Thomas Cave (merchant) facts for kids

Thomas Cave (died 1603) was a successful businessman from England. He was known as a chapman (someone who traveled around selling goods) and a cloth merchant, which means he sold fabrics. Thomas was born in a place called Burley, which was part of the area known as Otley back then. He became quite wealthy and owned properties in big cities like Wakefield and London, as well as land all over Yorkshire.

Who Was Thomas Cave?

Thomas Cave lived a long time ago, in the 1500s and early 1600s. He made his money by selling cloth, which was a very important business at that time. People needed cloth for clothes, blankets, and many other things. Thomas was good at his job and managed to buy a lot of land and houses.

Thomas was married to a woman named Beatrice Lister. They did not have any children. His father was also named Thomas Cave, and he passed away in 1591.

Thomas Cave's Generous Gifts

Thomas Cave died on May 4, 1603. Before he passed away, he made a will, which is a document that says what should happen to his money and property. Thomas Cave wanted to use his wealth to help others, especially in education and for people in need.

He left a large sum of money, £250, to help create a new school called Prince Henry's Grammar School. This was a very generous gift, but it came with a condition: the local community had to raise a similar amount of money and find land for the school. This shows he wanted the community to be involved in making the school happen.

Thomas also cared about people who were struggling. He gave £20 and two houses in Wakefield to be used by people who needed a place to live and were good members of the community. He also gave £40 to help poor children in Leeds, £20 for people in need in Otley, and another 40 Shillings for the poor people in Burley, his hometown. These gifts helped many people in different towns.