ABSTRACT
Worcester city records show that nine years later the fund established in 1627 was still serving Thomas Tomkins's charitable purpose: 16th December 1636 At this chamber yet is likewise agreed that the gift of Thomas Tompkins, gent. Tomkins and his family lived in one of them, a fine residence that survives, much altered, as 9 College Green. Before Tomkins’s restoration the properties had been divided into three tenements, sublet separately. Elsewhere, Tomkins's critical comments are addressed to a contemporary, such as John Merro in Gloucester, his son Nathaniel in Worcester, or his brother Giles in Salisbury, each having responsibility for teaching music to boys. Tomkins, in recommending a set of songs by Byrd, writes that 'The following are all within the compass of the hand&so most fit to be played with ease'. He delights in another piece by Byrd, a ground, The leaves be green, with the comment 'a most excellent piece'.
