| AdminHistory | The French Protestant Hospital was established in 1718, though its origins date to the late seventeenth century, in the need to provide for the sick and infirm amongst the community of Huguenots arriving in London, in large numbers, in the years immediately before and after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. In October 1681, the Common Council of the City of London agreed to offer for this purpose a house near Bunhill Fields, formerly used as an isolation hospital in times of plague. In 1708, Jacques de Gâtigny left a legacy of £500 to the Pest House to build apartments for at least twelve 'poor, infirm or sick French Protestants over the age of 50 years' and a further £500, the interest on which was to provide beds, linen, cloths and other necessities for the inmates. The Gâtigny bequest was handed over to the Royal Bounty committee in February 1709, but progress halted until March 1716, when a site near Old Street for a new hospital was leased from the Ironmongers' Company for 990 years for a premium of £400 and a peppercorn rent. On the proceeds of a further appeal to subscribers, the new Hospital was opened in November 1718. A royal charter of incorporation was granted on 24th July 1718. In 1866 the Hospital was moved to a new site in Victoria Park, Hackney, until 1940, when the building was requisitioned. The Hospital moved temporarily to Compton's Lea, near Horsham, and then in 1955 to La Providence in Rochester, where sheltered housing is provided for elderly people of Huguenot descent.
The Hospital is administered by a Court of Directors, presided over by the Deputy Governor and Governor. A steward was appointed to manage the routine administration of the Hospital, reporting to the management committee. Numerous charities and funds for outgifts are administered by the Directors, amalgamated into a single fund (with the exception of the Stephen Mounier Apprenticeship Fund) in the early 20th century. The archives were moved to UCL in the 1950s as part of the Huguenot Library. |