History of Cox and Bedwell Charity

The charity originates from the amalgamation of two former separate charities, being the Charity of Giles Cox and the Charity of Ellen Matilda Bedwell (‘the Bedwell Charity’). The two charities were merged in 2003, as both had similar objectives. The amalgamation was effected by the transfer of the assets of the Bedwell Charity to the Charity of Giles Cox. The current governing document is a Charity Commission document dated 30 August 1957 in the name of the Charity of Giles Cox, at Badgeworth and other places.  However, the trust originates from the will of Giles Cox dated 6 October 1620.  The Bedwell Charity was originally founded by the will of Ellen Matilda Bedwell in 1876.

Giles Cox lived at Abload’s Court, Sandhurst. It appears he left over £1,000 ‘to be employed in pious uses’, which was invested by the executors in various leasehold with the rents and profits to be distributed.. ‘for the relief of poor householders,both men and women,..as should stand in most need thereof and not receive any relief from the rest of the inhabitants of the parish, hamlet or township where they lived, nor be beggars from door to door, nor haunters of alehouses, nor disorderly persons, but of good and honest conversation, and such as should labour for their living and should be dwelling in [one of 23] parishes’ around Gloucester. These were as follows:

Sandhurst, Maisemore, Hartpury, Lassington, Highleadon, Highnam, Lilton-over Hempstead, Elmore, Whaddon. Brookthorpe, Harescombe, Pitchcombe, Upton St Leonard, Barnwood, Great Whitcombe, Churchdown, Badgeworth, Great Shurdington, Up-Hatherley, Down Hatherely and Norton.

It is not clear why Harescombe was one of the 23 chosen parishes. Each parish was allocated a share of the annual rents and Harescombe’s share was 12 shillings. Other parish shares ranged from 55 shillings to 6 shillings. Any excess rents could be allocated to the above parishes on a discretionary basis and any further excess distributed to a further 5 parishes as follows:

Kingsholme, Longford, Twigworth, Wotton, Tuffley an Woolstrupp.

The money for each parish had to be passed to the vicar of each parish for distribution to the poor on the nearest Sunday to the 25 April, being the feast of St Mark.

Over the years there were various amendments to the trust. In 1957 it appears that the original trust was formally split equally between the 28 parishes, so each parish then had its own charity. At this point Harescombe was allocated £256 and 10 shillings and 4 pence and this formed the basis of the Harescombe charity going forward. This amount, together with funds of £14 transferred from the Bedwell charity in 2003, forms the basis of the Harescombe Cox and Bedwell charity of today.