The charity was registered in 2014 with aim to promote education in genealogy and personal heritage. It was removed from the charity register on 2 August 2023 as it ceased to operate.
The Commission launched its inquiry in February 2022 after identifying serious concerns during a separate inquiry into The Mahfouz Foundation, which had links with Burke’s Peerage Foundation.
The inquiry was opened to determine the extent to which the trustees were complying with their legal duties in how they administered and managed the charity, including compliance with legal obligations around preparing and filing annual accounts and annual returns.
In its inquiry report, the Commission concludes that William Bortrick and Mark Ayre were responsible for misconduct and mismanagement. The regulator has concluded that they failed to manage conflicts of interest, misapplied charity funds, received unauthorised personal benefits, and failed to submit accurate annual returns to the regulator.
The inquiry found that the trustees had purchased items that did not further the charity’s purposes, including antique furniture, paintings and statues. In one instance, a desk and bookcase were bought for £16,000 using the charity’s funds and were then kept and used at Mr Bortrick’s home.
The inquiry found the charity paid for services that benefited a company linked to both trustees. For example, it paid for insurance, which would cover legal fees to protect the name of Burke’s Peerage – a guide to the genealogy and heraldry of historical families owned by a private company belonging to one of the trustees.
As a result of the Commission’s interventions, on 16 February 2024, Mr Bortrick and Mr Ayre were disqualified from being trustees or senior managers at any charity for 12 years. As part of its inquiry, the Commission recovered £113,000 of misapplied charitable funds from the trustees. The charity was removed from the register on 2 August 2023, and its remaining funds (£121,455) were passed to another charity, which will use the monies in line with the objects of Burke’s Peerage Foundation.
The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be a fair, balanced, and independent expert regulator so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.
