Thomas Alleyne ( – 1558) was an English priest of the sixteenth century. He is remembered for founding schools. Details of his early life are lacking, although he appears to have had roots in Staffordshire where he later endowed two schools. The

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

states that he was probably born in Sudbury (on the border between Staffordshire and Derbyshire). He was possibly educated at Cambridge. By 1526 Alleyne became rector of

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

, Hertfordshire. He was buried in St Nicholas' Church, Stevenage, although no memorial survives there.

Legacy

In 1547, Thomas Alleyne received a legacy from his brother Ralph, who was interested in supporting charitable work. Ralph was a businessman who served as

Sheriff of the City of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

. Thomas Alleyne may have supported schools during his lifetime, but what is known for certain is that three schools were endowed under the terms of his will. They are: * The Thomas Alleyne Academy,

, Hertfordshire, * Alleyne's Academy,

Stone, Staffordshire Stone is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England; it is situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of the county town of Stafford, 7 miles (11 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent and 15 miles (24 km) north of Rugeley. As a notable c ...

* Thomas Alleyne's High School,

Uttoxeter Uttoxeter ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in the East Staffordshire borough of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border. The town is from Burton upon Trent via the A50 and the A38, from Stafford via the A51 ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

. Alleyne created statutes for the schools and left property to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

in order to support them. They remained under the governorship of Trinity College until the twentieth century when they were drawn into the state system of education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alleyne, Thomas Founders of English schools and colleges People from Uttoxeter 1558 deaths Burials in Hertfordshire Year of birth unknown 16th-century English clergy People from Sudbury, Derbyshire People from Stevenage Year of birth uncertain