, called lady Anne Dacre's alms houses, founded in the year , the d of Elizabeth.

This hospital stands near James'-street, about a quarter of a mile from , on the right. It owes its foundation to the benevolent design of Gregory, lord Dacre, who intended to have given in money towards building it, and a year, in lands, for ever towards the relief of aged people, and bringing up children in habits of virtue and the knowledge of useful arts. His lordship dying before he accomplished his benevolent purpose, the plan was taken up by his lady, Anne, baroness Dacre, and carried into effect. By her will, dated the , she devised, that out of the revenues of her estates, her executor should, in case she did not live to accomplish it herself, build a neat and convenient house, with rooms. for poor grown persons, and poor children, employing for that purpose the sum of , and to apply for an act of incorporation, and then to assure the manor of Brainsburton, in Yorkshire, and all her other estates in that county, with some exceptions, to that corporation for ever, and to grant leases thereof for years, or less, at their discretion, at the yearly rent of , and she gave the reversion to the corporation for ever, and also to complete the purchase of acres of land, in , in the county of Middlesex, for which she was then in treaty with Edward More, esq. and whereon the hospital should be built, and then it should be called

Emanuel Hospital

in

Westminster

,

Soon after her decease the executors proceeded to effect her lord's, and her own intention, completed the purchase, and erected the hospital, and a charter of incorporation, dated the , d of Elizabeth, was obtained at the suit of Thomas, lord Buckhurste, lord high treasurer of England, brother and heir of lady Dacre, and at the suit also of her executors, that the house should remain an alms-house and hospital of poor, and be called

Emanuel Hospital

, in or near

Westminster

;

After the decease of the executors, agreeably to the act of incorporation, the lord mayor and aldermen of London, should be for ever called governors of the hospital, and of the lands, and

On the , sir Edward More, knight, conveyed to the corporation, then legally called

the poor of

Emanuel Hospital

,

Upon the decease of the last surviving executor, which took place in , the court of aldermen succeeded as governors. But it appears, from the records of that court, that the inhabitants or parishioners of , of Hayes, and of St. Margaret, had the privilege of presenting, upon every vacancy, candidates for the choice of the court; and by the language of the entries in their repertory, it seems that certain rooms were appropriated to those parishes, which was acceded to upon their repairing the houses.

The hospital continued in this state till the year , when the court having appointed a committee to inspect its state, it did not appear, that any provision had been made for poor children, as directed by the will, the revenue having become inadequate to that charge; that the hospital had been rebuilt when this was intended, and a part of the ground left for a chapel and rooms. The allowance paid to the pensioners out of the chamber of London was then only The lease of the manor expired, and a new lease was granted, at a clear rent of to Samuel Hassell, of Thorpe, esq. upon the lives of of his sons, and grandson ; and at that time the revenue had accumulated to the court, therefore, ordered the building to be completed, and provision to be made for poor children.

The rental of the manor of Brainsburton, and the ands given to this foundation, have from time to time been increased so much beyond the founder's expectation, as to yield an income exceeding the plan and intention of distributing it to such a limited number of the class of people who were the objects of her benevolence.

The number of adults, by the original code of rules and statutes, was limited to men and women; and the children to boys and girls; and when the revenues of the charity had augmented so as to admit an extension of the plan, the governors had no power, without the express permission of parliament, so to apply the extra funds. Desirous, however, of applying the income of their trust to the intended purpose, they preferred a bill to

A statute was accordingly granted, empowering the governors to increase the number of objects, in proportion to the state of the funds.

By virtue of this act, the court admitted men and women as out-pensioners, with such allowances as the governors should think fit; and the parish of St. John, , was added to those out of whom they were all to he chosen. Out of every from and , from , and from Hayes. The age and qualifications are the same, except that they were not to be possessed of goods exceeding nor of any annuity exceeding being respectively double the amount of the sums mentioned by the original charter.

It was also ordered, that the vacancies of in-pensioners should be filled up by out-pensioners; so that every to be elected, must be an out-pensioner, in the instance. The number of children also was increased: poor boys being clothed and educated at the hospital's expence, at such place and manner as the court may direct; their ages, at the time of election, to be from to , and to be taken out of the same parishes, and in the same proportion as the men and women.

By the same act, the number of girls was also increased from to .

Passing over numerous judicious regulations, plans of economy, and means of augmenting the funds and the benefits of this foundation, it is sufficient to add, that the whole charity now consists of a master and a mistress, and in-pensioners, viz. men, of whom is the warden; and women, of whom is the matron; men and women as out-pensioners; also boys and girls, who are in-pensioners, and have a school-room, who are all apprenticed to trades, with a premium of , half of which is paid at the time of their binding, and the remainder when they have served half their apprenticeship.

[] The original of this deed is deposited in the Rolls Chapel.

[] See, particularly, the entries in July 16, 1667; December 8, 1686; and March 22, 1688.