Royal Almonry

The Royal Almonry is a small office within the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, headed by the Lord High Almoner, an office dating from 1103. The almoner is responsible for distributing alms to the poor.
The Lord High Almoner is usually a diocesan bishop or high cleric of the Church of England. There is also an hereditary Grand Almoner, an office dating from 1685 and vested in the person of the Marquess of Exeter, but this is not an office of the Royal Almonry and he has no role to play. The actual work of the office is undertaken by the Sub-Almoner, who is also the Deputy Clerk of the Closet of the Ecclesiastical Household, Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal, and Domestic Chaplain at Buckingham Palace.
There are in addition a Secretary, and Assistant Secretary, both offices of which are shared with other Royal Household appointments. There are also half a dozen wandsmen.

Duties

In the 13th century, the Lord High Almoner was responsible for giving alms from the royal household to the poor. Today, the Almonry is responsible for the arrangements for the Royal Maundy service, which is held annually every Maundy Thursday. The royal service was traditionally given at Westminster Abbey until the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, when the service rotated among various British cathedrals. The service includes various elements, including the Yeomen of the Guard and six wandsmen who act as ushers. At the service, the sovereign traditionally gives purses of coins to a man and a woman for every year of the sovereign's age. If the sovereign is infirm, then he or she may be represented by a different member of the royal family; for example, in 2022, Charles, Prince of Wales represented the 95-year-old Elizabeth at the service.
Until 1737, the Lord High Almoner personally washed the feet of Maundy recipients.

Lord High Almoners

;Henry III

John Leukenor, Knight Templar
1233: Brother John and Brother Geoffrey
1255–unknown: Simon of Offam
1256–unknown: John of Colchester
1257: John the Chaplain

;Edward I

Friar Ralph
c.1280–1307: Master Henry of Blunsdon

;Edward II

c.1323: Adam de Brome

;Edward III

c.1340: Philip Weston
Thomas Hatfield

;Richard II

1383: William Walsham

;Henry IV

1399: Robert Eslakby
? –1413 Earl of Cambridge

;Henry V

1413–unknown: James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley

; Henry VI

142n–unknown: John Snell
?–1432: John De la Bere
1432–1438: Robert Felton
1438–unknown: Henry Sever, Chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral

;Edward IV

1461–?1466: Thomas Wilford
?1466–1468: Thomas Bonyfaunt
1468–1476: John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells and, until 1478, Archdeacon of Essex
1471: Alexander Legh
1476–1483: Thomas Danet
1483: Walter Felde

;Richard III

1483-1485 John Taillour

;Henry VII

1485–1495: Christopher Urswick
1495-1497: Richard FitzJames
1497–unknown: Richard Mayew, Bishop of Hereford
unknown: Christopher Bainbridge
28 January 1507 - 1509: John Ednam
unknown–1509: Thomas Hobbes, Dean of Exeter.

;Henry VIII ; Edward VI ; Mary I

1509–1514: Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York
1514–unknown: Richard Rawlins, Archdeacon of Huntingdon
1521–unknown: John Longland, Bishop of Lincoln
1523–unknown: Edward Lee
1530–unknown: John Stokesley, Bishop of London
c.1532–1537: Edward Foxe, Bishop of Hereford, 1535
1537–>1555: Nicholas Heath, Bishop of Rochester

;Elizabeth I

1559–1561: William Bill, Master of Trinity
1561–1572: Edmund Guest, Bishop of Rochester.
1576–unknown: John Piers, Bishop of Salisbury, later Archbishop of York.