

New Hill

Newland

Trendle

Westbury

Sherborne General

Sherborne Turnpike

Sherborne and Caundle Bishop

Sherborne and Caundle Marsh

Sherborne, Caundle Marsh and Beer Hackett

Sherborne, Beer Hackett and Yetminster

Beer Hackett

Nether Compton

Haydon

Hermitage

Netherbury

Oborne

Pulham

Shaftesbury

Thornford

Yetminster

Kintlebery in Berkshire

London

Eastham in Somerset

East Mark in Somerset

Weare in Somerset

Charitable bequests

Bonds

ESTATE

Sherborne Almshouse

Sherborne Almshouse and other properties

Sherborne

Sherborne and elsewhere

Properties outside Sherborne

Estate General

MAPS

CORRESPONDENCE

The majority of the older documents of the Almshouse were catalogued by Miss E. Scroggs and Miss M.H. Mills at the beginning of the Second World War, being listed by them in card indexes and divided into six categories, namely, Accounts, Books, Charters and Deeds, Manorial Records, Miscellanea, Records of Subordinate charities. These documents were physically numbered, and therefore the numeration has been substantially retained, but there has been a good deal of re-grouping in the present catalogue. Whilst the Accounts section remains substantially the same, the deeds and charities sections have been rearranged; the manorial records have been resorted and partly transferred to the estate section; the books section has been entirely disbanded and the miscellaneous one nearly so. Many modern documents dated from C. 1860 - 1950 and hitherto uncatalogued have now been incorporated in the list and as a result several new categories have been created. Content and arrangement have been described at the head of each section, as in the table of contents.

English

8 subfonds

This very fine collection of documents relates to the management of the estates and charities and the support of the inmates of Sherborne Almshouse, traditionally founded in 1406 with a re-foundation in 1437/8, though recently a date nearly two centuries earlier has been suggested. (Calendar of Close Rolls: see J. Fowler's "Medieval Sherborne" p.232). Originally the Almshouse and King's School were run by the same body of trustees and their records were kep together. The School records have mainly been transferred to the School, but some minute and account books relate to both institutions; hence the presence of some King's School material in this collection. Also included are records of Foster's and Digby's Schools, which were run as charities by the Almshouses.

The whole collection is of value for the study of social and economic history particularly because the series available stretch over long periods and are more or less complete. For example, the history of Hyle Farm, an agricultural holding on the outskirts of the town, can be traced almost continuously, with lists of tenants and details of repairs and payment of rent from 1440 until almost the present day. Similarly, the history of the house called the Julian on the Green and now the premises of the Sherborne Branch Library can be traced from 1518.