Making a Bequest

Different types of Bequest

Stowe welcomes all forms of legacy-giving. You may first like to consider what sort of bequest to make. There are broadly four types, which are described briefly here.

Pecuniary
A pecuniary bequest is a gift of a specific sum of money.

Residuary Legacy
A residuary bequest is a gift of the residue (or percentage) of an estate after other bequests have been met.

Specific
A specific bequest (or a bequest in kind) could be of stocks and shares, land or any other property, and works of art.

Reversionary
A reversionary gift is one which allows named persons to benefit from assets during their lifetimes, after which the assets are transferred to the ultimate beneficiary.

Writing your first Will

If you have not yet made a will, you might wish to consider contacting a solicitor for advice. We would be delighted to welcome you to membership of the Roxburgh Society, which is open to all those who intend to, or have made a bequest to Stowe in their will. The practise of leaving a bequest to Stowe in your will can be very straightforward: having decided which type of bequest you would like to make, you should then decide which of the two charitable trusts (or perhaps both) should benefit (Stowe School Foundation, and Stowe House Preservation Trust), and ideally include their charity number(s) within your will. These are as follows:

Stowe School Foundation: Charity Number 1071363

Stowe House Preservation Trust: Charity Number 1066272

Adapting an existing Will

You may already have made your Will, in which case leaving a bequest to Stowe will require a 'codicil'. We have provided suggested wording for this on a form that you can download here as a pdf, or obtain one by contacting Sue Robwell at the Campaign for Stowe office. You should then advise your solicitor.

Finally, although making a legacy is essentially a very private matter, it is an encouraging indication of support and is helpful to us for planning purposes to know that you have left a legacy to Stowe. Joining the Roxburgh Society will, in itself, let us know of your intentions in outline; if you felt willing to, we would be very grateful to know the scale of your bequest and the specific purpose that you would like it directed to. This can be done by either sending us a copy of the codicil form, or simply by letting us know by post or email.

Thank you.