Beatrice was born in the east end of Glasgow in 1827. Her father, John Clugston was an accountant Treasurer of the Calton Provident Bank. Beatrice’s mother was Mary Mackenzie. This couple had 5 children with daughter Beatrice being the eldest.
As a child, Beatrice was surrounded by philanthropy work. Her father, uncle and cousin were all heavily involved in philanthropic works, and as such, it was not a surprise that Beatrice, too, turned to philanthropy as a young woman. She took to visiting the Glasgow Infirmary every morning and chatting with the patients. In doing this, Beatrice became acutely aware of the plight of the impoverished patients and set up a Dorcas Society which provided clothing to these patients as well as a small sum of money when they were discharged, to help them get back on their feet. Part of the work of this society was that the women took turns visiting those patients who had no other visitors so that they did not feel alone during their time of need.
When she wasn’t helping people in hospital, she would visit inmates in prison. She was an incredibly talented fundraiser and managed to raise enough funds to create the Glasgow Convalescent Home in Bothwell. She went on to found a second home in Dunoon and set up the Broomhill Homes for Incurables in Kirkintilloch.
In spite of
her ability to raise funds for others, Beatrice paid little attention to her own
finances and by early 1876, she and her mother were in fairly dire straits.
Soon a subscription was raised, taking in £3000 which provided an annuity for
her and her mother. Beatrice died in December 1888 at the age of 61. Her legacy
lives on in the buildings she founded.
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