Also 4 almoyn, 6 almoyne, -on(e, 7 allmone. [In the form almon(e, a. OFr. almône, almosne (mod.Fr. aumône): see ALMS. Almoign (-oin, -oyne) is late AFr., perh. due to confusion with alimonium, the senses of the two words partially overlapping. But *alimosina could of itself give almoine, as in præpositum, preboide; cf. OFr. almoisnier, almosgner, almogner, variants of almosnier, aumoner, to give in alms; also Pr. almoynier, beside almonier, almoner.]
† 1. Alms; alms-chest; the church chest or treasury, ecclesiastical possession. (A common med.L. sense of eleēmosyna.) Obs.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 239. For freres of þe croice, and monk and chanoun, Haf drawen in o voice his feez to þer almoyn.
2. Tenure by divine service, or by the performance of some religious duty. Frank almoin or free alms (L. libera eleēmosyna): the ‘tenure of lands, etc. bestowed upon God, that is, given to such people as bestow themselves in the service of God, for pure and perpetual alms; whence the feoffors or givers cannot demand any terrestrial service, so long as the lands remain in the hands of the feoffee.’ Cowel. Perpetual tenure by free gift of charity.
1513. Bradshaw, St. Werburge (1848), 200. Many helde their landes … by tenur’ franke almoigne.
1523. Fitzherbert, Surveying, ix. 16. Franke almoyne, homage auncetrell.
1596. Barlow, Three Sermons, iii. 116. They hold what ever they have in Frankalmoin from God.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 33. Allmone or Tenure in aumone, is tenure by divine service.
1672. Manley, Interpr., s.v., It cannot be Frank-almoine if any certain service be expressed.
1726. Ayliffe, Parergon, 11 (note). Frank-Almoigne is the same which we in Latin call Libera Eleemosyna or Free Alms in English: whence that Tenure is commonly known by the name of a Tenure in Aumone or Frank-Almoigne.
1844. Williams, Real Property Law (ed. 12), 39. The grantees in frankalmoign … were for ever free from every kind of earthly or temporal service.
β. Scotch form: Fre almons.
c. 1550. Sir J. Balfour, Pract., 28 (Jam.). Gif the defender hald the land in name of fre almons. Ibid., 241. Landis gevin to thame in name of fre almonis.
