History of The National Benevolent Charity

The National Benevolent Charity, founded as the National Benevolent Institution, is one of the oldest charities in Great Britain.

It was founded by Peter Hervé, a miniature portrait painter of French Huguenot descent, whose works were good enough to display at the Royal Academy. Hervé was deeply concerned about the plight of the poor, and particularly for members of the middle classes who had fallen into poverty because of old age, or illness or because of economic turmoil. There was no welfare state in Regency England, and it was the shadow of the workhouse that loomed over those who fell into destitution.

Although a Londoner, in 1808 Hervé was living in Bristol, and it was in the west of England that he founded the National Benevolent Institution with committees in Bath, Cheltenham and Gloucester, as well as in Bristol itself. In 1812, a committee was founded in London, and it was this committee that evolved into today's charity. Although Hervé was not a great orator, his compassion and earnestness for the cause gave him great power over the audiences who attended his public meetings, and the NBI grew from strength to strength. In his own words,

Are they...to be unrewarded and forgotten in their old age; to be cast off, as withered and useless branches, and to be suffered to go down in sorrow to the grave ? Forbid it ! Justice ! Forbid it, Mercy ! Surely......public gratitude should follow them...in their hour of utmost need...

Peter Hervé devoted the rest of his life to his charity, to the detriment of his health and his financial well-being. He died in 1827, at the age of just 48.

From the earliest times, the NBI received Royal support, beginning with Princess Charlotte, the daughter of the Prince Regent, and the first Patron was The Duke of Kent, the father of Queen Victoria. Eminent trustees and supporters in the early years included the founder of immunology, Edward Jenner; the victor at Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington; the banker, Sir Thomas Baring; and the scions of great political dynasties such as the Marquess of Lansdowne and the Duke of Devonshire.

The National Benevolent Charity operated within a strict set of rules that set out the governance of the charity, the rights of contributing members and who was eligible for financial support. A Royal Charter was granted in 1859. Two or three times a year the members of the institution, of whom there were several hundred, would meet and vote to decide who would be given an NBI pension, or an NBI grant. Applicants for financial support had to provide full details of their financial means and their application had to be supported by references and letters of recommendation.

The annual reports of the charity going back to the beginning are replete with the stories of people who had fallen on hard times and who were rescued from grinding poverty and even pauperism by the work of The National Benevolent Charity.

With the development of the welfare state, particularly after 1945, abject poverty and destitution have become social history. But that does not mean that poverty has been overcome. On the contrary, many retired or elderly people, particularly if they have been overcome by illness or disability still live in relative poverty and find making ends meet extremely difficult. Indeed, the work of The National Benevolent Charity by relieving poverty has continued seamlessly for nearly 200 years. The work of The National Benevolent Charity is as important today as it has ever been. Some more recent stories of people  The National Benevolent Charity has been able to help can be found in case studies.

In 1950, NBI added the provision of housing accommodation to its charitable activities.

Miss Frances Knowles Foster, an authoress, purchased a group of cottages in Straight Road, Old Windsor in 1926 with a plan to convert them into almshouse apartments for ladies over the age of 50 who were in financial need. The buildings had originally housed the French weavers who worked at the Royal Windsor Tapestry Manufactory and they were soon re-named the Tapestries.

When the trustees of Francis Knowles Foster's estate dwindled in number the Charity Commission asked NBI if it would take over the running of the Tapestries, and later still the Tapestries became an integral part of The National Benevolent Charity. The charity later added to its accommodation property in Westgate-on-Sea in Kent, and in Tetbury in Gloucestershire.

Today, The National Benevolent Charity provides 41 units of accommodation for the retired and elderly living independently, with emphasis on a peaceful environment, support and security.