Philanthropy - The North East Story

Our project surveys the history of philanthropy in the North East of England over a period of more than 900 years, from the time the North East was brought under Norman control (thirty years or so after the Conquest of 1066) down to the present. Our purpose is to paint a broad picture of the role philanthropy has played in the region across the ages, and in doing so to draw significant lessons for the present.

On this website, you can find a large and growing number of profiles of notable philanthropists, beneficiaries of philanthropy, and philanthropic trusts and foundations. These, read in isolation, are interesting and informative, but to fully understand the story of philanthropy in the North East, and what it all means, we advise that you read the articles specially written for the Generosity Festival by researchers at Newcastle University. The main document available for download is Philanthropy – The North East Story, which provides a self-contained overview of our research. For those wishing to delve deeper, there are separate articles for the four philanthropic eras covered by the research: Middle Ages, Early Modern, Modern and Contemporary. These help in understanding philanthropy in the context of economics, politics, beliefs, values and social practices.

Download the papers by clicking the buttons below.