The Endowed Charities of Kensington: By Whom Bequeathed, and How Administered

by Edward Morton Daniel

The first is the Charity known as Leech and Aisley’s Trusts.

Margaret Leech, a lady residing in Kensington Square, by her will dated in the year 1799, gave £1000 6 per cent. bank annuities to five trustees, of whom the then Vicar was one, in trust to apply the interest thereof “in the maintenance, clothing, and instruction of so many female children as it would be sufficient to so provide for; such children being parishioners of Kensington whose fathers and mothers, and grandfathers and grandmothers should have been seven years successively housekeepers, or employed as servants in the parish, and have been three years in the same service.” The children to be appointed by the trustees, and not to be less than seven years of age when admitted, nor to be continued after attaining fifteen years. The interest always to remain a separate stock, and not to be applied to any other purpose, and the charity always to remain a distinct foundation, but the children might be placed in any other charitable institution, but so as always to be distinguished as children of this foundation.

This charity, as you have perceived, is for the benefit of girls.

Stephen Aisley, by his will dated 1805, gave so much money arising from the realisation on his personal estate as would, when invested in accordance with the directions in the will, produce an annual income of £30 a year, to five trustees, of whom the Vicar was one, “in trust for the apprenticing of boys from the Charity School of Kensington, of the boarding establishment only, to be selected by the trustees of his will. The £30 a year to be considered a separate fund, and not to be applied to any other purpose.”

You will notice the resemblance of these two bequests. It would seem as though the respective testators had been acquaintances, and had talked the matter over between themselves; and that Mrs. Leech had resolved to benefit some of the poor girls of the parish, while Mr. Aisley, on the other hand, determined in a similar manner to benefit some poor boys. You will also notice how strongly both testators insisted that these funds should for ever remain separate foundations, and should never be mixed with any other. If their intention was to keep up the memory of their names it has succeeded, for the Leech and Aisley Charity, established so long ago, remains to this day under the same name, and the funds are still applied as the testators directed.

These bequests were the subject of an order of the Charity Commissioners of the 13th July, 1880, by which the funds of both were vested in the Official Trustees of Charitable Funds, and which regulates their present application. It appears from this order that the property of Leech’s Charity then consisted of £1,477 19s. 10d. new 3 per cents. and that of Aisley’s Charity of £1,352 12s. 11d. consols.

The order provided that both charities were in future to be administered by seven trustees—three official, namely, the Vicar and Churchwardens of Kensington for the time being; and four more non-official, who were to be appointed from competent persons resident in Kensington, whose credentials should be satisfactory to the Charity Commissioners.

The order directs that the dividends arising from the £1,477 19s. 10d. new three per cents, representing Margaret Leech’s bequest, shall be applied in the “maintenance, clothing, and support of girls, daughters of deserving persons resident in Kensington, who are inmates of the Girls’ Industrial School established in the parish, and in providing such girls with suitable outfits upon their leaving school and entering domestic service, or otherwise for their benefit or advancement in life; provided that in case the trustees shall at any time consider that a girl not in the said school, but being the child of a poor inhabitant of the parish, is a more suitable object for the charity, such girl may be selected.” You will notice with what tenderness the directions of Mrs. Leech are treated and how closely they are followed in the order.

The Industrial School for Girls mentioned in the order does not come within the scope of my paper, since, as far as I am able to learn, it has never become an endowed charity. It is an excellent institution, established in 1858, with the object of providing education and a home for girls, who “either from evil example, extreme poverty, or the death of their parents, are exposed to temptation,” and supported entirely by voluntary contributions. The institution was formerly carried on at 2, Bullingham Place, Church Street, and is now merged into the Kensington Training School for Girls, at 3, Church Street.

It still subsists almost entirely on voluntary contribution, its only settled income amounting to £13 9s. 1d. a-year, and is an institution which deserves support. I trust that some charitable person may hear of or see this paper, and thus be induced to place the Kensington Training School for Girls among the endowed charities of Kensington by bestowing, preferably in his lifetime, but at all events by will, a handsome endowment upon it.