Bridget Soothern and Frances Craner Trust
In 1731, Bridget Soothern, who belonged to the Coventry Meeting of the Society of Friends, left her real estate and personal property to trustees with the following instructions: that they should dispose of and sell her estate, convert the same into money, and after payment of some legacies re-invest in land and tenement. Her instructions were to use the income from the investments, for assisting the girls of Friends (commonly called Quakers) in the city of Coventry and then other girls in Coventry. The assistance was primarily for education, the Will reads “in learning to read and write”. The Will also indicates that funds could also be used to pay for clothing for girls attending education.
In line with Bridget Soothern’s Will, property consisting of two shops was purchased in 1753 and 1795, situated in Smithford St (corner of Vicar Lane).
Frances Craner died some years after Bridget Soothern. She was also a member of the Society of Friends and realised the advantages gained by some Coventry girls under the Bridget Soothern’s benefaction. She left in her Will the premises she occupied in Bishop Street to the Trustees acting under Bridget Soothern's Will with instruction that the proceeds to be used for “teaching and instructions”.
In 1789 William Edwards left £300 to the Trust and thirty-four years later a further legacy of £50 was added to the Funds from Joseph Freeth, one of Bridget Soothern’s original Trustees.
The only gift to the Trust apart from those of Members of the Society of Friends appears to be one of 35 guineas made in 1807 by the Prince of Wales.
At first the education was given in premises belonging to the Charity in Vicar Lane, but in about 1850 it was transferred to premises on the opposite side of the Lane, where a day school was conducted on the lines of the British School for Girls in addition to those educated by Soothern & Craner Trustees.
In 1883 the Trustees of the boys British School, conducted in the premises belonging to the Boys British School Trustees, found a lack of subscriptions to continue their work. As such this school ceased to exist and the Trustees made arrangements for the girls British School to be transferred to their premises.
Soothern and Craner's Trustees arranged to pay the sum of £50 per annum for the education of 36 girls under their Trust. These girls also received the garments indicated in Bridget Soothern's Will.
From the increased facilities given by School Boards and for other reasons, the subscriptions to the Girls British School became less and less. For several years there were no children of Friends in Coventry requiring the benefit of the Trust and the income was then applied to other poor children in the City.
The Soothern and Craner Educational Foundation was established under a scheme made by the Board of Education under the Charitable Trusts Acts of 1853 to 1894, sealed on 3 February 1914.
The properties owned by the Trust in Coventry City Centre were completely destroyed in the bombing of Coventry City centre in 1940 during the second world war. A national scheme administered by the War Damage Commission established under the War Damage Act 1941 provided financial compensation to owners of buildings bombed in Coventry during the second world war.
The Foundation no longer owns any property and instead has invested the funds belonging to the Foundation to provide an annual income which is used to support the education and vocational training of girls and young women under the age of 30 years living in the City of Coventry.