From William Hunt's will in 1589 to the thriving charitable organisations of the 21st century, care for the poor and disadvantaged has supplemented the duties of the Parish as Overseers of the Poor (the origins of the welfare state).
Books Galore - No More
A history of Harpenden's Toc H stall
Commander in Care
The Story of Percy English and Harpenden St John's Ambulance Brigade
Community Meeting Point
A much-valued Harpenden charity
Dr Hester
A patient's tribute
Field House
A short history
Harpenden Red Cross Society
A short summary of the first 75 years, from 1938-2013
James Marshall - 1661-1722
Benefactor of young people in Wheathampstead and Harpenden
Ken's Kingdom
Memories of life at the N.C.H, Highfield Oval, in the 1940s and 1950s
More Memories of Harpenden's Childrens Home
Memories of Two NCH 'Sisters' from the 1940s to 1960s
Old Elmfield School member
Fond memories of being a 'boarder' there!
Parish Chest
Overseers accounts
The Children's Sanatorium, Harpenden
A Special branch of the National Children's Home and Orphanage
The Red House
Reminiscences of a trainee nurse in the 1960s
Harpenden Charities
Bequests from the 16th to 19th centuries forming the Harpenden United Charities
The Lying-in Charity
Help for poor married women
Harpenden Paupers
Parish relief, 'outdoor' and 'indoor' - for parishioners and those passing through
Looking after the Poor
from the Middles Ages to the Union Workhouse
Insanity
Harpenden Hall Asylum - an early advertisement c1848
Self-help in Nineteenth Century Harpenden
Ways of eaking out meagre wages and coping with misfortune
St Helena's, 40 Luton Road
Harpenden Memorial Nursing Centre to Welfare Clinic
Harpenden Memorial Hospital
The Red House, opened 1941
The Maple Convalescent Home
From "The Lady's Pictorial" June 12th 1897
National Children's Home
Moved to Harpenden in 1913 and offered employment training to orphaned boys and girls
Percy English
A lifetime of service
St Margaret's Crossway
An orphange for "friendless little girls"
St Margaret's, Crossway - a child's view
Miss Hazel Inglefield's reminiscences, written in the 1980s