THE LEGACY of a charity set up 300 years ago to give Droitwich youngsters an education will be celebrated next week by the schools that have benefited from it.
Richard Lloyd’s charity, which established both Sytchampton Endowed Primary and Ombersley First Schools, was formed on October 17, 1723 to allow youngsters to learn at a time before government education became available.
Both schools will now hold a celebration day marking the milestone next Tuesday, during which they will be spending the day researching life in the 1700s.
Pupils and staff will also be asked to dress up in costumes from that era.
Local man Richard Lloyd devised a scheme with Sir Samuel Sandys, the then Lord of the manor, to provide the schools and revenue to run them.
The charity, now called Lloyd’s Educational Foundation, had nine trustees, including whoever was Lord of the manor and the Vicar.
It was decided education would be free to children of Ombersley parish where the rateable value of the parent’s property was £5 or less.
The first school opened at Brookhampton in 1729, the year Richard Lloyd died, and two schools were later built in Ombersley village.
In 1826 Brookhampton School and its land were sold and the current Sytchampton school was built.
Sychampton is now a grade II-listed building.
The replacement Ombersley school was built in 1873 to replace the smaller schools on land gifted by Lord Sandys.
