The Educational Charity of Thomas Hammond
In 1746 Thomas Hammond left, in his will, a sum of £200 for a school to be established for the education of the poor in the Parish of Somersham. After a donation of land by The Church Commissioners in 1767 the school was built in Church Street in 1782.
The Foundation was established to provide equipment to enable the poor to be educated at the school and in 1908 a trust document was sealed at The Board of Education. It established that the trustees were The Rector of Somersham (as an ex-officio trustee), two members of the Parish Church, three Parish Councillors, and two from Huntingdon County Council; as it was the education authority.
In 1964 the present school in Parkhall Road was opened and the old school building was sold. The money was shared between the Foundation and the Church Commissioners for educational purposes in the Parish of Somersham and the Parish Church respectively. The Foundation’s money was invested in the Charities Ordinary Investment Fund (COIF) which is overseen by the Charities Commission and the income from that is the Foundation’s current source of income.
Today the Foundation is in existence to support the education of children. Reproduced by the kind permission of Alan Draper.
To find out more please visit: The Educational Charity of Thomas Hammond
