Why leave a legacy?

As the cost of education increases and government support declines, the College is forced to rely ever more on its endowment and the generosity of donors for core educational activities, as well as for the development and expansion of facilities for learning.

Legacy support to the College provides a lasting way to recognise the impact that Corpus has had on the lives of its members and to continue the tradition of excellence in teaching and research, which have been a cornerstone of the College's educational mission across the generations.

As the College prepares for the future, the priority for legacy support must be to strengthen the endowment and help ensure that Corpus can react to educational needs in the centuries ahead.

The making of a Will is an extremely personal matter and the College makes no assumption that those who choose to leave a gift in this way will necessarily choose to inform the College of their intention during their lifetime.  Corpus is however particularly grateful when Old Members and friends choose to inform the College of their plans.  This gives the College an idea of the legacies it can expect in the future and therefore helps with long term financial planning.  It also gives the College the opportunity to recognise legacy donors in their lifetime by offering membership of the 1352 Foundation Society.

If you are considering naming Corpus in your Will or would like to receive further information get in touch with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on 01223 339731 or download the forms here and send them to the Development Office.

All correspondence is treated in the strictest confidence.

1352 Foundation Society

Corpus Christi College was founded and endowed in 1352 by members of the Guilds of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary and given its charter to further education, religion, learning and research.

The 1352 Foundation Society was created in order to recognise the generosity and commitment of those who have pledged legacies to the College.  Membership of this Society acknowledges those who have informed us of their intention to leave the College a gift in their will.  Through the 1352 Foundation Society, we recognise legacy gifts within the lifetime of the donors so that they can enjoy a relationship with the College and its current members.

Each year the Society hosts a Members' Day, which includes lunch, an exhibition, a tour or a lecture.  We want Members to feel involved in the life of the College and welcome them and their families.  Each member receives a certificate of membership in acknowledgement of their commitment to the College and we publish a list of members with our annual donor list, although any member can retain anonymity if they wish. 

About your will

If you have already made a will

If you have already made a will, but would like to leave a gift to Corpus Christi College, you can do so by making a simple addition to your existing will. This is called a Codicil.

If you have not already made a will

If you do not have a will at the moment, you may need to see a solicitor. Although you will have to pay a fee, you will receive sound professional advice and can be sure that your wishes will be achieved.

Ways to give to Corpus Christi College in your will

* Pecuniary legacy – This is a simple legacy of a specified sum.  A gift made in this way is likely to lose its value through inflation over the years.  The sum can however be index-linked to help retain its value.
* Residuary legacy - You can choose to leave a share, or the whole, of what is left of your estate once you have provided for your loved ones.
*Reversionary legacy – This allows you to provide for your family first by leaving your assets to trustees, the income from  or benefit of which is given to named beneficiaries during their lifetime.  Those assets, or a portion of them, can then pass to Corpus Christi College on their death.
*Non-monetary legacy – Specific gifts such as property, works of art, shares or other valuables can be left to the College.
*Conditional legacy – This allows you to make your bequest dependent on a certain circumstance, for example that you will leave your estate to the College if none of your named dependants survive you.

Will your estate be taxed?

Most gifts made during your lifetime are tax-free, as long as you make them at least seven years before your death. If you don't, inheritance tax will be taken from all that you own above the current threshold amount (£325,000 at the time of writing).

A gift to a registered charity, however, is always free from inheritance tax. So a legacy to a charity such as Corpus Christi College would effectively reduce any tax the estate has to pay.

The Chancellor announced that for deaths occurring on or after 6 April 2012 a new rate of tax of 36% will apply in cases where 10% or more of the deceased’s net estate is left to charity. ‘Net estate’ for this purpose will be the value of the estate after deducting all IHT exemptions, reliefs and the nil rate band.  The Government will be consulting on the details for implementing the plan and intends to issue a consultation paper before summer 2011.

Contact us

If you are considering naming Corpus in your Will or would like to receive further information get in touch with This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on 01223 339731 or download the forms here and send them to the Development Office.