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A almonry school, was a medieval English monastic charity school. They had their origins in the choir schools and other schools establishd by English monasteries and nunneries. The process of Anglo-Saxon conversions led to an explosion of both local church buildings and monasteries which were the main church instututions. Monastic communities began to become of considerable importance to the medevil church (7th century). From 6th-century St Augustine's, England' first Benedictine monastery (6th century) to to its peak with Britain's best preserved Carthusian priory (14th century). Monastic communities varied from from a single bu ilding housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates ehich migh house hundreds. A monastery complex might consist buildings including a church, dormitory, cloister, refectory, library, balneary and infirmary. The power and influence of the Catholic church reached its zenith in England during the High Middle Ages. The monasataeies became a very important part of the English economy. At its peak, a great deal of the Kingdom's wealth was tied up in the monastaries. And sonethiung like 1 in 15 of all Englishmen were churchmen of some kind (14th century). This can be seen in the ruins King Henry VIII left of the monastaries throughhout his kingdom after he ordered their disolution. The schools to train choristers and future churchmen were the only schools in Enland for several centurues.
The person actually overseeing the chariutble process was titled 'almoner'The name came from the the place or chamber at the monastary or church where alms (money or food) was distributed to the poor or needy. The design and location was higly variable. In large monastaries sych as Westminster Abbey, there mau=y have been a separate building, well away from the actual monastic buildings, often near the gatehouse. This was so the operatiin of the monastary would not be disturbed. Hospitals were another chairtable function. Many monastaries in addition to distrubtinf alms, took in the poor (often elderly persons) and the sick was met by setting up an hospitium (inn) or spital (hospital) outside the manastaries. Here a dozen or so elderly or sick persons might be cared for at the expense of the almoner. This was a person who was alloted land from the monastery's estates to produce the needed food and other needed items. [Leach] These hospitals were origin of the hosopital schools. Hospitium also might also srvvee dormitories for pilgrims. Reading Abbey founded the Hospitium of St. John (1189.) The Abbey school (1125) eventualkly moved into the hospitium (1485) becoming the Royal Grammar School of King Henry VII.
Irish monks began founding monateries in Ireland and Scotland (5th century). The Anglo-Saxons that migrated/invaded Briain after the departure of the Romans were pagans (5th century). Gradually they were Christanized by both Irish monks and Roman missionaries. Soon monastaries began to appoear throughout England. The process of Anglo-Saxon conversions led to an explosion of both local church buildings and monasteries which were the main church instututions (7th centyury). Monastic communities began to become of considerable importance to the medevil church (7th century). From 6th-century St Augustine's, England' first Benedictine monastery (6th century) to to its peak with Britain's best preserved Carthusian priory (14th century). Monastic communities varied from from a single bu ilding housing only one senior and two or three junior monks or nuns, to vast complexes and estates ehich migh house hundreds. A monastery complex might consist buildings including a church, dormitory, cloister, refectory, library, balneary and infirmary. The power and influence of the Catholic church reached its zenith in England during the High Middle Ages. Themonasataeies became a very important part of the English economy. At its peak, a great deal of the Kingdom's wealth was tied up in the monastaries. And sonethiung like 1 in 15 of all Englishmen were churchmen of some kind (14th century). This can be seen in the ruins King Henry VIII left of the monastaries throughhout his kingdom after he ordered their disolution.
Almonry schools had their origins in the choir schools and other schools establishd by English monasteries and nunneries. The schools to train choristers and future churchmen were the only schools in Enland for several centurues. The educatioin function increased in importance ive time.
The momastaries that began to appear in England (7th century). From the very beginning, the monasteries provided schooling to their novices and monks. These early schools were foicused on religious matter to prepare for the religous life. The almonry schools were different. They were a medieval English monastic charity school. The schools were supported from a portion of monastary charity work allocated to the almoner who in some cases was also the choir master. The almonry schools ficused on a secular curriculum. Latin was at the core. This all began late in the history of the monasteries during the High Middle Ages (13th century). One of the first almonry school was at Gisborough Priory, Cleveland (1260s). They proliferated (late-13th century). The idea was to provide free schooling for poor, even destitute, boys including foundlings. he boys were not all poor. Some boys from affkuent damilies were oplace there to ger=t a good education. And some minasteries sooonsired frammar scghools in the towns, such as Bury St. Edmunds and Evesham. A kind of scholarship was established for poor children to attend cathedral or monastic school. This paid for a boy's the housing and food. These were not what we now call primary schools. The boys (they were only boys) admitted were about 10-12 years old and had already learned to read -- a notable accomplishment at the time. They may study for 5 years. One author explains that the boys received a 'first-class, free education. Their pupils were endowed with the learning and polish necessary to transcend the disadvantages of lowly birth and have a chance of social mobility in a rigidly hierarchical society.' [Carter] Often they were boys who could sing and thus help with religious services. Some 77 minastaries reprtedly had song schools. [Cater] The boys were not part of the monastic community. They didn’t live under vows like the monks. The boys were able to leave whenever if they so desired. They were normlly set up in the outer area of the monasteries, separate from the momastery's claustral nucleus where the monks worked and prayed. The teachers were not the monks, but indiviuals with some secullar learing hired as masters. Eventually they included university graduates (15th century). The school day has been described as long with harsh disciplineh. Some of these boys might pursue a career in the church, but they prepare boys for a range of careers and for further university study. [Clark, p. 155.] They sang in the cathedral choir and acted as page boys to the monks. Their teachers were the secular clerks of the monastery. Such schools have now largely disappeared, although a few survived into the 20th century.
The convents also organuized school. One author estimates that there were some 50 convent schools in England. The convent schools were different than the mionastic almonry schools. Parents had to paybsubstantial fees. This the students came from the more affluent familes. And most notably both boy and girls were educated. The curriculum included letters, prayers in Latin, and decorum. One period source praised thed nunneries for bringing up the daughters of the Yorkshire gentry 'in virtue'. The most famous supporter of the convent schools was of all people Thomas Cromwell who sent his son Gregory to Prioress Margaret Vernon at Little Marlow Priory, Buckinghamshire. Even s it was Cromwell who King Henty entrusted to oversee the sisolution of the monasteries for him. [Carter]
King Henry VIII's disolution of monasteries is often depicted as unloopcking weaklth that could be more effectively seployed. We are not at all sure about the ecoinomics involved. There is little doubt, however, that the ooor suffered. We have noted claims that it brought on an 'age of beggars and thieves.' Many of the opoor had learnned to depend on the old abbeys and monasteries. We are not sure abiut the numbers. One author writes that if the pooor "came to be suddenly deprived of the means of subsistence by the stoppage of their alms, society had to suffer—not altogether undeservedly—for the change which the tyrannical king had brought about. It became necessary, therefore, to enact further laws for the punishment of sturdy and wilful beggars, and ultimately to bring in sundry 'poor laws' to meet the case of the other large population which had been reduced to poverty by the stoppage of the alms on which they had lived." [Thornbury]
Carter, Michael. "How monks used schools to aid social mobility before the Reformation," The Tabket (August 31, 2020).
Clark, James G. "Monasteries and Secular Education", in Janet E. Burton and Karen Stöber, eds. Monasteries and Society in the British Isles in the Later Middle Ages (Boydell & Brewer Ltd: 2008).
Leach, Arthur F. "Almonry Schools" in Pauk=l Monroe, ed. A Cyclopedia of Education (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1911.
Thornbury, Walter. "Westminster Abbey: The sanctuary and almonry," in Old and New London Vol. 3. (London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, 1878), pp. 483-91.
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