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

Rose Mary Crawshay

Rose Mary Crawshay

Philanthropist, feminist, educationist. Born Rose Mary Yeates in Horton, Buckinghamshire, to William Willson Yeates and his first wife Mary. When she was seven three of her baby sisters died in qui...

Person, Education, Gender Issues, Philanthropy

1 memorial
Robert Bell

Robert Bell

Elizabethan seafarer. With Peter Hill he co-founded the St Mary Rotherhithe Free School, to educate the sons of local seafarers. In the nearby church of St Mary the Virgin there is a brass plate co...

Person, Education, Philanthropy, Transport

1 memorial
Regent Street Polytechnic

Regent Street Polytechnic

Initially known as the Young Men's Christian Institute this was founded by Quentin Hogg out of the ruins of the Royal Polytechnic Institution.

Group, Education

3 memorials
Edward Alleyn

Edward Alleyn

Renowned Shakespearean actor and philanthropist. Also known as Ned Allen. Born London near Bishopsgate and baptised at St Botolphs in 1566. Theatre manager and actor. Owned the Manor of Dulwich an...

Person, Education, Theatre

5 memorials
Sir Henry Cole

Sir Henry Cole

Born Bath. Secretary of the Department of Science and Art. He originated the custom of sending Christmas cards. In 1840, having worked on the introduction of the first postage stamp, he had a card ...

Person, Education, Politics & Administration

5 memorials