HERBERT HUGHES MEMORIAL TRUST BURSARY

Applications for this award are invited from undergraduates of The University of Sheffield or of Sheffield Hallam University about to enter their second year of study.

Eligible candidates are:

i) Students taking a course in Hispanic Studies with Management/Business Studies or in Hispanic Studies with Law,
ii) Students of Hispanic Studies who can demonstrate an active interest in pursuing a career, after graduation, where their linguistic qualifications might be applied in business/commercial spheres or in relevant branches of the legal profession.

The amount of the award for the holder´s second year of study will be £500. The Bursary will thereafter be renewable for a further two years (£1000 for the period of study/placement in Spain, Portugal or Latin America, then £500 for the final year of the undergraduate course), subject to endorsement by the student´s Department and subject also to receipt by the Trustees of satisfactory written reports annually from the award holder.

Application and selection procedure:

After consultation with academic tutor(s) and Head of Department (from whom references will be sought), a written submission from the applicant will contain a formal curriculum vitae together with a statement about their experience, personal interests, career aspirations, etc. Selection will be made after interviews with the Hughes Trustees, usually held in June, and the successful candidate will be notified before the beginning of their second year of study. The same time-table will also apply to applications for renewal of the Bursary.

Applications and references should be addressed to the student´s Head of Department, together with a covering letter.

THE HERBERT HUGHES MEMORIAL FUND

The Origins

The Herbert Hughes Memorial Fund was established in 1918 to commemorate "the great service which Col. Herbert Hughes C.B., C.M.G., had rendered to the commerce and the trade of the City of Sheffield".

Herbert Hughes was a solicitor who came to Sheffield in 1877 when he joined the law firm of Younge Wilson & Co. In time he became acknowledged as the city´s leading commercial lawyer.

He was involved in both local and national politics, being elected Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 1905 and in the following year he was elected leader of the Conservative Party on the Sheffield City Council.

He became an international authority on Trade Mark Law. In 1902, he became Law Clerk to the Cutler´s Company. At that time the company´s main function was as a sub-office of the national Trade Mark Office and his expertise was much called upon. In 1911 he oversaw the establishment of the Sheffield Advisory Committee within the Cutler´s Company whose role was to raise funds and prosecute companies who misused the word "Sheffield"

He held office as president of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and also as president of the Sheffield Law Society. Amongst other officers, he was vice consul for the USA and for Sweden.

He was a member of the Council of the University of Sheffield from1905 to 1917 and prior to that he had been a member of the Council of University College since 1898. At the time of his death he was Treasurer of the University, having been appointed the previous year.

In 1914 the teaching of Spanish was temporarily suspended as a subject in the University, following the death of J.A.Swift, who had been lecturer in Spanish since the formation of the University and before that at Firth College. Recognizing the growing importance of Spanish for commerce, a meeting was called in 1916 by the Chamber of Commerce. The meeting was presided over by Col. Hughes and it pledged to support the establishment of a chair or lectureship in Spanish at the University.

In the event the proposal came to nothing because of the sudden death of Col. Hughes the following year at the age of 64 whilst on a business trip to London. Such was the esteem in which he was held that, in order to perpetuate his memory a substantial sum of money was collected and in April 1918 the Foundation Deed of the Herbert Hughes Memorial Fund was executed at a meeting at the Cutlers Hall.

The fund was made available to the University of Sheffield for the creation of a chair or lectureship in Spanish and in the same year J.N.Birch was appointed as first Hughes Lecturer. The fund continues to support the study of Hispanic languages in local schools and at both the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University.