This is a portrait of Maud Teasdale (1545-1616) from Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon dated 1612. As widow to Thomas Tesdale, an extremely wealthy maltster who died in 1610, Maud continued his record of charitable investments. In his will Thomas gave £5000 for the education of Abingdon scholars at Oxford, along with a gift to fund an Usher at Abingdon School. Maud gave various gifts to the poor of Abingdon and invested in several local churches. In her will she gave a substantial sum (£4 6s 8d) to have a picture placed near to where the bread (as doles to the poor) would be set along with a depiction of 28 poor alms men and women kneeling and receiving 28 loaves, ‘giving God praise for their founder’.<br /> <br /> It is not known whether such a picture was ever created; if it was, it may have resembled this portrait bequeathed at her death to the foundation supported by her husband. Another instruction in her will for a monument to the memory of Thomas was erected following her death. While the monument’s inscription states that it was erected ‘by her own command & charge upon her deathbed to propagate his memory rather than her own’ it lists in detail Maud’s own ‘charitable devotion towards ye poor’ in four local parishes. Many wealthy parishioners provided investments for bread to be dispensed to the poor every Sunday ‘for ever’. Such donations show the importance of food as alms for the poor in this period. Many churches would have had bread tables or shelves, demonstrating the practical means through which parish churches distributed food to the poor.
Portrait of Maud Tesdale (Oil on panel), 1612

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Portrait of Maud Tesdale

Portrait of Maud Tesdale (Oil on panel), 1612

This is a portrait of Maud Teasdale (1545-1616) from Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon dated 1612. As widow to Thomas Tesdale, an extremely wealthy maltster who died in 1610, Maud continued his record of charitable investments. In his will Thomas gave £5000 for the education of Abingdon scholars at Oxford, along with a gift to fund an Usher at Abingdon School. Maud gave various gifts to the poor of Abingdon and invested in several local churches. In her will she gave a substantial sum (£4 6s 8d) to have a picture placed near to where the bread (as doles to the poor) would be set along with a depiction of 28 poor alms men and women kneeling and receiving 28 loaves, ‘giving God praise for their founder’.

It is not known whether such a picture was ever created; if it was, it may have resembled this portrait bequeathed at her death to the foundation supported by her husband. Another instruction in her will for a monument to the memory of Thomas was erected following her death. While the monument’s inscription states that it was erected ‘by her own command & charge upon her deathbed to propagate his memory rather than her own’ it lists in detail Maud’s own ‘charitable devotion towards ye poor’ in four local parishes. Many wealthy parishioners provided investments for bread to be dispensed to the poor every Sunday ‘for ever’. Such donations show the importance of food as alms for the poor in this period. Many churches would have had bread tables or shelves, demonstrating the practical means through which parish churches distributed food to the poor.

Object Type Oil on panel
Year 1612
Material Oil paint
Discovered Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon
Keywords portrait; giving; displaying; charity; church; parish; memory; memorial; food/drink; poor; alms; dole; bread.
Image Credit Maud Tesdale (1545-1616), 1612, © Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon via ArtUK.

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