The Christ's Hospital Endowment was founded by a wealthy philanthropist Dr. Richard Smith who was born in Welton in 1532 and died in 1602. Dr. Smith was a successful physician in London. He bought the manors of Welton and Potterhanworth in Lincolnshire. In Potterhanworth the manor consisted of the Manor House, farmland and associated property. At its peak in 1910 this Potterhanworth land holding was in the region of 1220 acres.
Dr Richard Smith's Coat of Arms displayed at St Andrew's Church
Having seen much of the poverty and lack of opportunity associated with the lack of education in the working classes of London, he vowed to set up a school similar to the Bluecoat Charity School in London. As a result, he became a generous benefactor and bequeathed in his will his entire assets of Potterhanworth for the purpose of founding a charitable foundation to maintain the education of poor boys from Potterhanworth, Welton and Lincoln. This foundation was to be known as the "Christ's Hospital Foundation at Lincoln". The terms and conditions stated how many children from each parish and Lincoln should benefit: from Lincoln, from Welton and from Potterhanworth. The Trust fund was to be administered by the dignitaries of Lincoln to build and maintain a school.
This Trust set out very clear guidelines to ensure that the objectives of the benefactor were followed. After many years of dispute about the fair use of the fund and political infighting, Potterhanworth and Welton were able to acquire their share of the fund. This agreement was finalised in 1883. The Trust is still regulated by a scheme set up by the Board of Education on 8th Sept 1914 and was revised in 1982 but the fundamental principles of the trust must still be followed.
When state education became compulsory for all, the fund was used to provide further education of a vocational nature such as training in domestic skills and apprenticeships. Since then state institutions have filled the gap.
The Potterhanworth fund was mainly made up of money from land, property and investments. Unfortunately, the fund was not always well managed and began to dwindle. In the 1970s there was a strong movement by the Trustees of the time to rectify this situation and to utilise and manage the assets in a better way by selling land and property. This strategy was very successful and that sound management has continued to the present day, ensuring that village children continue to benefit from the fund. This improvement in the finances provided the opportunity in 1993 to replace old, outdated buildings with the modern Memorial Hall. To maintain the Trust's commitment to village children's education, a new school classroom, a bespoke preschool building, and a hard surface playground were provided between 2015 and 2018.
The original village hall in about 1955
People of the village outside the original village hall, probably at the opening of a Village Produce Association show, around 1955
It is important to appreciate that the fund is for the education of village children. Indeed, one key element of the official Charities Commission Scheme is that application of income should be used "promoting the education, including social and physical training, of persons under the age of 25 years who are or who have a parent or parents resident in the Parish of Potterhanworth". This is why the Memorial Hall is dedicated to the Primary school during school hours. The Hall is available for public use at all other times.
In order to fulfil the needs of school and preschool, the field behind the Memorial Hall is provided by the Trust to give children outdoor space for play and sport activities during school hours. To satisfy the Trust's obligations a lease agreement with Lincoln County Council (LCC) is in place which stipulates that the field is used for "educational purposes only and is not for public use". This lease has been in place for many years but does not forbid use of the field for managed village functions if school permission is granted. The lease agreement demands that LCC maintain the field and ensure that it is in a fit and safe state for school games at all times.
Awards ceremony in the Memorial Hall