The Sir Henry Stephenson Endowment Trust

Exterior photo of Stephenson Halls of Residence
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The Sir Henry Stephenson Endowment Trust was originally established in 1912 by Lady Stephenson, widow of Sir Henry Stephenson who had taken a prominent part in the foundation of the University and who had died in 1904.

Its original object was the establishment of a Hall of Residence in connection with the University for the benefit of students, especially those intending to take Holy Orders (become clergy in the Church of England).

The original Stephenson Hall, which existed until 1939, was for many years the only Hall for men in Sheffield and, though never large, was an important influence in the life of the University.

In the changed circumstances after World War II the main part of the endowment is now applied in accordance with a scheme under the Charitable Trusts Acts, to the provision of a Research Fellowship in the University. The first Fellow was appointed in 1951.


The Endowment’s purposes

There are three purposes to the endowment.

First, in the award of a Fellowship to be called the “Sir Henry Stephenson Fellowship” tenable at  the University of Sheffield by a person who is part of the worldwide Anglican communion and a university graduate. The fellowship award has been granted in almost every decade since 1950. The two most recent awardees have been Grace Emmett (see the Reimagining Paul project), and currently, Matt Williams.

The second purpose, is the award of grants or bursaries to persons studying for ordained Anglican Ministry (with a preference for those who are graduates of the University of Sheffield); 

The third and final purpose is the promotion of religious education in accordance with the doctrines of the Church of England for the benefit of students attending the University of Sheffield. (It is worth noting that the Church of England promotes excellent ecumenical Christian relationships, between diverse denominations and good inter-faith relationships with the World Religions.)

One use of this third purpose has been the Stephenson Lectures or other public learning seminars and events.