Given with freedom and cheerfulness and not grudgingly: Alms-houses and charitable giving

The Alms-house movement has a history of over 1000 years in Britain. With well over 25,000 individual properties, they exist in many cases unnoticed in almost every town in the land, administrated by some 2000 separate charitable groups, many of them of ancient origin. Some are still being built today in modest numbers, and with some modifications are still administered in the same way. This quotation is from a sermon given in 1754 by Thomas Gouge, who goes on to say that this should be done with simplicity, and sincerity, with affection, with a compassionate heart, seasonably, speedily, bountifully and liberally
One of the most visual and long-lasting ways of providing in this way, was the endowment of Alms-houses by those who had disposable wealth and a wish use it to benefit others.
We will look at how this movement has developed since medieval times, illustrated with examples of some Alm-houses in Cheshire.