History

It is remarkable that the life of one man, living in the turbulent Tudor era, has had such an impact upon the town of Woodbridge in Suffolk, an impact that is as powerful today as it has been down the centuries.

Thomas Seckford served Elizabeth I in a number of important judicial roles. He amassed a personal fortune and when he died in 1587 he left his estate in Clerkenwell to endow an Almshouse for 13 poor men in Woodbridge. The annual income was a little over £100.

As time passed, however, London expanded and finally engulfed Clerkenwell. The rental value of his properties increased steadily over the decades.

At the start of the Victorian period the old Almshouses were replaced by impressive new buildings. In 1861 it was suggested that the Almshouse charity be joined with the smaller and less well-endowed Free-School charity. The Free-School had been founded in 1662 by Dorothy Seckford and other benefactors. The union took place and a new school was constructed just outside the town.

This is the essence of the Seckford Foundation which now has responsibility for young and old alike. Woodbridge and the wider community still celebrate the life and generosity of this Tudor statesman.