Moore's Charity, sometimes called the Blue-coat Hospital was the earliest provision for the education of the labouring poor. Founded in 1626, by Thomas Moore, Alderman of Worcester, and Anne, sister of Sir Robert Berkeley for bringing up poor children whose parents were destitute of means to give them education fit for Christians. It was ordered that ten poor male children, aged between four and twelve, should be kept with lodgings, diet, washing, and apparel, and should be set as they grow in strength, such as should be capable to writing and reading at the free-school, and other unto such labour as they should be able to do.
"The children to be chosen from the parish of St.Martin as the overseers of the same parish should appoint, and for default of such, then others to be preferred that were born within the parish of Spetchley, or in default of such, then such as were born in the city of Worcester, or in default of such, then such were to be preferred as were born in the parish of Suckley"
The document giving the above information, also states: "The charity was worth £41 . 2s, of this £40. 6s. 8d was to be paid and employed for the upbringing of ten male children. In 1639, Mrs Annie Moore augmented the above by twenty nobles a year".
Valentine Green in his 'Survey of the City of Worcester', published in 1764, states that :
"Moore's hospital, situate in Silver Street near the Infirmary. This charity provides for the clothing and maintenace of ten blue boys of St.Martin's parish; for which the governor has four pounds a month.
