On April 23, 1738, (Gregorian date: May 4), George Frideric Handel helped to found the “Fund for the Support of Decayed Musicians” (now the Royal Society of Musicians). Other subscribers to the fund included the British composers Boyce, Arne, Green, and Pepusch.
They held its first meeting at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in London.
They started the fund after someone found the widow and children of Handel’s oboe soloist, John Kitch, impoverished on the streets of London.