Old Swinford Hospital is a comprehensive boys' boarding school in Oldswinford, Stourbridge, West Midlands, England that has been in continuous operation since the 17th century. It is one of 36 state boarding schools in England, meaning school fees are funded by the LEA and pupils only pay boarding fees. Girls are admitted into the sixth form as day pupils
Old Swinford Hospital opened in the late summer of 1667. It was founded by Thomas Foley, an ironmaster and prominent local landowner, whose main estate was at Great Witley, west of Stourport in Worcestershire, but with strong Stourbridge connections. It was to educate 60 boys from “poor but honest” families nominated by specified parishes in Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. The school was sometimes named as Foley's blue coat school or hospital, or Oldswinford Hospital Endowed School.[1] The school had run to 70 boys by 1868
Thomas Foley(1617-1677) was an English ironmaster and politician who sat in the House of Commonsat various times between 1659 and 1677.
Foley was the eldest son of Richard Foley and his second wife Alice Brindley. His father was a prominent Midlands ironmaster of Stourbridge. Foley took over his father's business and made great profits from it in the 1650s and 1660s, which he used to buy estates. In 1659 he was elected Member of Parliament for Worcestershire in the Third Protectorate Parliament. He was elected MP for Bewdley in 1660 for the Convention Parliament. In 1673 he was elected MP for Bewdley in a by-election to the Cavalier Parliament.[1]
Foley built Witley Court. In the late 1660s, he founded a bluecoat school at Stourbridge known as Old Swinford Hospital, which he endowed in his will.
Foley married Anne Browne, daughter of John Browne. They had four sons: Thomas, Paul, Philip and Samuel; and two daughters: Martha and Sarah.
Foley handed his business over to his sons, another Thomas Foley, Paul Foley, and Philip Foley.
