By the Rev. Thomas Miles. 



207 



house have had an allowance of 4s. 6d. a week, fuel, and a gown 

 or cloak each once a year ; to which has been added by the new 

 trust, a hat and two pairs of stockings each for the men, and a 

 beaver bonnet and two pairs of stockings each for the women, to 

 be given once a year. There is no surplus income to expend in 

 apprenticing boys. The almshouse contains eight dwellings of 

 two rooms each ; six of the dwellings are built round three sides 

 of the court, which is enclosed on the fourth side by a wall, in the 

 centre of which is the entrance gate. To this the original building, 

 the two dwellings ordered to be erected in 1714, form wings. 

 Behind is a large orchard, of which a portion is attached to each 

 dwelling. An old avenue of elm trees formerly divided the orchard 

 into two parts ; the trees were cut down when the buildings were 

 repaired in 1833. The front of the almshouse is a picturesque 

 specimen of the old English style, and presents the gable ends of 

 the two sides of the court united by a coped wall, in the centre of 

 which is an ornamented arched gateway. In the pediment over 

 the arch are the arms of Topp, quartering, semee of fleur de lis, a 

 lion rampant; below the shield is the motto " Fortior est qui se ; " 

 probably the vulgate version of Proverbs, 16, 32. Round the coat 

 of arms in a circle, is this inscription : — " Dispersit, dedit pauperi- 

 bus ; Justicia ejus manet in seculum. — Psalm xii., v. 9." Over 

 the doorway leading from the court to the orchard, is an ornamented 

 shield of stone, on which are painted the arms of Topp ; impaling 

 azure, a chevron between 3 pheons or. These are probably the 

 arms of the person who endowed the steward's office. In the year 

 1833, the almshouse was repaired, and suffered some improvements 

 which materially injured the picturesque effect of the building. 

 The comfort of the old people was much increased by these im- 

 provements, and especially by the fire-grates and the allowance of 

 coals instead of faggot-wood, which had hitherto been supplied 

 for fuel. But this change has done away with the wood feast, an 

 ancient festival at the almshouse. Formerly when all the wood 

 was brought home, a day was fixed by the steward for dividing it 

 among the inmates, who on that day kept open house, and enter- 

 tained their friends who came to assist in the division and pile the 



