Thomas William Cramp, Almoner: The Forgotten Man in a Female Occupation

Correspondence to Andrew Sackville, Social Sciences Department, Edge Hill College of Higher Education, St Helens Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 4QP. Summary This paper uses archive sources to reconstruct the activitiesof a pioneer almoner who had the unique distinction of beingthe only man in what at that time was a female occupation. Againstthe background of an account of the development of almoningas an occupation, it examines both the hospital work and theinvolvement in his professional association of Mr Thomas WilliamCramp, the Almoner at the Metropolitan Hospital, London, from1902 to 1923. The paper also questions why Mr Cramp has beenwritten out of the great majority of historical accounts ofalmoning/medical social work.