Owfield Almhouses of Ashbourne, Derbyshire

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom
Surnames/tags: Owfield Moore

Owfield’s Almshouses

In 1608 Roger Owfield a London fish-monger of Ashbourne origin, left money towards the building of eight almshouses on Church Street in his will. Twenty years later Thomas Owfield gave a sum of money to complete them and to purchase land for their endowment (Lysons & Lysons 1817) Uncertain at this stage how this Thomas Owfield was connected. He was most likely a descendant of either Samuel or Joseph.

According to Roger Owfield's will his goods were to be divided into three parts "according to the laudable custom of the city of London", one third part to Thomasine, his wife, one third to his children, and the last third to be left as he willed. Of this third, he left to Thomasine his wife, 1,000 marks to son Samuel Oldfield 1,000 L, to son Joseph Oldfield 1,000 L, to daughter Elizabeth Oldfield, 500 L to increase "her portion and better preferment if the said marriage do not take part between her and Hewit Stapers." To mother-in-law, Jane Moore 50 shillings for a ring; to everyone of my wife's sisters and to every one of their husbands 40 shillings apiece to make them rings, to brother-in-law Robert Washbourne 5 L, to Richard Oldfield (one of the sons of Roger's brother William deceased 40 L, to the five children of sister Dorothy Washbourne, deceased, to Elizabeth Temple, daughter of brother William Oldfield 30 B, to certain preachers and others, to poor students at Cambridge and Oxford and to poor ministers, to poor householders in London that do fear God to the poor of Ashborne and the erecting of an Almshouse there, to the company of Fishmongers in London; to the relief of poor children harbored in Christ's Hospital, of poor impotent people in St Bartholomew's Hospital and the poor of St Thomas Hospital, Southwark; to children Samuel, Joseph Elizabeth, Mary, Martha, Abigail, Thomasine, the residue. He remitted and forgave his brother John Owfield of Ashborne in County Darby all debts and sums of money John owed him. His wife, Thomasine, sons Samuel and Joseph were sole executors. In a codicil of the same date he bequeathed his message and Inn called the Spread Eagle in Gracines St and also Grace Church St London, to his son, Joseph Oldfield.

Sources

Genealogical Gleanings.

http://www.derbyshireheritage.co.uk/