On an earlier
occasion witnessed by the writer a procession consisting of a
detachment of the yeomen of the guard, under the command of a
sergeant-major (one of the yeomen carrying the royal alms on a gold
salver of the reign of William and Mary), several chaplains, almoners,
secretaries and a few national schoolchildren (allowed to take part in
the ceremony as a signal reward for good behavior), left the Royal
Almonry Office for the chapel of Whitehall. It was met at the door by
the lord high almoner and the subdeans of the Chapel Royal, who joined
the ranks and passed up to the altar. The surpliced boys of the Chapel
Royal, and the clergy and gentlemen belonging officially to it, took
their appointed places right and left, and the gold salver was
deposited in front of the royal pew, generally tenanted by one or more
members of the royal family. Evening prayer, slightly varied and
adapted for the occasion, as custom has decreed for several centuries,
was then gone through; the forty-first Psalm was chanted; and after
the First Lesson an anthem by Goss was sung. Then followed the
distribution of L1 15s. to each woman, and a pair of shoes and
stockings to each man. The two next anthems were by Mendelssohn, and
in the intervals woolen and linen clothes were first distributed to
each man, and money-purses to each man and woman.
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