(Registered Charity No. 208563)

The earliest records date from 1861. They show a balance in the Alms account for 1860 of £24-16s-4d. The January collection at the Conclave of Great Priory was £2-7s-6d, and, yes, in those days it was called a Conclave and not a Chapter of Great Priory. In 1862, three Guineas was granted to Sir Knight Sherwood and in 1864, £5 was granted to Josaphine Grimble, daughter of a deceased knight and another grant of £10 to Sir Knight Ledward. In 1866 Sir Knight William J Meymott moved the following resolution: “That in the opinion of Grand Master’s Council it is desirable to establish a ‘Fund of Benevolence’ of the Order”. This was seconded by the Deputy Grand Master and carried without discussion. Alterations and additions were then made to the Statutes including altering “all fines shall be applied for the purpose of Grand Conclave” and substituting, “all fines shall be paid to the Treasurer of the Fund of Benevolence”. Another addition was that each Encampment (Preceptory) shall pay to the Fund of Benevolence on or before 31st of March each year, the sum of 1/- for each member of the Encampment. The Fund stood at £26-3s-5d in 1866 and by 1907 the Benevolent Fund had reached £2.5K. 

In 1923 the Order of St John of Jerusalem had set aside £1,000, donated by the KT, for the permanent endowment of a bed in the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem belonging to the Order. The remaining money was applied towards the restoration of the hospital after the destruction by the Turks. A small tablet was to be erected over one of the beds in the hospital to commemorate the fact that it had been endowed by the KT of England and Wales. In 1924 it was decided that after donating a large amount to a bed at the Ophthalmic hospital in Jerusalem and following our reputed origins and connections with the hospital, the KT should have a closer connection with that body, especially as the Grand Master was also Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. It was therefore proposed that the Alms should be devoted to the Order of St John of Jerusalem. It was also suggested that each individual Preceptory should give at least part of their collections to the same cause. These proposals were accepted. The first year that donations to the hospital were published was 1934, showing contributions since December 1933. This has continued and is still published today with the Summons for the May meeting of Great Priory.

A petition form can be downloaded from below. All applications must be submitted in the first instance to the Provincial Vice-Chancellor for approval before being sent to Great Priory. When a Knight applies to the KT Benevolent Fund, the application is reviewed by the Mark Benevolent Fund Petitions Committee. They have the experience and expertise to assess the needs of the applicant and will decide on a suitable grant where appropriate. The Committee’s report will then be passed back to the KT for action. If it is found that a Knight is a member of the Mark or OSM, it is recommended that any grant awarded will be taken in part from each fund.

Since its move to East Jerusalem 50 years ago, The St John Ophthalmic Hospital has evolved into a series of centres of ophthalmic excellence right across the occupied Palestinian territory. Though a mere fifty years is nothing when compared to the 128 years that the Hospital has been in the Holy Land – and pales into insignificance alongside the original Order of St John Hospital, established in Jerusalem in 1099 – the last half a century has seen some momentous changes in the nature of what has become the modern Hospital Group. Here we take a look back at some of the greatest achievements accomplished during these 50 years, which serve to highlight just how much of an impact our charity continues to make in a very troubled region of the world