Legacies and gifts

Leave a lasting legacy for Heritage

 The Society is charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with ‘the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries’. By leaving a legacy to the Society of Antiquaries you will make a major difference to securing the future of the Society and our collections.

What could my legacy do?

Gifts recently received have enabled us to undertake essential conservation work to the printed collections at Burlington House, and will support our capacity to fund innovative research and add to the Society’s already extensive programme of publications.

Through the Making History Campaign your bequest could help to refurbish the Library and care for the collections at Burlington House or ensure the future sustainability of Kelmscott Manor through our plans for a new learning centre. It could endow a curatorial post in our Library and Collections team so that the Society’s rare and important collections are made secure for the future. It could help us support the research work of independent scholars or prevent us from turning away proposals for publications that could become valued reference works for decades to come.

We rely on donations to thrive and grow. For those who choose to do so, we will ensure that you are acknowledged and remembered as a benefactor. Opportunities exist for commemorating donors during and after their lifetime: your name, or that of somebody you wish to see remembered, could be associated with particular staff posts, with rooms or buildings at Burlington House or Kelmscott Manor, or with scholarships, research funds, publications, a lecture series or other named activities.

Which kind of gift or legacy?

You can give or bequeath to the Society a sum of money, a share of your estate or specific assets, such as a portfolio of shares or a house. Some of our bequests have come in the form of a residuary gift, whereby the Society receives whatever is left of your estate after you have made specific bequests to your family and friends or other good causes.

Where do I start?

If you are considering a gift or bequest and would like more information we are very happy to talk through the options, the Society’s activities and specific funding opportunities. If you have already included the Society in your will, we would appreciate being able to say thank you. In both cases, you are encouraged to contact the President or General Secretary at admin@sal.org.uk or on 020 7479 7080.

For more general information download the Society’s Making History Campaign brochure.