Group    From 1566 

Bedford Charity

Categories: Education

Created by a gift of land by Sir William Harpur to the corporation of Bedford. A merchant from Bedford he had come to London and done so well that he was Lord Mayor in 1561. The following year he purchased 12 acres of land that had belonged to Charterhouse and in 1566 he and his wife Alice gave the property to the Bedford Corporation to support education in Bedford.

The charity has been renamed the Harpur Trust and still owns properties within the original Harpur estate and still supports education in Bedford.

We learnt all this from the resourceful A London Inheritance where there are maps showing the extent of the estate and photos of 5 other extant Bedford Charity markers. 

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Bedford Charity

Commemorated ati

Mrs. Eliz. Doughty and the Bedford Charity

These plaques mark property boudaries and identify ownership.

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Other Subjects

Rachel McMillan

Rachel McMillan

Health visitor and educator. Born at Throggs Neck, Westchester county, New York. Both her parents were from Scotland, and the family returned there when her father died. She and her sister Margaret...

Person, Education, Social Welfare, USA

1 memorial
Homerton College

Homerton College

Originally created to educate Calvinist ministers, as non-conformists were banned from attending Oxbridge colleges. Its first meetings were held in a public house at the Royal Exchange until 1768 w...

Place, Education

1 memorial
Florence Keen

Florence Keen

Founder of the North Islington Infant Welfare Centre and School for Mothers in Holloway in 1913. At that time, around 10% of children in Islington died before their fifth birthday. She and her coll...

Person, Community / Clubs, Education

3 memorials
Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church School, SW3

Christ Church itself was built in 1839 and quickly established its Sunday School, initially only for boys and in rented premises in Flood Street. Then Lord Cadogan donated the land directly opposit...

Building, Children, Education, Property

4 memorials
Takayuki Hori

Takayuki Hori

Became a student at UCL in 1865.

Person, Education, Japan

1 memorial

Previously viewed

London Arts Board

London Arts Board

One of ten regional arts boards which were eventually absorbed to become Arts Council England.

Group, Art

1 memorial
John Maine

John Maine

Sculptor.  Born Bristol.

Person, Sculpture

1 memorial