Remembering Leeds

Legacy and In Memory Gifts to the University of Leeds

Remembering Leeds online

We honour the lasting and significant impact of legacies and in-memory gifts through Remembering Leeds. This commemorates the names of hundreds of alumni and friends who have generously contributed a legacy to the University, or whose loved ones have made gifts in their memory. From the first recorded donation in 1878 to the present day, the book serves as a tribute to their enduring generosity. A beautifully bound, handwritten volume is proudly displayed in Parkinson Court—an iconic and historic location—symbolizing the rich tradition and profound influence of this philanthropic support.

The Brotherton Circle

Lord Brotherton

Edward Allen Brotherton was born near Manchester in 1856. Having left school aged 15, he gained employment in a Wakefield chemical manufacturing business. His success enabled him to establish Brotherton & Co in 1881 which, by 1900, had become the largest private chemical company in the UK. In 1922, Lord Brotherton began to build a private collection of rare books and manuscripts. By the time he died in 1930, the collection was amongst the finest and most celebrated private libraries in the country. 

Lord Brotherton made several financial donations to the University in his lifetime. Perhaps the greatest though was his gift of £100,000 to fund the building of the Brotherton Library. When laying the Library’s foundation stone in 1930, Lord Brotherton announced his intention to bequeath the contents of his private library to the University as the Brotherton Collection, a gift of roughly equal value to the cost of the building. In addition to this bequest, a further £100,000 was donated which enabled the establishment of the Brotherton Collection’s endowment. This combination of the Brotherton Library building, the Brotherton Collection and the Brotherton endowment represents a gift to the University of unparalleled generosity and vision. 

The Brotherton Circle

The Brotherton Circle recognises the special commitment made by those who have pledged a gift to the University in their will.

We invite everyone who has included a gift to Leeds in their will to join the Brotherton Circle. Members receive invitations to special events, an exclusive Brotherton Circle lapel pin, and an annual newsletter showing how legacy gifts are benefiting the University.

Edward Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton

Edward Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton

Legacy and In Memory Gifts to the University

visitors in the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

Remembering Leeds

19th Century

The entrance to the Great Hall in spring

1870s

1878

Henry Brown

Scholarships in science

1880s

1886	Thomas Emsley Esq	Scholarships in arts, science and technology
1889	John Jowitt	General purposes of the University

1890s

1890	W M Aldam	General purposes of the University
1891	W M Beckett	General purposes of the University
1891	A Pickard	General purposes of the University
1892	Miss H Pickard	General purposes of the University
1896	Mrs J W Read	General purposes of the University
1896	W E Yates	General purposes of the University

Legacy Spotlight: Stanley Burton

Arriving in Leeds in the early 1900s, 15-year-old Montague Burton set up his own clothing business, which became one of Britain’s best-known retailers, Burton. Montague Burton was a keen supporter of the University of Leeds, making a series of gifts to the University of Leeds, and this tradition of support was carried on by his first son, Stanley.

From 1952 to 1987, Stanley was a member of Council, and from 1987 up to the time of his death he served on the Court. Together with his wife, Audrey, he provided support for a multitude of projects at the University of Leeds, most notably their support in 1970 for the development of an art gallery at the University. Thanks to the family’s generous donations and backing, the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery became a reality, finding its home in the iconic Parkinson Building.

The tremendous generosity of the Burton family has made a huge impact on the University and wider region we serve.

Remembering Leeds

20th Century

1900s

1904	Miss Jane Heald	General purposes of the University and a set of paintings for the art gallery
1907	Lord Grimthorpe	General purposes of the University

1910s

1911	F H Barr	General purposes of the University
1913	E Davis	General purposes of the University
1915	A Bilbrough	General purposes of the University, used for scholarships
1916	Sam Dugdale	Scholarships
1919	T W George	General purposes of the University

1920s

1922	H Behrens	General purposes of the University
1922	Colonel Harry Littlewood	Annual prize in anatomy
1923	Charles Edwyn Vaughan	Postgraduate research scholarships in English, history and economics
1927	T W Harding	General purposes of the University
1928	W M Harvey	General purposes of the University

Legacy Spotlight: Jennifer Rowles Smith

Jennifer was born in 1944 in a suburb of the Indian city of Bhopal. Aged just three, she came with her mother to England where they settled in Coventry. Jennifer did not pass her 11-plus and left school at 15. But it was while working in the drawing office of a local factory that she determined to pursue her interest in science and re-start her education.

Jennifer enrolled at Coventry Technical College, and after gaining seven O-Levels and four A-Levels, she headed to the University of St Andrews to study biochemistry. Jennifer’s stepfather, Cliff Rowles, is quoted as saying: “While working in the drawing office she realised the value of education and that it wasn’t too late to learn.”

After graduating Jennifer moved to Oxford to work in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, before embarking on the MSc in steroid endocrinology in the Department of Chemical Pathology at Leeds in 1970. She then became a Research Technician in Agricultural Botany, working in the rooftop greenhouses and at the University farm. Powerfully self-motivated, Jennifer also qualified with the Institute of Science Technology, the professional body for lab technicians.

In 1977 she married Adrian Smith and left the University to raise their two sons. Jennifer was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and died in 2009, aged 64.

Adrian wanted to commemorate Jennifer and her achievements and a generous gift from her estate has established the Jennifer Rowles Studentships in the Faculty of Biological Sciences. The awards enable talented undergraduates to spend the summer between their second and third years working alongside academics on experimental research projects.

The Jennifer Rowles Studentships play an important role in helping to nurture the scientists of the future and we are very grateful to be able to offer this support to budding researchers.

Jennifer Rowles Smith at work in the Agriculture Building - University Road, Leeds

Jennifer Rowles Smith at work in the Agriculture Building - University Road, Leeds

One of the highlights for me during my time at Leeds was carrying out a lab project with Dr Ian Wood as part of the Jennifer Rowles summer studentship scheme. The project allowed me to explore the epigenetics underlying microglia activation, which has been strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases which is a field that interests me. During my time in the lab I also volunteered at the Great Yorkshire show and engaged with the public about my project.
Emma Burman, Biological Sciences (Industrial) BSc, 2019

1930s

1930	Lord Brotherton	General purposes of the University
1930	Mrs E Ford	General purposes of the University
1930	S C Helm	General purposes of the University
1930	A Sykes	General purposes of the University
1932	D B Wilson	General purposes of the University
1932	Dr G B Hillman	Hillman Prize in clinical medicine
1932	Mr F W Vause	John Gilbert Vause Memorial Scholarship in clinical medicine
1933	Anne Bland	Benjamin Bland Scholarship
1933	Sir Dugald Clerk	General purposes of the University
1933	Mrs Emily Fawcett	Chair of Theology
1934	F H Lee	General purposes of the University
1934	R H V Wragge	General purposes of the University
1935	Miss Urquhart	General purposes of the University
1936	Rt. Hon Lord Berkeley Moynihan	Moynihan Lecture in clinical surgery, in memory of his mother Ellen Anne Moynihan
1937	James Clay	Cancer research
1937	G H Oldroyd	General purposes of the University
1937	May S Burr	General purposes of the University
1938	James Henry Stephens	Dentistry
1938	Lady Baillie	A gift in kind of a portrait of Sir James Baillie
1939	Mr Beresford R Heaton	Scholarships in medicine, in memory of his father John Deakin Heaton

1940s

1941	Beryl K Gott	Frank Gott Scholarship for postgraduate students
1942	J Peacock	General purposes of the University
1943	W H Spice	General purposes of the University
1943	Henry Ellison	Henry Ellison Scholarship for research in pure and applied chemistry and physics
1943	F Wardle	Department of Leather Industries
1943	Robert Aspin Freeman	Research on digestion
1947	W N Town	General purposes of the University
1947	Louise Frances Pesel	A gift in kind of over 100 embroidered items from a variety of origins
1948	Mrs Annie Haley	Joe Haley Scholarship
1948	R E Chapman	Botany
1948	A J Grant	Library
1948	Mr Thomas P Legg	General purposes of the University, used to establish the Legg Travelling Scholarship
1948	A B Philipson	General purposes of the University
1948	Mrs W Wager	General purposes of the University
1949	William A Crabtree	Crabtree Scholarship
1949	W Garstang	Scholarships
1949	Mrs M E Boothman	Agriculture scholarships

1950s

1951	Mrs Bolton	Prizes and maintenance of the observatory
1951	Mr C A Smith	C A Smith Fund for the students of Lyddon Hall
1951	William Lowson	Lowson Scholarship in Inorganic and Structural Chemistry
1952	Miss Alice Coverdale	General purposes of the University
1952	Mrs Emily Coverdale	General purposes of the University
1953	William Hoffman Wood	Hoffman Wood Chair of Architecture
1955	Mr Frankland	Books for the law library
1956	Mrs Mabel Alice Toothill	Frank Toothill Prize in music
1957	Sir Percival Hartley	Hartley Fund
1959	Frank Stell	The Frank Stell Scholarship
1959	Eric C Gregory	A gift in kind of a selection of paintings including works by Henry Moore, Victor Pasmore, Ben Nicholson and Ceri Richards

1960s

1960	Dr Phillip Gosse	Brotherton Library
1965	Mrs Emma Reid	Emma and Leslie Reid Scholarship for research into heart, brain or kindred diseases
1966	Stephen P Smith	To benefit physics or engineering, made in memory of his father, Stephen Ernest Smith
1967	Mrs Elsie Chapman	A gift in kind of a group of 19th Century landscape and seascape paintings
1967	Mrs Dorothy McGrigor Philips	A gift in kind of a selection of paintings by Corot

Legacy Spotlight: Geoffrey Eichholz

Geoffrey arrived in Britain in 1939 from Germany, with plans to stay with some distant relatives before travelling to the US on a Refugee Scholarship for Harvard. The war ended his hopes of studying in America, but after some work experience in the physics department at Bristol University, he was offered a place at Leeds by Edmund Clifton Stoner, Professor of Theoretical Physics, who later gave his name to the Stoner building on campus. Geoffrey graduated with a first in 1942. He was conscripted into in the armed forces, but he returned to Leeds after the war, having been encouraged by Stoner to pursue postgraduate study. He received his doctorate from Leeds in 1947. Job opportunities took him to Canada and the US and he retired in 1989 from the Georgia Institute of Technology, following a distinguished career, becoming Regents Professor Emeritus.

Geoffrey never forgot his time at the universities of Bristol and Leeds, and the support and kindness that Edmund Stoner had shown him. At Leeds, he established the Eichholz Scholarships within the School of Physics and Astronomy, for undergraduate students from less privileged backgrounds. During his lifetime and following his death, Geoffrey’s donation supported two students per year, for a total of 12 years, to be able to access a university education, which had been so crucial to the course of his own life.

On his decision to support Leeds, Geoffrey said “Leeds let me in as a student for no fees at the start of the war. It was a very gracious act. It made a great difference to my life and was the foundation of everything I have done.” The final Eichholz scholar graduated in the summer of 2024. As Geoffrey’s own life and career demonstrate, the impact of his generosity on the lives of these students will be felt for many decades to come.

1970s

1970	Miss Gladys Tetley	Tetley and Lupton Scholarship for overseas students
1972	Marion Rosalind Law	Walter Law Scholarship in textiles, in memory of her father in law.
1973	John Henry Garner	John Henry Garner Scholarship for postgraduate research in pollution prevention
1973	Mr G Heseldin	Heseldin Prizes in civil engineering
1974	Mr Gilbert Bartle Howarth	Scholarship in the Department of Fuel and Energy
1975	William Wright Smith	Postgraduate study of mathematical physics
1976	Mrs Barbara Frances Firth	A contribution to the Waddington Prize in anatomy
1978	Mrs Dora G Ratcliffe	Travelling expenses for medical students
1979	Miss E.M. Lupton	Tetley and Lupton Scholarship for overseas students

1980s

1981	Miss Edith Harrison	Clinical medicine
1981	Mr WB Crump	W B Crump Scholarship
1981	Mr Douglas & Mrs Isabella Crockett	Research scholarships
1981	William Hainsworth Whitehead	William Hainsworth Whitehead Travelling Scholarship
1981	Barbara Magaret Crisp	Crisp lecture in neuroscience and neurology
1982	Lord Boyle	A gift in kind of a selection of drawings by Harold Gilman
1982	Miss Elinor G Lupton	Tetley and Lupton Scholarship for overseas students
1982	Sir Richard Graham	Sir Richard Graham Prize in English literature
1983	Harold Speight	Harold Speight Prize in business and economic studies
1984	Bernard Taylor Mason	Research into rheumatism
1984	Dr Maria Lambert Beldon	James and Mabel Gaunt Prize in paediatrics
1985	William Edward Clarkson	A travel fund for research students in the School of Chemistry
1985	Mrs Florence Maud Evans	Mr and Mrs Herbert Vandrell Evans Scholarship in the field of neurology
1986	Valerie Wally Mautner	Research into heart disease and arterio- sclerosis in memory of her husband, Dr Francis Mautner
1987	Clare Stanley Armes	Prizes
1987	Thomas Chalice Jackson	Prize for English, modern languages, agriculture or economics
1989	Dorothy Mary Leak	Albert Leak postgraduate scholarship in textile engineering, named after her father
1989	Dr Patricia M Ball	Patricia M Ball Prize for Romantic poetry

1990s

1990	Professor Geoffrey W Carter	G W Carter prize in electrical and electronic engineering
1990	Miss Marjorie Cryer	Books for the library
1991	Miss Euphemia Brown	A gift in kind of a pair of 19th Century portraits of Dr Adam Hunter and Mrs Hunter
1991	Miss Parker	Metallurgy, in memory of her son Brian Parker
1991	Alice Smith	Mary and Alice Smith Memorial Fund for scholarships in clinical medicine
1991	Prof H C Versey	Prizes for geology
1992	Mr Philip H Clarkson	A gift in kind of a work by John Raphael Smith
1992	Rosa Mohun	Alan Mohun Prize for fine art students
1992	Margaret Ovenden	Research into cancer and motor neurone disease
1994	Stanley Burton	Stanley Burton scholarships in fine art and music
1996	Dorothy Turner	To add to the 'Yorkshire Collection' in the art gallery
1996	Emma Walton	Emma Walton Prize for Masters students
1996	Anne McClurkin	General purposes of the University
1997	Mrs Armstrong	Stuart Armstrong Prize in civil engineering
1997	Marion Sharples	Marion Sharples Prize for history
1997	Edna Maud Burnley	Medicine
1999	Arthur Haigh	A gift in kind of a group of painitngs, drawings and prints by regional artists

Legacy Spotlight: Pamela Barker

Pamela graduated with a degree in Medicine from the University of Leeds in 1957, going onto a career as Consultant Psychiatrist in the Highlands and Islands of Lewis and Harris.

She demonstrated her profound gratitude and trust in the University of Leeds through her final testament, leaving an unrestricted gift in her will upon her passing in 2021 to ensure it would have the greatest and most meaningful impact.

Her gift will be used to kickstart strategically important projects - carefully selected by a committee of University leaders - which have the potential to transform the student experience and research outcomes at Leeds. This enables projects to prove their value and impact so that they can attract other funding opportunities further down the line.

Pamela, and other donors who have chosen to remember Leeds in this special way, have supported peer mentoring within our Access and Success programme, which helps students from underrepresented backgrounds access a Leeds education and thrive by fostering connections with their peers. Additionally, their gifts have contributed to our Enterprise at Leeds programme, offering students a wide range of opportunities to develop entrepreneurial skills, gain practical knowledge, and explore business ideas.

Remembering Leeds

21st Century

2000s

2000	Graham Adamson	Graham Adamson Prize in sport
2000	Margaret Hope Raper	Colour chemistry
2001	Cheridan Raithby	School of Medicine
2001	Sadie Evans Dove	General purposes of the University, in memory of her son, Trevor Michael Dove
2001	Miss Brenda Thornton	General purposes of the University, in the name of Brenda and Raymond Thornton
2001	Miss Massari	Research into Alzheimers disease
2002	Edith Benten	Edith Benten Travel Scholarship for geography students
2002	Donald P Raper	Colour chemistry
2003	Mrs Winifred Jennings	Research
2003	Dr Eric Schumacher	General purposes of the University
2004	Myrtle Boultwood	Myrtle Boultwood Scholarships in humanities
2006	Geoffrey Cook	Computing
2006	Howard W Nicholson	Institute of Health Sciences
2006	George K Roche	Medicine
2006	Betty Woolsey	Thoracic research
2007	Maurice W Beresford	General purposes of the University, used for scholarships in history
2007	Dr Anthony N Clark	Medicine
2007	James E Hanson of Edgerton	General purposes of the University
2007	Margaret Lovelady	Modern languages and culture, in memory of her son David Lovelady
2007	Annie Lovell	Computing
2007	Robert Thomson	Institute of Medieval Studies
2008	John D Cormack	Prizes in electronic and electrical engineering
2008	Durward W Cruickshank	General purposes of the University, used to support a PhD studentship in science education
2008	Georgina Dobree	To add to the art collection
2008	Avis M Dry	Florence Swinton Dry Scholarship and Francis William Dry Prize
2008	John Loftus	Law
2008	Frank Manchester	Colour chemistry
2008	Grace M Morrell	For the Liddle collection
2008	John R Turner	Alumni Annual Fund
2009	Margaret E Johnson	Bursary scheme in medicine
2009	Ian C Martin	Medicine
2009	Mrs J H Stoner	Physics
2009	Edna T Woodley	Thoracic research
2009	Dr Winifred Ashton	For the benefit of disabled students

Legacy Spotlight: Peter Truesdale

Peter Truesdale qualified as a doctor at the University of Leeds in 1955 and joined the Royal Navy in May 1956. In 1958, he was appointed as Deputy to the Senior Medical Officer of the Royal Naval Air Station, Culdrose, and in 1959 to HMS Ark Royal, to complete his qualification as a specialist in Aviation Medicine. In 1962, Dr Truesdale qualified with a Diploma in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, specialising in Occupational Medicine. Following this in 1970, Dr Truesdale returned to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for his Diploma in Industrial Health and Specialist in Hygiene. In 1978, he was appointed as Consultant in Occupational Medicine for the Royal Navy and in 1990 he was appointed as an Honorary Physician to the Queen.

He was a life-long motor-cycle racing enthusiast and a long-term supporter of the National Trust, serving for many years on the committee of the West Devon branch, to which, together with many other charities, he was a very generous supporter.

Among Dr Truesdale’s gifts to the University during his lifetime were scholarships for medical students taking an intercalated degree, allowing them to combine their medical training with an additional year’s study in an area of special interest.

Now his legacy continues to enhance the learning experience for medical students at Leeds for many generations to come. An endowment in his name provides further scholarships for those wishing to intercalate. It also provides scholarships for those who are studying medicine as a second degree, as well as funds to support students wishing to travel to academic conferences in the UK and abroad.

This support has made a significant impact on both my personal and academic development. It allowed me to reduce my part-time work, resulting in more time available for self-care practices, significantly improving both my physical and mental health during this challenging academic year. Despite the intense nature of this year, it has been the most enjoyable year of medical school, as I feel I have had a well rounded exposure to various specialties I had not experienced before. I also feel that both my clinical knowledge and confidence in my clinical skills has vastly improved due to my placements this year. This bursary has allowed me to embark on a clinical elective at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Japan this summer, in which I will be placed in my future specialty of choice, Obstetrics and Gynaecology."
Recipient of Peter Truesdale Scholarship

2010s

2010	Lilian Twohey	Paediatrics and child health
2010	Dr Catherine Burt	Scholarships via the Alumni Annual Fund
2010	Dr Katherine Worley	Intercalated degrees in medicine
2010	Brunhilde Goerke	Gift in kind of books
2011	The Rev Dr Cynthia Fox	Section of Musculoskeletal Disease
2011	Arthur H Lee	Access to Learning Fund
2011	Margaret Sheard	Scholarships in the field of fuel and energy
2011	William B Thompson	Catalogying the W B Thompson Collection
2012	Derrick Smith	Research into the causes of Alzheimer's disease
2012	Vera Thompson	Corneal research
2012	Elizabeth G Williams	Items from her collection of children's literature to the Brotherton Library
2013	Hugh J Berkofsky	The Berkofsky Arts Award for painting, sculpture, drama or music
2013	Dorothie Hewlett	School of English to support students from Malawi
2013	William D Ross	For the purchase of history books for the library
2013	Winifred P Smith MBE	In memory of her father Frank Smith, Professor of Education 1933-47
2013	Professor Peter Gray FRS	The Peter & Barbara Gray Prize in Chemistry
2013	Dr Gertrude M Polson	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Christopher Alton	Library
2014	Sheila Connor	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Dr David A Drury	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Audrey C Ellis	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Dr Mary J Hartley	School of Medicine
2014	Dr Frances K Kupicha	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Dr Gordon McLeavy	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Janet M Pamphilon	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2014	Betty O Throup	Classics, Russian, Law & Rheumatoid Arthritis Research
2014	Joan Webster	School of Medicine
2015	Harry J Clarke	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2015	Margaret S Dilke	Library
2015	Edward W Johnson	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2015	Dr Dennis M Parker MBE	School of Medicine
2015	Marjorie Tibbs	Pathology Research
2015	Elsie Twyford	Cardiac Surgical Research
2015	Sarah Boon	Laidlaw Library
2015	Robert Cribbes	School of Geography
2015	Dr Michael Fox	General purposes of the University
2015	Chrsitopher O'Connell	Christopher O'Connell Award in Physics
2015	John A Younger	School of English
2016	The Rev Norman Bargh	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Dorothy Barker	School of Medicine
2016	Philip H Basson	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Michael E Hepworth	General purposes of the University
2016	Dr David Hopwood	Pathology
2016	Dr Peter K McWilliam	School of Medicine
2016	Philip Parry	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Joan M Rooke Fund	School of Medicine and Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Alan G Stilwell	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Elizabeth S Bruce	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2016	Desmond Smeaton	Gastroenterology Research
2017	Paul A Brooke	Department of French
2017	Romola D Dunsmore	Artworks for the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
2017	Dr Ellen S Emslie	School of Medicine
2017	Caroline G Gooding	The Caroline Gooding Memorial Fund for Disability Law
2017	Dr M Sheila Gosden	Plant Biology and related subjects
2017	Dr Clive Harland	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2017	Dr John R Hulett	Scholarship funds for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
2017	Josephine Kiddle	Items for the Liddle Collection
2017	John R Manley MBE	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2017	Benedict Read	Artworks for the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
2017	Jennifer Rowles Smith	The Jennifer Rowles Summer Research Studentships in Biological Sciences
2017	Dr Malcolm Sutcliffe	Scholarship funds for French and Psychiatry
2017	Surgeon Captain Peter J Truesdale RN	Scholarship and travel bursary funds for the School of Medicine
2017	Marie Walker Last	Artworks for the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
2018	Margaret Bullivant	General purposes of the University (received in 1968, rediscovered in 2018)
2018	Olga Seymour-Jones	For the general purposes of the University, in memory of her husband, Frank L Seymour-Jones (received in 1978, rediscovered in 2018)
2018	Nora K Skelton	Books for the Leeds Russian Archive
2018	Sqn Ldr Barrie Browning OBE	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2018	Professor Anthony Hillas	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2018	Eric Millman Hunt	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2018	Patricia A Jones	School of English
2019	Roger E Allen	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2019	Dr David W Budworth MBE	Artworks for the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
2019	Margaret Exley	An award to enable a disadvantaged student to study History
2019	Patricia M Gaskins	Alumni Footsteps Fund, for brain cancer research
2019	Harold H Gregg	Medical research
2019	Eric Guest	Scholarships for disadvantaged students
2019	Philip Horsfield	Scleroderma research
2019	Peter Long	Artworks for the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
2019	Dolatrai Khandubhai Naik	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2019	Professor Adam Neville CBE	The Adam Neville Prize for the best national PhD in the field of cement and concrete
2019	Dr John E Wood	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2019	Matthew Treadgold Remembered Fund	Annual award to enable an overseas student to attend the Water, Sanitation and Health Engineering MSc.
2019	Geoffrey G Eichholz	Scholarships for Physics students
2019	Percival G Smith	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2019	Ronald B Shields	A scholarship in Geography

Legacy Spotlight: John Victor Bedford

In 1922, Lord Brotherton of Wakefield bought the book of poetry that was to become the first volume in the University’s Brotherton Collection. The vast library of rare books and manuscripts which he bequeathed to Leeds now forms the bedrock of our world-renowned Special Collections and has inspired a wealth of research. Nearly a century on in 2018, antiques dealer John Victor Bedford sent a handwritten letter to Special Collections, describing some of the highlights of his own collection of rare books, manuscripts, artworks and objects.

John Bedford spent 45 years creating and curating an incredible library of books and manuscripts from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries, focusing on British furniture and furniture history. John’s father, Davis Evan Bedford, was also a book collector with a private library of over 1,000 volumes, and John named his own collection the John Evan Bedford Library of Furniture History in honour of his father.

John’s incredible legacy gift has changed the landscape of Special Collections at Leeds, creating an accessible and inviting home for his Collection, which has undoubtedly made a lasting impact on the pioneering research at the University.

John Victor Bedford

John Victor Bedford

2020s

2020	John M France	School of History
2020	Barbara J Illingworth	Brotherton Library
2020	Roger A Southcott	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2020	Cyril Paul Atkinson	University's Special Collections
2020	Ian M Sunderland	School of Medicine
2020	Howard C Crawford	Medical research
2020	Michael J Hinman	Materials for the University of Leeds Archives
2020	Derek C Robson	School of Medicine
2020	Denis H Brogan	Materials for the University's Special Collections
2020	Helen Dickinson	Cardiovascular research in the School of Medicine
2021	Dr Margaret U Rees (née Apps)	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2021	Judith Forster	Brotherton Library Special Collections
2021	Eric Vickers	Students in Financial Hardship
2021	Reverend Doreen Harrison	University Library
2021	Brian H Parkinson	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2021	Anne Seller	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2021	John V Bedford	The John Victor Bedford Library of Furniture History and funds to support the building of a new space for teaching, research and public engagement at the University's Special Collections in the Brotherton Library
2022	Geoffrey Howden	Scholarships in experimental dental research
2022	Margaret Orme	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2022	Peter S Morrish	Brotherton Library Special Collections
2022	Gerda K Mayer	University's Special Collections
2022	Marjorie J D Brown	Research relating to the treatment of blood cancers
2022	Robert Tebb	To support musical activities at Devonshire Hall
2023	James M Collinson	University Library
2023	Linda Diamond	Scholarships for students from Wakefield, in memory of her husband, Barry Diamond
2023	Dhilanveer Teja Singh Bahi	Supporting students at Leeds
2023	Anita Woolman	Social Sciences
2023	Judith Maryan Chapman	General purposes of the University
2023	Tonie Frances Haynes	Purchase of Medical library material
2023	Barbara Gates	Scholarships and travel bursary funds for the School of Medicine
2023	Pamela Barker	General purposes of the University
2023	Rosemary Pickup	To purchase physics and materials science text books
2023	Dr Virinder Nohria	To support the Dr Krishna Aggarwal Scholarships in the School of Medicine
2024	Anthony Comber	General purposes of the University
2024	Mary Turnbull	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2024	Susan J Fortescue	For the Centre for Translation Studies
2024	John W Harcup	General purposes of the University
2024	Mary C Fagan	Alumni Footsteps Fund
2024	Christopher J Kidd	To fund an annual prize for the top LLB Law student
2024	James Y Muckle	Leeds Russian Archive
2024	Anne Greene	Leeds Russian Archive
2024	Dr Tat Nin Chan	Postgraduate scholarships in dentistry, in memory of Prof. Hopper
2024	Patricia Anne Tyrell	School of English
2025	Audrey Flesher	Postgraduate scholarships, made in memory of her late husband Peter Flesher

Leaving a gift in your will

Making a will is one of the most important things you will ever do.

By remembering the University of Leeds in your will, you will help make higher education accessible to all and enable Leeds to attract the best academic talent to solve society's most pressing challenges.

outside the Great Hall during winter graduation

Leaving a legacy is a personal and meaningful act of generosity, and we are committed to ensuring your gift has the greatest possible impact. If you are thinking of making such a gift, please let us know. We would love the opportunity to thank you and show the impact of this support in your lifetime.

Find more information about legacy or in memory giving. You can also contact Jessica Mifsud-Bonnici via email at give@leeds.ac.uk or phone +44 113 343 8105 to have conversation about the impact your legacy could have.

Jessica Mifsud-Bonnici - Senior Development Officer (Legacies)

Jessica Mifsud-Bonnici - Senior Development Officer (Legacies)

Spotlight: Alastair Hay

Alastair Hay retired from UoL as Emeritus Professor in 2016, after a career specialising in toxicology, most notably, the impact of chemical weapons. He has chosen to leave a gift to support scholarships in his will, reflecting on the vital part that his scholarship to Royal Holloway had played in his career path to Leeds. “My scholarship ultimately enabled everything I have done. For three years, my fees and accommodation were paid, and I had money to live off. My parents couldn’t have afforded it […] I see it as both paying it back, and paying it forwards, acknowledging that someone gave me the money to have a career that I have loved. Hopefully some of these scholars will feel the same.”

Keep in touch

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