The History of The Grateful Society

The Society can trace its origins back to 1758. It is one of a triumvirate of societies (the others being the Dolphin and the Anchor) founded in the mid-18th century to honour the memory of Bristol's greatest philanthropist, Edward Colston. Edward Colston's birthday was 2nd November but due to a calendar change in 1752 it moved to 13th November (Colston Day). Traditionally the Society's appeal has taken place during these "lost days".

Originally the Society's Appeal took place at the Annual Dinner and subsequently by a personal visit from the President. For 100 years a personal letter to friends and business associates has achieved success and this remains the mainstay. However donations are now sought more regularly from trusts and foundations and contributions can now be made by debit card and online.

The History of the Grateful Society Booklet

We have written a document charting the history of the Grateful Society. This is free and may be downloaded by clicking on the link below:

Grateful Society Booklet 2008.pdf (2 Mb)

To open the PDF files you will need Adobe Reader. If you do not have this already it may be download for free from Adobe's website.