The Queen's College Legacy Brochure

WHY LEAVE A GIFT TO QUEEN’S IN
YOUR WILL?
Since Queen’s was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield
and Queen Philippa, bequests and legacy gifts left in a
donor’s will have played a crucial part in the development
of the College. Over the centuries, Queen’s has been very
fortunate to receive these deeply personal gifts from members
and friends, enabling it to:
• develop and sustain excellence in research and teaching
• support students who might otherwise not have enjoyed
the benefits of an Oxford education
• transform and enhance its buildings and facilities
Today, legacy gifts are more important than ever as tuition
fees are insufficient to cover the cost of undergraduate
teaching.
If you are considering writing your will for the first time, or
changing an existing will, we hope you will find this guide
helpful. Many Old Members give to Queen’s during their
lifetimes but for some, this is not possible. Choosing to
leave a gift to Queen’s in your will is a highly effective way
to support the long-term future of the College for those who
follow you. The College community is sincerely gratefully for
every legacy gift – large and small.
Everyone’s circumstances are different. The information in
this guide is for general information only, it is not legal advice
and should not be relied upon as such. We recommend always
seeking professional advice from a qualified legal adviser before
drafting a new will, updating an existing one, or making other
plans for your estate.
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SUPPORTING THE FUTURE IN MEMORY
OF THE PAST
Every legacy gift to Queen’s has a story to tell which speaks to both the past and the
future. These gifts recognise the impact of Queen’s on a person’s life and act as a lasting
tribute to their memory, while at the same time making a lasting contribution to the future
success and development of the College.
We remain dedicated to the tradition established by our Founder, to carefully steward
your bequests and ensure that they continue to make a meaningful and enduring
difference to our community.
SEVEN CENTURIES OF INVESTING IN THE
FUTURE OF THE QUEEN’S COLLEGE
1355
1528
1739
1841
These are just
some of the many
legacy gifts that
have helped to
build the College
we know today.
Robert de Eglesfield,
Founder of the
Queen’s College,
left additional land
when he died,
including the manor of
Renwick in north east
Cumberland and the
land which today is
the Provost’s Garden.
William Fettiplace
bequeathed
extensive land and
buildings to the
College. Today the
College continues
to remember his
generosity at the
annual Fettiplace
Gaudy. Eglesfield
Benefactors are
invited to attend this
special event.
Lady Betty
Hastings
established
scholarships for
boys from schools
in the north of
England to study
at Queen’s.
Robert Mason
(1807) enabled
Queen’s to purchase
an extensive library
collection, creating
one of the most
important college
library collections in
the country.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF LEGACY GIFTS
TO QUEEN’S
The Queen’s College would not be the same vibrant
community with excellent teaching and research without
the legacy gifts it has received over the centuries and
continues to receive today.
Over the past ten years, 25% of all donations to the
College have been gifts left in wills. Legacy gifts provide
vital support to all areas of academic and student life,
and are used to:
• provide excellent tutorial education and research
supervision
• support our vibrant research tradition through the
endowment of Fellowships and scholarships
• offer hardship funds and bursaries so that no student
is deterred from applying to or studying at Queen’s
because of their financial circumstances
• help us reconnect with our historic northwest roots
by supporting our outreach work with schools
• enhance and improve buildings, facilities and the
College environment
• contribute to the College’s endowment with the aim
of increasing financial independence
The continuing generosity from present day donors who
leave legacy gifts will help the College to flourish in the
centuries to come.
1924
1940
2018
2022
2024
Henry Laming
(Modern History,
1869) endowed the
Laming Fellowships
and Scholarships to
promote and protect
the teaching and
research of Modern
Languages.
James Legge
(Classics, 1880) left
£1K to the College to
support students in
financial need. With
careful stewardship,
the original legacy
gift has grown to
£178K and gives
out yearly grants
worth £7K to assist
students taking part
in University sports.
Sydney Smith
(Chemistry, 1947)
helped to endow
the Jack Linnett
Fellowships
in Chemistry,
safeguarding
Chemistry teaching
and research for
generations to come.
Ian Drummond
(English Language
and Literature, 1973)
left a gift for the
Library to purchase
History and
English books and
manuscripts.
Donald Rutherford
(Philosophy, Politics &
Economics, 1959) taught
Economics for almost
40 years at Edinburgh
University and wanted
to support students with
his legacy giving. He left
a gift to Queen’s to help
students which will be
used for hardship grants
and other bursaries.
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I have chosen to leave a legacy as I know that the gift will
make a real difference to supporting Queen’s and ensuring
that future students enjoy the amazing education and
experience that we were fortunate enough to have.
– †John Turner (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 1984)
4

THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING A WILL
Writing a will is an essential part of planning for the future.
A will can help to give you peace of mind because it is
the only way to make sure that your wishes are followed
on your death. If you do not make a will then on death,
your property and possessions will be subject to legal
rules which mean they may be distributed in a way you
have not chosen.
Friends and family, particularly those who will manage
your estate, will benefit from a clearly written up-todate
will, because this helps minimise disputes and
uncertainties.
As well as planning provision for your loved ones, writing
a will creates an opportunity to consider the causes and
charities that are important to you and how you might
meaningfully contribute to them.
When should I make my will?
There is no “best” time in your life to make (or change) a
will, but there are some life events when an up-to-date
will is important, for example:
• on buying your first home
• moving in with a partner
• getting married or re-married or entering a civil
partnership
• on the birth or adoption of a child
• on travelling or moving abroad
• after receiving your own inheritance
• if your financial position changes significantly, for
example you sell your business
Reviewing an existing will
It is good practice to review your will every few years in
case your circumstances have changed. For example, if
you marry, remarry or enter a civil partnership, any will you
have made will be automatically cancelled. By contrast,
divorce does not automatically cancel a will, but it does
stop your ex-spouse or civil partner from benefitting if
they are mentioned in the will.
Inheritance tax
Legacy gifts to charity are exempt from Inheritance Tax.
Queen’s is a UK registered charity (1142553) and so
legacy gifts to the College are exempt.
In addition, under current legislation, if you leave over
10% of your net estate to charities, the Inheritance Tax
rate on the taxable estate is reduced from 40% to 36%.
Tax rules are subject to change so you should always
check the current position.
5

HOW DO I LEAVE A GIFT IN MY WILL
TO QUEEN’S?
Leaving a legacy gift of any size to the College is easily
done in your will. You can leave a gift in your will at any
stage of your life.
It is advisable to discuss your wishes with your family and
any friends who will be involved with or benefit from your
estate, so they know what you intend.
understand the consequences of your instructions and
the latest Inheritance Tax legislation.
Will writing is not regulated (anyone can offer a “will
writing service”) so we recommend you use a solicitor
who specialises in wills and probate. You can check their
credentials on the Solicitors Regulation Authority website.
Seeking professional advice
Before writing or changing your will, it is important
to take professional advice about your own specific
circumstances and any applicable laws.
While it is possible to write your own will, we strongly
recommend seeking advice from an appropriately
qualified lawyer to draw up your will. Your estate
planning may also involve taking specialist tax advice to
Helpful websites
The Law Society: www.lawsociety.org.uk/public/for-publicvisitors/common-legal-issues/making-a-will
Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA):
www.sra.org.uk/consumers
STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners):
www.step.org/about-step/public
The Association of Lifetime Lawyers:
www.lifetimelawyers.org.uk
MY QUEEN’S LEGACY
Ralph Ellis (Philosophy, Politics and Economics, 1955)
A legacy gift from the late Ralph Ellis was used to help transform the
Porters’ Lodge.
“I am absolutely certain my father would be delighted to
be contributing to the Porters’ Lodge project. My father,
husband and I visited Queen’s in 2017 and we were fortunate
enough to be taken on a tour of the College. My father was so
delighted to show us where he’d spent his university years.”
– Gillian Simpson
6

TYPES OF LEGACY GIFTS
• Residuary gift:
This is a gift of a percentage, or the whole, of an
estate that remains after providing for your family, the
distribution of other specific gifts and payment of any
debts and expenses. This type of gift has the most
flexibility as you do not have to quantify a sum or
consider inflation when drawing up your will.
• Pecuniary gift:
This is a specified financial gift of money or shares.
You may wish to review your pecuniary gifts from
time to time, to ensure that they are not devalued
by inflation.
• Specific (non-money) gift:
This is a gift on an item or asset such as property,
royalties, works of art or other valuable items.
• Reversionary gift:
This is a gift of an asset, such as a house or trust
fund, which can be used by your spouse, children
or other named individuals for their lifetime. On their
death, the whole or a portion of these assets reverts
to the College.
• Gifts from pensions:
You can nominate the College as a beneficiary
in your pension or SIPP (Self Invested Personal
Pension). If you have no dependents and would like
to nominate The Queen’s College, please speak
to your pension provider and seek advice about
the latest changes to inheritance tax impacting
personal pensions.
7

ADDING A LEGACY GIFT TO
YOUR WILL
Old Members who leave a gift to Queen’s in their will mostly give a percentage share of
their estate or a fixed sum of money, but there are other ways of giving (see page seven).
How do I change my will?
If you have already made a will but want to make changes to it, you should not
make alterations on the original document; you should either add a codicil (a written
amendment) or make a new will.
Codicils are intended for minor changes to a will, such as the addition of a specific or
pecuniary gift. If adding a codicil, you must observe certain formalities for it to be valid,
for example, it must be signed and witnessed. We have included a sample codicil for
your information at the back of this guide.
If you want to make a substantial change, such as adding a residuary gift, it is best to
make a new will and revoke the old will.
Sample wording for new or existing wills
Here is some sample wording for including The Queen’s College in your will or codicil:
‘I give ______________ (the whole, an amount or a percentage share)
of my estate to the Provost and Scholars of The Queen’s College in
the University of Oxford to be used for ______________ (the purpose),
and I declare that the receipt of the Provost or other duly authorised
officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Executors.’
8
Photo: Gareth Ardron

The three years I spent at Queen’s
transformed my future. It is no
exaggeration to say that Queen’s
changed my life and laid the
foundations for success. Giving
something back, by leaving a
legacy in my will, feels like a good
way to express my gratitude.
– Katy Meves (Modern History, 1992)
9

YOUR LEGACY GIFT
Donors may (but do not have to) specify how their legacy gift is to be used by Queen’s.
Most gifts in wills are given for ‘the general charitable purposes’ of the College.
This means that Queen’s will use the gift for the area of greatest need – providing vital
income to those areas not fully covered by endowment or fees.
Some donors prefer to leave a gift for a specific purpose or for a particular fundraising
priority. This needs to be properly addressed in your will. If you would like to leave a gift
to support an area of College life that is particularly important to you, please let us know
so that we can discuss your wishes with you.
Some legacy gifts may also be given as endowments, which means that the investment
income from the donation can be used in perpetuity. Please speak to us if you are
considering this.
SOME ADVANTAGES OF REMEMBERING
QUEEN’S IN YOUR WILL
• It provides the opportunity to give, or increase your giving, to Queen’s in ways which
may not have been possible during your lifetime.
• Leaving a charitable gift in your will may result in tax benefits for your estate (tax law is
subject to change so always take professional advice).
• Leaving a gift in your will entitles you to membership of the Taberdars’ Society.
• Legacy giving enables you to retain control of your assets during your lifetime.
• You can have complete control over the purpose and designation of your gift, giving
you the satisfaction of knowing it will be used exactly as you intend.
10

“The generous additional
support for the Library from
legacy gifts helps to unlock
its potential. We have been
able to use these donations to
make key acquisitions for special
collections connected to the College,
and to make available online or in person
treasures such as Shakespeare’s First
Folio. Such generosity helps the Library to
explore and expand its historic collections,
developing new ways of supporting the
aims of the College”.
– Dr Matthew Shaw, Librarian
11

RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND TEACHING
Legacy gifts of any amount can be given to help
safeguard our tutorial system and support research
at Queen’s.
If you would like to make a gift in your will to support
a particular Fellowship, please contact us to discuss
your wishes. You can also leave a gift to the Academic
Excellence Fund which is used to support our Junior
Research Fellowships and Fellowships that are not
fully supported from other funds.
MY QUEEN’S LEGACY
The Rt Hon. Lord Kingsland, Christopher Prout
(Economics, 1964)
Queen’s enjoys a strong tradition in medicine and the biomedical sciences.
Lord Florey, the Nobel Laureate who introduced penicillin as an antibiotic, was a
Provost of Queen’s, and Sir Edward Abraham, who discovered the cephalosporin
class of antibiotics, was a student at Queen’s and later an Honorary Fellow.
Today Professor Chris Norbury is the Kingsland Fellow in Medical Sciences at Queen’s and
teaches Queen’s students who study Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, as well as graduate
students in these areas. Chris’ research, based at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology,
concerns post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, and particularly how this is altered
in cancer cells.
The Kingsland Fellowship was endowed through a bequest from the late Lord Kingsland,
Sir Christopher Prout, and dedicated to the memory of his mother and father.
12

OUR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
The Queen’s College is an international community and Old Members can leave bequests
wherever they live in the world. If you live outside of the United Kingdom, please obtain
advice from legal professionals in your country when writing your will.
Donors in the United States can direct their bequests to Americans for Oxford (AFO).
AFO serves as the University of Oxford’s primary charitable organisation in the United
States. AFO is an independent 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity recognised by the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service, which accepts gifts to benefit the University and its colleges. Gifts to
AFO qualify for an income tax deduction to the full extent allowed by law.
For further information about planned giving in the United States, please contact the
Oxford North American Office: gifts@oxfordna.org. Please copy the Old Members’ Office
into your email so that we can assist with your enquiry: legacies@queens.ox.ac.uk.
MY QUEEN’S LEGACY
Professor Cyril Long (Chemistry, 1933) and Phillis Long
A legacy gift from Professor Cyril Long and his wife Phillis continues to drive academic
excellence at Queen’s. The Cyril and Phillis Long Studentships are awarded each year to up
to four candidates who will make a significant contribution to research.
“I am deeply grateful to be the recipient of this award. This
scholarship will allow me to focus my energy on work that will
sustainably safeguard world heritage at the Natural History
Museum of Zimbabwe. The College and the University
have provided me with unparalleled opportunities to raise
my profile as a researcher, exchanging expertise with
colleagues in Oxford, and globally.”
– Thandiwe Wilson (DPhil Archaeology, 2022)
13

14
The Martin Edwards Memorial Cricket
Match was a tribute and celebration of
the life of former Fellow, Tutor and Dean,
Dr Martin Edwards (Mathematics, 1960).
Taking part in sports and societies
fosters the strong sense of community
and wellbeing that is so important at
Queen’s. Support from our Old Members
helps to provide these opportunities.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY
Leaving a gift in your will, no matter the size, helps
to build and sustain the Queen’s community,
both now and in the future. Thank you for your
generosity.
You do not have to let Queen’s know if you have
left a gift in your will but, if you do, this will assist
us in our planning for the future. If you would like
to notify us of your legacy pledge, please return
the form at the back of this guide so that we can
thank you.
Leaving a gift in your will also entitles you to join
The Taberdars’ Society. Members of the Taberdars’
Society are invited back to College each year for
the annual luncheon, which is a great way to
meet old and new friends and find out about the
latest developments at College. If you would like
to become a member, we would be delighted to
hear from you.
This emblem of the Taberdars’ Society represents the vision of the Founder
of The Queen’s College, Robert de Eglesfield, to establish a collegiate hall
for scholars that would become ‘a fruitful tree’. Through the generations, this
vision has been nurtured by the generosity of the many people who have left
a gift in their wills.
Today, members of the Taberdars’ Society, represented by the outward facing
hands, have pledged to support the next generations of Queen’s Members who will
form part of that ‘fruitful tree’ through their education and personal development
at the College.
15

WE ARE HERE TO HELP
Queen’s has a dedicated Legacy Giving Officer who is always very happy to speak
to Old Members who would like more information about legacy giving. If you are
considering leaving a gift to Queen’s, please contact us so that we can assist you, in
the strictest confidence.
Contact us
For more information:
www.queens.ox.ac.uk/
support-queens/leave-agift-in-your-will/
Or scan the QR Code
The Legacy Giving Officer, The Queen’s College, High Street, Oxford OX1 4AW
Tel: +44 (0)1865 279218 Email: legacies@queens.ox.ac.uk
UK registered charity: 1142553
Official charity name: The Queen’s College, Oxford.
Thank you for your support
both today and in the future