The School was founded in 1932 as a memorial to the life and works of Gertrude Bell. Bell was passionate about archaeology and bequeathed £6,000 for its founding when she died in 1926. Further fundraising in 1929 added £14,000, and although the Great Depression left the fund depleted, the school was established in 1932.[2] Its initial purpose was to fund excavations by archaeologists and provide scholarship to British students working on archaeological projects in Iraq.