In the days before social housing was provided by the State, wealthy men and women often founded Almshouses for the poor and homeless from their own fortunes, and with a trust set up to maintain them for the future. The stately Jacobean brick and stone Almshouse in Worminghall was built in 1675 using funds provided by the will of John King, and in memory of his father Henry King, Bishop of Chichester (1642-1646), son in turn, of John King, Bishop of London (1611-1621) born in Worminghall. John King’s charitable bequest provided the funds from his lands in Kent and, together with his wife Ann Russell, dedicated the building ‘to sustain six poor old men and four old women’. The Almshouse is, in the shape of a letter ‘H’ in memory of Bishop Henry and is Grade 2* listed.
In 1964 the building, which had fallen into disrepair, was renovated and the number of Almshouses reduced from 10 to 6, each with independent front door access to a living room, WC and kitchen on the ground floor and a staircase to a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The building is set back from the main road and is surrounded by lawns, gardens and allotments, each resident having their own plots to cultivate as they choose.
Bishop Kings Almshouses is a registered Charity administered by a Board of local volunteer Trustees. The Charity is a member of the Almshouse Association.
Whenever a vacancy arises it is announced in the Bernwode News and posted on village noticeboards and local digital media.
Would you like to serve Worminghall as an Almshouse Trustee?
If you are living in Worminghall, or a neighbouring village in the Parish, you may like to consider putting yourself forward to become a Trustee of the Bishop King’s Almshouses, which is a Charity registered as the Worminghall United Charities.
Its legacy goes back to its founding benefactor in 1675 and the Charity continues to this day, under the administration of a Board of local volunteer Trustees, to provide safe and up-to-date accommodation in 6 separate Almshouses for the appointed Residents to lead independent lives.
A Trustee vacancy has arisen following the sad passing of John Hopcroft, who has been our Chair of the Trustee Board for the past 11 years, having taken over the role from his parents who had successively served as Almshouse Trustees since 1962.
• Applications are invited from all ages and backgrounds
• No previous Board / Trustee experience is necessary
• 3-4 meetings a year
• We particularly welcome applications from women, minority ethnic groups, under 40s, or people with lived experience of homelessness, or health hardship issues as we look to diversify our management team.
Note: Applicants, prior to any interview, will be told by the Clerk about the two Declarations they have to sign and shown a copy of the comprehensive Trustee’s Manual to read.
If you’d like more information please contact the Clerk, David McBain, on:
07795 590022
david(at)damikali.com
Please be mindful that this is private property and not open to visitors other than by appointment.
Transcripts of documents or panels held in the Church:
the Bread Charity 19th Century Photograph
Bequest panels: North – South – Transcript
The lands belonging to the Bread Charities in Shabbington and Oakley have long since been sold.
(contrary to Tanner, Pepper’s Hill Farm is in Shabbington, not Oakley)
the Kings at Christ Church, Oxford
In line with the founder’s wishes, the Almshouses are run by voluntary Trustees with an elected Chair, the day-to-day duties carried out by the Clerk.
A small number of Chairs (all male, to date) have held office over the last nearly-190 years with some families giving particular service, latterly, the Hopcrofts, John “Lordy” leaving us in 2024.
