1. Plural of beadhouse; charitable institutions or almshouses, typically founded in medieval or early modern England, where poor residents (often elderly women) were housed and supported in exchange for prayer on behalf of the founder.
Usage: archaic; historical; chiefly British

Examples

• The wealthy merchant endowed several beadhouses in the parish to care for the destitute.
• Medieval beadhouses provided shelter and sustenance to those who could not support themselves.
• The residents of the beadhouses were expected to pray daily for the souls of their benefactors.
• Many beadhouses were dissolved during the Reformation in England.
• The beadhouses served as an early form of social welfare in pre-industrial communities.