Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the use of charitable funds by the numerous churches in the City of London became something of a public scandal
(mainly lavish meals for the trustees and their cronies). The outcry led to a Royal Commission and subsequently the London Parochial Charities Act of 1883. Under
that act all the funds held in trust by the vestries of the parishes in the City were amalgamated into a single fund, which became the charity known today as City Parochial Foundation. However, the five largest parishes, of which Cripplegate was one, were allowed to keep their funds, but amalgamated into a single pot. The
Cripplegate charities were thus amalgamated under a Charity Commission scheme in 1891 as Cripplegate Foundation. In accordance with the Charity Commission ideas, the new amalgamated charities were devoted mainly to educational purposes through Polytechnics and Institutes for City workers.