Peter Hervé, founder, was born in London 1779, but was living in Bristol when he became aware that the trade wars on business and commerce  and subsequent loss of livelihoods had a huge impact on the people of Bristol and the surrounding towns of Cheltenham and Bath. This, together with his experience of living in London and witnessing his Grandfather's work in the French Hospital caring for the sick and elderly may have developed in him a desire to help those at risk of destitution and the poor house, particularly those in the middle ranks of society.
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So, in 1808 , when he was just 29, he established committees in Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham and Gloucester to raise money through subscriptions and donations. The money would then go towards paying a pension or other payment to those no longer able to work because of age or illness. Potential beneficiaries would be visited by a committee member who would report to members who would then take a vote on  whether they were to be successful.
In 1812, a further committee was established in London, and this committee became the National Benevolent Charity of today.
Peter Hervé devoted his life to the charity's work at great cost to his own financial health and well-being, refusing to take anything for himself from the charity and he died in France in 1827 at the age of only 48.

However, the charity had eminent supporters including Edward Jenner; the Duke of Wellington and Sir Thomas Baring and as it grew in popularity, Princess Charlotte, the daughter of the Prince Regent was the first to associate herself with the it. The first patron was the Duke of Kent, father of Queen Victoria and, in 1859, Queen Victoria granted the charity a Royal Charter and, for much of her reign, it was amongst the most notable and successful of charities in the country.

By 1912, a century after it had been established, more than 3,300 people had been awarded pensions, there had been over 6,000 members and the income for the year was over £20,000, about £2.7 million today

From the beginning, the annual reports of the charity have many stories of people who had fallen on hard times and who were rescued from grinding poverty.

With the development of the welfare state in the 20^th century after 1945, it was anticipated that the need for the pensions would diminish and the charity moved into providing housing for the elderly in Westgate on Sea, Old Windsor and Tetbury.

However, since 2012 the charity has increasingly focussed its grant making on one - off grants to individuals rather than pensions and in 2019 began making grants to organisations seeking to support those experiencing poverty.