Our History

History of William Hulme

William Hulme was founder of the William Hulme Charity, and lived at Hulme Hall (later Broadstone Hall) in Reddish, Stockport.

Very little is known about his life except that he owned two other large properties in the region: one at Withingreave Hall in Withy Grove, Manchester, and another at Outwood near Prestwich. Probably educated in Manchester, he was brought up by an uncle, since his father had died when William was 7 years old. Opinions vary as to his adult life - some maintain that he followed a career at Law after attending Brasenose College in Oxford, and others believe that he lived the life of a country gentleman. We do know that he held the position of Justice of the Peace for Kearsley near Bolton, where his wife Elizabeth had grown up.

The premature and tragic death of their only beloved son, was to affect Hulme well into later life, and he seemed determined to make some charitable provision for young boys. In his will he left provision for the foundation of exhibitions for 4 students to study for Bachelor of Arts degrees at Brasenose College. The income for this charity was originally £64, which came from rents and dues on his many outlying properties: at Heaton Norris, Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Reddish, Harwood in Bolton, and in Manchester. Over the years, this sum has so grown that it has been necessary on several occasions to change the scope of his bequest by Act of Parliament. In 1881, the Trustees of his charity were empowered to build schools in Manchester, Oldham and Bury - they were known as the William Hulme Grammar Schools.

They also founded a Hall of Residence for students at Manchester University, granted annual grants to the University itself and to the Manchester High School for Girls. The exhibitions at Brasenose College were increased from 4 to 20. He died in 1691, having left an enormous philanthropic bequest, and was buried in the Hulme Chapel of the Collegiate Church in Manchester, which had been largely built by his ancestors. Later he was moved elsewhere.