Philanthropists of past centuries are the unsung heroes of many communities around the country, their unselfish acts providing education, housing and health care at a time when state provision was largely unknown and deserving cases totally dependent on charity. 

Robert Harrington, who was born in the late 16th century, is one such person whose inheritance of land and property continues to produce an income for the benefit of Bourne because the investments he made, although quite modest when he died, have increased considerably in value over the past two centuries.  

His family were wealthy landed gentry who owned much of Witham-on-the-Hill and had benefited particularly from the rise in land value and rents that took place during the 16th century. Robert was born in 1580 and was to become a successful merchant and businessman and, in subsequent years, perhaps the most prominent of the town's benefactors after whom Harrington Street is so named.  

It is not recorded why he decided to leave but Joseph J Davies speculates in his book Historic Bourne (1909) that he departed his home as a youth and "trudged to London to make his fortune and happily he succeeded". He was a self-made man, says Davies, "one of those whose sturdy perseverance and upright life is typical of the British merchant".  

However, another version of his life claims that Robert Harrington moved to Bourne as a young man, becoming known as Robert of Bourne and extremely rich in the process. He later moved to Leytonstone and local folklore suggests that one day he was driving some cattle to market in London when he stopped to water them in Leytonstone which was then open land and, finding the place agreeable, bought it. 

Whichever tale is true, he did buy land and settle there, taking the name Robert of Leytonstone, and this is where his future business interests lay, although towards the end of his life he had moved to Gray's Inn, Middlesex, the address that appears on his will made in 1654. In it, Robert bequeathed his estate "for the use and benefit of the poor” in the parish of Bourne and although the will was keenly contested at law, it was eventually legally confirmed.  

Although Leytonstone was a rural area at this time, the arrival of the railway began turning it into a residential suburb of London, bringing shops and dwelling houses to the district and greatly enhancing the value of the Harrington estate.  

The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 provided for the welfare and relief of the poor with the workhouse as the final destination for those who could not make ends meet but charities continued to play an important role through cash grants and even providing homes in the form of almshouses for deserving cases and it was during this period that philanthropic work by individuals was greatly esteemed.  

The charity founded under the will of Robert Harrington became the most important in Bourne. In 1830, it was bringing in £300 a year and this increased to £500 a year but by the end of the century, the value started to rise in a spectacular way and by 1909 it had reached more than £2,000 a year. Some of the income was distributed in quarterly or half-yearly payments to "the deserving poor" who did not receive parish relief, by the provision of clothing and coal at Christmas time while a fraction of it was devoted to educational purposes.  

Income from his charity was also used to assist in the furtherance of education in the town and when the National School in North Street was built in 1829, an annual grant of £42 was made from Harrington's charity and this was most likely provided to cover the schoolmaster's salary.  

The appointment of Alderman William Wherry (1841-1915), an astute businessman, as one of the overseers of the poor, and as such a trustee, was a major influence in the development of the estate. It was mainly through his work that the income of the charities was increased by the rents being made proportionate to the growing value of the properties. When he retired, Councillor Thomas Baxter (1854-1920), who had served as a trustee with him, paid a glowing tribute to his work in the development of the Leytonstone properties and it was acknowledged that without his foresight, the remarkable rise in their monetary value would not have been realised. 

Harrington’s legacy is now administered by Bourne United Charities based at the Red Hall, the organisation which is also responsible for the Abbey Lawn and the Wellhead and War Memorial Gardens. It is the largest of many bequests to the town from past times with the result that the organisation now has assets worth almost £19 million while an impressive investment portfolio of stocks and shares has also been built up to safeguard future activities. 

Their gross annual income today is in excess of £500,000, the bulk of it from the Harrington estate which currently consists of seven residential and 21 commercial properties valued at more than £11 million. One property was sold in 1931 to make way for a street widening scheme and so provided £6,000 for the construction of the almshouses in West Road which were originally known as Harrington Almshouses (pictured above). These twelve homes continue to provide accommodation for elderly inhabitants and are still much sought after, situated in an attractive setting just off the main road surrounded by lawns and flower beds.  

Coal, clothing and other necessities are no longer distributed to the poor and needy in the winter months but almost 100 deserving old people in Bourne each benefit from a charitable weekly payment of £10, known affectionately as “The Essex” after the county in which Leytonstone is situated, and account for some £50,000 of the annual income. Other regular grants are also made to local organisations and for educational purposes and so the thoughtfulness and generosity of Robert Harrington is still being enjoyed here in Bourne 350 years after his death.