Minutes, financial and administrative papers, deeds and other records relating to...

Contents

The records have been grouped as follows:

D/EDs/1 Minutes of Trustees

D/EDs/2 Minutes of School Managers

D/EDs/3 Financial Records

D/EDs/4 Charity Schemes

D/EDs/5 Trustees' appointments

D/EDs/6 Deeds and related items

D/EDs/7 Farm Property

D/EDs/8 The School

D/EDs/9 School Buildings

D/EDs/10 General Correspondence

D/EDs/11 Miscellaneous

<span class="wrapper"><p>For a full account of the history of the charity and of the school see J Edwards and P E Rooke The Robert Dewhurst School (1958).</p> <p>A few items relating to the Dewhurst Charity may be found amongst the records deposited in 1947 and 1959 by Messrs Crawter and Latta (D/ECr 1/30; 1/31; 125/1): R I Latta of the firm was Clerk to the Robert Dewhurst Trustees.</p></span>

• <corpname>Dewhurst Charity, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire</corpname>
• <persname>Dewhurst, Robert, fl 1640-1642</persname>

Deposited i. (acc 2050) by the Clerk and Receiver to the Robert Dewhurst School Foundation, 1984, ii. (off acc 604) by the Librarian, Cheshunt Branch Library, 1985, and iii. (acc 2874 by the Clerk and Receiver to the Robert Dewhurst School Foundation, 1994.

Provenance

Most of the records listed below were deposited on behalf of the Robert Dewhurst School trustees. The following items were deposited as part of official accession 604 which consisted of records held in Cheshunt Branch Library: D/EDs 3/13, 18; 4/4; 5/2; 6/1, 4-15; 7/1, 11-14; 9/1, 2, 7-9, 11-14, 16; 10/5,9; 11/7, 11, 12.

Introduction

Robert Dewhurst built his school in Churchgate, Cheshunt in 1640 and in 1642 endowed it with lands in Clavering, Arkesden, Langley and Elmdon in Essex (Fitzwilliam Farm). The trustees later purchased the adjoining Butts Green or Clavering Farm in Clavering and Langley. As well as providing education and apprenticeships for poor children in Cheshunt, the foundation deed also endowed almshouses: in 1905 this part of the charity was removed from the administration of the school trustees and incorporated into the Beaument Charity, created in 1859 to amalgamate a number of charities benefitting the poor. Fitzwilliam Farm was sold by the trustees in 1917 and Butts Green Farm in 1958.

In 1903 the Hertfordshire County Council assumed control of the school (except for the buildings). In 1950 the school's status was changed to voluntary aided and in 1951 its name was changed from the Dewhurst Endowed School to the Robert Dewhurst School. in 1958 the school was combined with the St Mary's School for girls and two mixed schools, Dewhurst St Mary Secondary and Dewhurst St Mary JMI, were formed.