Sarah Hewley or Lady Sarah Hewley born Sarah Wolrych (1627 – 23 September 1710) was a British benefactor. She created what is now the

Lady Hewley Trust The Lady Hewley Trust, now a charity, began as Sarah, Lady Hewley's charity to support English Presbyterian, Congregationalist and Baptist ministers, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The trust was later at the centre of a 12-year legal ...

and she is remembered in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

where she created almshouses and a chapel.

Life

Sarah Wolrych was born in 1627. She was the only daughter and heiress of Robert Wolrych (died 11 December 1661), bencher of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. Her mother, whose maiden name was Mott, had a fortune from her first husband, whose name was Tichborne. Sarah Wolrych married

John Hewley Sir John Hewley (1619–1697) was an English magistrate and Member of Parliament for Pontefract, an early Whig. He sided with parliament against the king. After his death his widow, Sarah Hewley founded the Hewley Trust in 1705, now known as the ...

, son of John Hewley of Wistow, near Selby. He became a lawyer in 1638 and rose to be a

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

. He became a member of parliament for Pontefract and York and rich. He died in 1697. As his widow, Sarah spent large sums in works of charity. In 1700 she built and endowed an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

at York for ten poor women of her own religious views. The plaque on the building reads "This hospital was founded and endowed by Dame Sarah the Relict of Sir John Hewley of the City of York, Knight. Anno Domini 1700. Thou O God hast prepared of thy goddness for the poor." The Hewley Trust was formally created on the 13 January 1705 and the 26 April 1707. It was intended to be known nationally but basing itself in the north. It cared for single or widowed women who were over 55 years old in a hospital in York. She also was a major funder of what is now the

York Unitarian Chapel York Unitarian Chapel is a building on St. Saviourgate, York, England. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. It is in the form of a Greek cross and wa ...

and Lady Hewley's Almshouses which are now beside it. They were originally in Tanners Row but they was forced to move when the railway needed the land in 1839. Beside the church is the entrance to the almshouses and the Warden's House which has a plaque recording Lady Hewley's bequest and her preference for Unitarians to benefit from the almshouses.

Death and legacy

Hewley died in

in 1710 after instructing that her "vile body" should be disposed of cheaply and without additional ceremony. She was buried with her husband. Portraits of Sir John Hewley and his wife are preserved in the vestry of St Saviourgate Chapel. Their two children, Wolrych and John, died in infancy. A

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

was added to her former house in

St Saviourgate St Saviourgate is a historic street in the city of York. St Saviour's Church was built here in the 11th-century, and the street was first mentioned in 1175, as "Ketmongergate", street of the flesh sellers. History The area in which the str ...

in York in 2019. It notes her contribution to the chapel and almshouses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hewley, Sarah 1627 births 1710 deaths English philanthropists People from York English Unitarians