The Gilchrist Educational Trust is a British charity supporting education, perhaps best known for its support of the Gilchrist Lecturers from 1867 to 1939.
The trust was established in 1841 by the will of British
Indologist
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') i ...
,
John Borthwick Gilchrist
John Borthwick Gilchrist (19 June 1759 – 9 January 1841) was a Scottish surgeon, linguist, philologist and Indologist. Born and educated in Edinburgh, he spent most of his early career in India, where he made a study of the local languages. In ...
, but could not begin work until 1865 due to litigation culminating in an 1858 hearing before the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
. Gilchrist's will directed that the trust be used 'for the benefit advancement and propagation of education and learning in every part of the world as far as circumstances will permit.'
Early efforts included scholarships to bring
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
n students to England for a university education. When these scholarships were taken over by the Government of India, efforts turned to similar scholarships for other British colonies. When women's colleges were being established, the trust began to provide scholarships for women.
Grants
At present the trust provides four types of educational grants:
* Individuals - full-time students at a British university who face unexpected financial difficulties.
* Organisations - for efforts by British organisations.
* Expeditions - modest-sized British expeditions for scientific research abroad.
* Fieldwork Award - biennial award of £15,000 for British overseas research.
External links
Gilchrist Educational Trust
Educational charities based in the United Kingdom
Charities based in West Sussex