The Trust

The Charity of Dr Daniel Williams commonly known as Dr Williams's Trust

When the Rev. Daniel Williams, D.D., died at his house in Hoxton on 26 January 1716 he was described as:

'a Person of very great Natural and Aquired Parts and highly valued for his Usefulness to the Publick, as an Eminent Minister, an Excellent Christian, and a Good Patriot' (Flying Post).

The Trust was established by Williams in his will dated 26th June 1711. After a number of personal bequests and charitable provisions, he granted the residue of his estate to 23 Trustees for a period of 2000 years with certain educational and charitable objectives and a great many Individuals have benefited from its provisions over the past three-hundred years. The trust is now governed by a Charity Commission Scheme with the Trustees incorporated as a body.

Objectives:

The purpose of the Trust is to assist in the provision of an educated Protestant Dissenting Ministry in the United Kingdom and to maintain and give support to Dr. Williams's Library. The Trustees look to develop the Library in ways which will enable it to make a significant contribution to the understanding of Protestant dissent. The Trustees also seek to improve the care of the collections and in recent years have directed resources towards the creation of new environmentally controlled storage areas in which to house the manuscripts and rare books.

Trustees:

Membership of the Trust consists of a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 Trustees. The election of Trustees is governed by the Charity Commission Scheme.

Charity number: 214926

A Short Account of the Charity & Library Established Under the Will of the Late Rev. Daniel Williams, D.D. (Dr Williams's Trust, 1916)