The VCH and disreputable behaviour in Drake’s Almshouses
I attended a talk on the Victoria County History (VCH) recently, and was reminded of what a great source they are of local historical information. I realised I’d somehow neglected to look at the entry for Amersham, so took a look as soon as I got home.
The VCH entry for Amersham dates from 1925, so only shortly after that last census entry we’re able to view for the town. VCH descriptions generally begin with a general description of the area and terrain, before moving on to more specific descriptions of the town as a whole, then detailing specific buildings and monuments of note. The description of the town notes that it “abounds in old houses and other memorials of the past” and that it “retains to the present day much of its old-world character”.
It goes on to give great detail of many of the houses and buildings including the Market Hall, Almshouses, all of the inns and several of the houses. It even details the occupiers at the time of some of those houses, which is extremely useful as a reference for checking against the census data from 4 years earlier.
There’s a tale in there of an incident at the Almshouses where the residents were turfed out unceremoniously to make way for people including a drunkard and a ‘dissolute and scolding woman’. The purpose of this was apparently so that the homes of these reprobates could then house members of the Drake household’s staff, who would then be eligible to vote for them in upcoming elections. Such was the way democracy worked in the 17th century.
The VCH entry is a brilliantly detailed account which gives a real flavour of the town a century ago, in the inter-war period, and back through its history. If you’ve not taken a look at the VCH for your area, I’d strongly advise taking a look, you may uncover a few gems.
