Thus originated the alms-(or bede-) houses so
frequently met with in the retired villages of England. _Bede_ (from
the German _beten_, to "pray") meant prayer, hinting at the pious duty
of those benefiting by the founder's legacy to pray for his eternal
welfare. When the Reformation, among many abuses, also obliterated
many beautiful and poetical customs, the meaning of these "houses of
prayer" was forgotten, and their chapels were often ruthlessly
whitewashed. The material part of the foundation, however, still
remained, and the bedesmen, twelve or thirteen (in commemoration of
the number of the apostles, or the apostles and their Master),
continued to be chosen by the clergyman of the parish and the lord of
the manor. In other places, instead of this more costly mode of
relief, a custom prevailed of distributing a "dole" at stated times
to a large number of poor people, the number corresponding to the age
of the giver: if alive, of course the number increased every year; if
dead, it was fixed at the age at which he or she had died. Many of
these local customs continue to this day: some have even been
instituted lately, since the revived taste for medievalism has
beautified and refined English homesteads and village churches. The
queen, a faithful upholder of ancient national manners, has given the
example by adhering to the time-honored custom called the Royal
Maundy.
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