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. 

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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Takayuki Hori

Takayuki Hori

Became a student at UCL in 1865.

Person, Education, Japan

1 memorial
Elizabeth Jesser Reid

Elizabeth Jesser Reid

Founder of Bedford College, anti-slavery activist and philanthropist.

Person, Education, Gender Issues, Philanthropy, Race Issues

1 memorial
Stanley Trade School

Stanley Trade School

Founded by W. F. R. Stanley as the Stanley Technical Trade School. It was taken control of by Philip Harris, and Croydon Council and the local community of South Norwood agreed that it should be ca...

Place, Education

1 memorial
William Ward (benefactor)

William Ward (benefactor)

Merchant in the City of London. Founded City of London School for Girls. In his will, dated 3 June 1881, left £20,000 to the City of London towards a girls' high school, the residue 'to be applied...

Person, Education

1 memorial
St George the Martyr School

St George the Martyr School

This school was housed in two nearby purpose-built buildings, both now listed, and both now thought to be private residential. The street was just ‘Gloucester Street’ until 1873. 24, Old Glouceste...

Building, Education

2 memorials