Lord Richs Almshouses (Rochford)
Lord Rich's Almshouses are an attractive feature of the Essex market town of Rochford.
They consist of a single storey brick building containing several dwellings.
Richard Rich was the young lawyer who was taken in by Thomas More, and who repaid this generosity by giving the evidence, probably false, which led More to the scaffold.
He was also involved in a number of other high profile prosecutions, including those of Bishop John Fisher and Thomas Cromwell, during Henry VIII's reign, and managed to successfully continue his career under Mary I.
Rich became Speaker of the House of Commons and Lord Chancellor, and did indeed become very rich, owning great swathes of Essex, including Felsted (where he founded the famous school) and Rochford Hall.
In 1567, towards the end of his life, fearing that he might not be bound for Heaven, he founded the almshouses in Rochford. It was widely hoped that this ruse was in vain.