11 October 2007
City of London Corporation pays good money to find three honest
women
- The City of London Corporation keeps romance and history alive
finding recipients of a time-honoured marriage dowry
It is a truth universally acknowledged that marriage can be a
costly affair with the average couple spending around £11,000 on
their big day. Marriage has never come cheap and one man who lived
in 19th century London was so madly in love with his wife, and
determined to help fellow happy couples tie the knot that his money
is still being handed out to London’s lovers today through the City
of London Corporation.
Pasquale Favale was a 19th century Italian with a passion for
London -and in particular for his Londoner wife Eliza Bryan -who
bequeathed 18,000 Lira to the City of London Corporation. He
stipulated that each year a portion of the money was to be given to
“three poor, honest, young woman, natives of the City of London,
aged 16 to 25 who had recently been or were about to be married.”
Clearly a true romantic, Favale’s will stated that he was “induced
to make the bequest by the fact that his wife was a native of
London and that he had passed many happy years of his life in the
City” with his beloved wife Eliza. The City of London Corporation
is determined to keep this tradition alive.
With London being one of the most expensive cities to live in,
the City of London Corporation’s biggest challenge since then has
been finding women who live in the City, can prove that they are
City-born and, of course ‘honest’! Obviously the Lira distributed
throughout the years won’t cover a costly £11,000 wedding, but with
each modern-day dowry recipient receiving on average £100, it’s a
nice contribution to the day that can be put towards a special
treat like the cake or table decorations.
2007 marks the 125th anniversary of the bequest which was made
in 1882 and to mark the occasion the City of London Corporation
recently carried out a search for recipients who received the dowry
in the past and invited them to a special celebration in the
City.
One of the past Pasquale Favale brides present at the event was
72 year old Barbara Jelley who received the dowry at the time of
her marriage in 1958. Although her husband sadly passed away last
year, Mrs Jelley was happily married for over 40 years. Says
Barbara Jelley: “Marriage is a wonderful institution but it takes
work to keep the spark alive. It seems quite appropriate that one
of the criteria from Pasquale Favale was honesty as I think honesty
is one of the most important things for making sure marriage is
successful and happy.”
The past recipients of Pasquale Favale’s bequest joined the
Italian Ambassador and Committee Chairman John Brewster OBE at
Guildhall on Wednesday 10th October for afternoon tea and the
presentation of dowries to this year’s lucky brides as well as the
brides uncovered by the search.
Ends
For more information please contact:
Rosalind Jeffcoat or Louise Ambridge Rain Communications UK
Tel 020 7222 4345
Email:
name.surname@raincommunications.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
With its roots in mediaeval times, the City of London is the oldest
local authority in England. Even the Parliament at Westminster is
based on the City of London's Court of Common Council, which has
been referred to as the 'Grandmother of Parliaments'.
The City of London combines its ancient traditions and
ceremonial functions with the role of a modern and efficient local
authority, looking after the needs of its residents, businesses and
over 320,000 people who come to work in the 'Square Mile' every
day.
The City of London Corporation is the “business authority for
the business district” and supports the international financial
services industry based in the UK, with its heart in the Square
Mile. It provides local authority services for the Square Mile but
also works across wider London and UK.