Robert Aske

Robert Aske (24 February 1619 – 27 January 1689) was a merchant and haberdasher in the City of London. He is remembered primarily for the charitable foundation created from his estate, which nowadays operates two schools in Hertfordshire, Haberdashers' Boys' School and Haberdashers' School for Girls, and others elsewhere. Life Aske was the son of an affluent draper. Aske was apprenticed to John Trott, a haberdasher (dealer in raw silk) and East India Company merchant. Aske became a freeman of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in 1643 and was elected an alderman of the City of London in 1666. Slave trade From 1671 Aske held £500 of original stock in the slave-trading Royal African Company, where he was one of 198 stockholders, entitling him to a single vote. He became Master of the Haberdashers' Company, but was removed from that position by James II in 1687 when the Catholic King lost faith in Aske, a Protestant. Aske made an investment of £500 (c. £K as of ) in the Royal African Company (RAC) in 1672. This was made under the provisions of the original RAC charter of 1672 which stipulated that individual investors were entitled to one vote for each £100 share. To be elected an assistant, or director, of the RAC, a shareholder had to hold at least £400 of shares. This regulation required those who wished to be entitled to vote as a shareholder in the RAC to show some financial commitment. Aske may have voted and participated in discussion about policy decisions, but there is no evidence that he was elected as an assistant, or director, of the company. At the time of his death, his estate included £650 (c. £K as of ) of RAC stock. This represents 1.3% of the total value of his estate. As a result of discussion of Aske's legacy in 2021, his name was dropped from the two Haberdashers' Schools in Elstree, although it was retained by their governing body.