Hungerford Virtual Museum

Website produced and maintained for the Hungerford Historical Association
by Hugh Pihlens

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You are in [Schools] [Apprenticeships & Educational Charities]

Many educational charities were established in the 17th and 18th centuries to support the education of children. Follow this link to see the Apprenticeship and Educational Charities in place in 1847. They include the following:

West's Gifts, 1723 - In 1723, John and Frances West endowed places at Christ's Hospital for children of the town of Hungerford. When Donald Williams gave a talk to the Hungerford Historical Association on "West's Gifts" in April 2004, he kindly presented a replica of the medallion that was worn on their bluecoat uniforms by pupils who gain admission to Christ's Hospital through Wests' Gifts.

Sir Vincent Smith's Charity, 1626 - £2 annually for apprenticing 2 boys.

Field's Gift, 1626 - £1 annually for apprenticing one boy.

Sir Edward Hungerford, 1692 - an annuity of £10 for apprenticing 2 boys or girls.

Ezekiel Lawrence (Lawrence's Bequest), 1698 - a rent charge payable from a copyhold estate at Medstead, Hampshire, producing a net rental of £4. 4s. for apprenticing one poor boy.




		Replica medallion worn by pupils who gain admission to Christ's Hospital through West's Gifts. (Kindly presented to the HHA by Donald Williams, Apr 2004)

Mrs Elizabeth Cummin's Charity, 1735 - In 1735 Mrs. Cummins gave £400 to the town, the interest on which was to be used for the education of an equal number of boys and girls. The boys were to be taught Latin and the girls reading, working (sic) and writing.

In 1743 the dividends arising from the sum of £699. 14s. 6d., 3% annuities (former Old South Sea Annuities), net amount after deducting expenses of receiving £17. 19s. 6d. Two thirds of the amounts for educating an equal number of boys and girls, and the remaining third for bread and clothes.

John Hamblen's Charity. In 1762 John Hamblen granted the rent of 8 acres of meadow ground called Chantry Mead, to be used for charitable purposes, "out of which issues the trust must annually pay £4 per annum for ever, free from taxes, to the Master of the Free School of Hungerford as a salary for his teaching in the same school 4 poor boys of the parish not only to read and write and cast accounts, but also for his instructing and educating them in the knowledge and practice of the Christian religion as professed and taught in the Church of England, which said poor boys were to be elected and chosen by the Vicar and Churchwardens, Constable and Portreeve; and to apply the surplus or remainder of the rents and profits in providing each and every of the said poor boys elected a new grey cloth coat trimmed with black, the sleeves faced with black and a hat and two neckcloths on Easter Monday yearly for ever."

In 1769 John Hamblen gave a further £100 for charitable uses "to be laid out by the Vicar, Churchwardens, Constable and Portreeve of Hungerford for purchase of a fee simple estate of land, the vicar [etc.] and successors to receive the profits of the estate" for various charitable purposes in aid of the poor. This gift was not specifically for educational purposes.

The 1891 Kelly Directory mentions the Free School under the Charities (qv), including "4 for the Master to teach 4 boys, etc."

On 6th July 1917, an arrangement was made by which the proceeds of the Cummins, Field, Hamblen, Hobbs, Lawrence, Raymond and Sir Vincent Smith Charities were to be administered by 3 ex-officio and 2 representative, for apprenticing, nursing and hospital benefits.

In 1980, all the charities were brought together under the Hungerford and Camburn Educational Charity, which is able to give specific funds to young people in relationship to their educational needs.

Updated: 19.6.2012