the need for a secondary

Early years: 1888–1918
A red bricked building with a spired roof, windows and a black door
Stafford House on East Street, the first site of The Judd School

The Judd School was established in 1888, but the need for a secondary school to supplement Sir Andrew Judd's Grammar School (now known as the famous Public School: Tonbridge School) was acknowledged as early as 1870, after it was revealed that only one in 200 of its students was the son of a Tonbridge tradesman.[2] Tonbridge School was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judd,[nb 1] who made a fortune in the Muscovy fur trade during the 16th century.[4] His endowment was left in the hands of the Worshipful Company of Skinners, who agreed to fund the establishment of a commercial school in Tonbridge in 1875.[5][6] However, the Charity Commissioners – empowered by the 1869 Endowed Schools Act to govern the establishment of charitably funded schools – directed that the £20,000 provided by The Skinners' Company for this cause be taken to neighbouring Tunbridge Wells, where it was used to establish The Skinners' School in September 1887.[7][8]

Demand persisted for a similar school in Tonbridge; in July 1888, William J. D. Bryant, previously an assistant master at Tonbridge School,[9] was named headmaster of Sir Andrew Judd's Commercial School,[10] which opened on 17 September at Stafford House on East Street, Tonbridge.[9] The funds were provided by a loan of £13,000 repaid over the next 20 years with income from the Judd Foundation (of which The Skinners' Company were trustees), which rapidly increased when the leases on the Sandhills Estate in London were renewed in 1906.[5][11][12] The school also benefited from at least £500 per year from the Judd Foundation, after funding for Tonbridge School was reduced.[13] Although established on a tentative basis,[8] the school's early success led to its move to a larger, purpose-built site in south Tonbridge in 1896.[8



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