Robert Aske (24 February 1619 – 27 January 1689) was a merchant in the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. He is chiefly remembered from the charitable foundation created from his estate, which operates two schools in Hertfordshire,
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' SchoolThe Haberdashers' Aske's School or HABS, as it is commonly known by the public, is a British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in Hertfordshire....
and
Haberdashers' Aske's School for GirlsHaberdashers' Aske's School for Girls is a British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in the county of Hertfordshire. Often known as "Habs" or "Habs Girls", to distinguish it from the neighbouring Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, the school was founded in 1875 by The Haberdashers'...
.
Aske was the son of an affluent
draperDraper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
. Aske was apprenticed to John Trott, a
haberdasherA haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers. In U.S. English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery....
(dealer in
raw silkRaw Silk was a 1980s post-disco and dance music group that consisted of members Sybil Thomas, Ronald Dean Miller and Bert Reid . Their first release "Do It to the Music" has become a staple part in rare groove 1980s dance compilations...
) and
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
merchant. Aske became a freeman of the
Worshipful Company of HaberdashersThe Worshipful Company of Haberdashers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, which developed from the Mercers' Company, another Livery Company connected with clothing and haberdashery, received a Royal Charter in 1448...
in 1643 and an
aldermanAn alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions. Historically the term could also refer to local municipal judges in small legal proceedings...
of the City of London Corporation in 1666.
Robert Aske (24 February 1619 – 27 January 1689) was a merchant in the
City of LondonThe City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
. He is chiefly remembered from the charitable foundation created from his estate, which operates two schools in Hertfordshire,
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' SchoolThe Haberdashers' Aske's School or HABS, as it is commonly known by the public, is a British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in Hertfordshire....
and
Haberdashers' Aske's School for GirlsHaberdashers' Aske's School for Girls is a British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in the county of Hertfordshire. Often known as "Habs" or "Habs Girls", to distinguish it from the neighbouring Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, the school was founded in 1875 by The Haberdashers'...
.
Aske was the son of an affluent
draperDraper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
. Aske was apprenticed to John Trott, a
haberdasherA haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons and zippers. In U.S. English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery....
(dealer in
raw silkRaw Silk was a 1980s post-disco and dance music group that consisted of members Sybil Thomas, Ronald Dean Miller and Bert Reid . Their first release "Do It to the Music" has become a staple part in rare groove 1980s dance compilations...
) and
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
merchant. Aske became a freeman of the
Worshipful Company of HaberdashersThe Worshipful Company of Haberdashers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, which developed from the Mercers' Company, another Livery Company connected with clothing and haberdashery, received a Royal Charter in 1448...
in 1643 and an
aldermanAn alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions. Historically the term could also refer to local municipal judges in small legal proceedings...
of the City of London Corporation in 1666. He became Master of the Haberdashers Company, but was removed from that position by
James IIJames II & VII was King of England and Ireland as James II, and Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
in 1687 when the
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
king lost faith in Aske, a Protestant.
Despite marrying twice, Aske had no children and left the bulk of his sizable estate,
£The pound sterling , often simply called the pound, is the currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and British Antarctic Territory...
32,000, to the Company for
charitableA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . The term is relatively general and can technically refer to a public charity or a private foundation. It differs from other types of NPOs in that its focus is centered around goals of a general philanthropic nature A charitable...
purposes. He directed that £20,000 was to be used to buy a piece of land within one
mileA mile is a unit of length in a number of different systems. In contemporary English, mile most commonly refers to the statute mile of 1,609.344 meters or the nautical mile of 1,852 meters...
of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
upon which was to be built a "
hospitalA hospital is an institution for health care providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment, and often but not always providing for longer-term patient stays....
" (almshouses) for 20 poor members of the Company and a school for 20 sons of poor freemen of the Company. The remaining £12,000 was left to form the Haberdashers' Aske's Foundation, of which the Company is
trusteeTrustee is a legal term for a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. A trust can be set up either to benefit particular persons, or for any charitable purposes : typical examples are a will trust for the testator's children and family, a pension trust , and a charitable trust...
. The charity was
incorporatedIncorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organization, sports club or a government of a new city or town. This article focuses on the process of incorporation; see also corporation.-Legal benefits:*Protection of personal assets...
by a private
Act of ParliamentAn act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament....
in 1690.
An almshouse and school, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, were built on 21
acreThe acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre....
s in
HoxtonHoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, immediately north of the financial district of the City of London. The area of Hoxton is bordered by Regents Canal on the north side, Wharf Road and City Road on the west, Old Street on the south, and Kingsland Road on the east.-Origins:'Hogesdon'...
in 1690 to a design by
Robert HookeRobert Hooke, FRS was an English natural philosopher, architect and polymath who played an important role in the scientific revolution, through both experimental and theoretical work....
. A further 1,500 acres (6 km²) in
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
were acquired to provide an annual income of over £700. The buildings were demolished in 1824 and reconstructed in 1825 to a design by D. R. Roper. The almshouses closed to allow the school to expand in 1874 to take 300 boys and 300 girls, and a second and third school were opened in
HatchamHatcham was a manor and later chapelry in what is now London, England. It corresponds to the area around New Cross Gate station in the London Borough of Lewisham....
in 1875. The Hoxton school move to two sites, in
HampsteadHampstead is an area of London, England, located north-west of Charing Cross. It is located within Inner London. It is part of the London Borough of Camden. It is known for its intellectual, artistic, musical and literary associations and for the large and hilly parkland Hampstead Heath...
for the boys and
ActonActon is a place in west London, United Kingdom situated west of Charing Cross. At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people....
for the girls, in 1898, and both schools are now reunited in
ElstreeElstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5, north of London. It forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood . Elstree is in the Greater London Urban Area....
. The Hatcham schools are now merged as a single
state schoolState school is an expression used in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom to distinguish schools provided by the government from privately run schools.- United Kingdom :...
, an
AcademyAn academy in the education system in England is a school that is directly funded by central government and is independent of local government control...
known as
Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham CollegeHaberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College is an Academy secondary school located in New Cross. The school was formerly a Grammar school, then a comprehensive City Technology College and now an Academy operating between two sites near New Cross Gate in South-East London...
.
Aske shares his name with another
Robert AskeRobert Aske was an English lawyer who became the leader of rebellion in York. He led the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536 and was executed by Henry VIII for treason in 1537.-Biography:...
, who was executed for
treasonIn law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife...
in 1537. The first Robert Aske was unmarried and is unlikely to be a direct ancestor of the second, although they are likely to be a member of the same family from
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
.