Prisca Coborn
Prisca Coborn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Middlesex, England |
| Died | November 13, 1701 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Brewer, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founding Coborn School for Girls; charitable bequests in Bow and Stepney |
Prisca, also known as Priscilla Coborn (, born 24 August 1622, died 13 November 1701), was a prosperous widow and benefactor based in Middlesex, an area now incorporated into London's East End. She supported various charitable initiatives and established an educational institution for girls.
Biography
Daughter of John Forster, the minister at Bow Church, Prisca inherited property both locally and in Essex through her maternal grandfather, Thomas Skorier. In 1675, she wed Thomas Coborn, a brewer operating in Bow. Before his passing shortly after their marriage, he included both Prisca and his daughter Alice in his will. Tragically, Alice passed away at the age of fifteen on what would have been her wedding day.
Following her husband's death, Coborn took over the brewing enterprise; by 1698, her inventory comprised over 900 barrels of strong beer alongside 200 barrels of small beer. Renowned for her charitable spirit, she distributed annual £10 annuities to the impoverished on four designated "Coborn Days": 30 January, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and her birthday in August. In 1683, she gifted a paten to Bow Church.
Coborn’s will, executed upon her death in 1701, founded the Coborn School for Girls located in Bow. Additionally, she allocated funds to aid the poor communities in Bow and Stepney and financed the installation of an ornamental plaster ceiling within Bow Church. Her philanthropy extended to St Bartholomew's Hospital, where a ward was named in her honor. A bell dedicated to her was installed at St Dunstan's Church in Stepney in 1806. By 1885, the value of her charitable and religious bequests was estimated to be equivalent to £14,000.
Her enduring influence is evident locally through place names such as Coborn Road (previously known as Cut Throat Lane) and Coborn Street, as well as establishments including the Coborn Arms public house and the Coborn Centre for Adolescent Mental Health.
Prisca Coborn’s final resting place is at Bow Church, where a memorial honors both her philanthropic efforts and those of her stepdaughter.